DKS, ASO, ONON, FLUT: Gen Z Breakouts in the Sports Ecosystem

In this monthly note we examine sports ecosystem brands and themes breaking out among Gen Z consumers: (1) The World Cup predictably dominates breakouts, with FIFA, Fox Sports, & FotMob leading; (2) Beyond the World Cup, consumer brands including Vuori, Champs Sports, and Fanatics lead; (3) Big box sports retailers including Scheels, DKS, ASO, BPS, REI, and SPWH comprise many of the top names; (4) Running and outdoor is a consistent theme across categories, including DTC names like Salomon, ONON, and Hoka; (5) Betting shows heavy growth in emerging names such as Underdog (acquired by LSE: IGG) and Hard Rock, but FanDuel and bet365 also continue to grow; and (6) we have sports ecosystem companies at Optimal’s 10/29 Luxury Leaders Summit in NYC, please connect with your salesperson about attendance.

Overall Breakouts (Top 10):

Source: Optimal Advisory Analysis, Similarweb

Overall Breakouts (Next 20):

Source: Optimal Advisory Analysis, Similarweb

Sports Betting:

Source: Optimal Advisory Analysis, Similarweb

DTC Brands:

Source: Optimal Advisory Analysis, Similarweb

Retail & Marketplace:

Source: Optimal Advisory Analysis, Similarweb

Media & Editorial:

Source: Optimal Advisory Analysis, Similarweb

Leagues, Teams, & Governing Bodies (excluding FIFA for Scale):

Source: Optimal Advisory Analysis, Similarweb

Fantasy & Collectibles:

Source: Optimal Advisory Analysis, Similarweb

Software & Registration:

Source: Optimal Advisory Analysis, Similarweb

Data & Reference:

Source: Optimal Advisory Analysis, Similarweb