This hinders players in the sporting goods industry, with its rapid-fire product cycles and relentless feature updates.

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The adidas Group is one of the global leaders within the sporting goods industry, offering a broad range of products around the core brands: adidas, Reebok, TaylorMade, Rockport and Reebok-CCM Hockey.

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The Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association, another industry trade group, said baseball participation fell 12.7% for the overall population.

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From 2000 to 2009, the latest year for which figures are available, the number of kids aged 7 to 17 playing baseball fell 24%, according to the National Sporting Goods Association, an industry trade group.

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Among other things, the sporting goods market should expand this year amid a healthier economy, less discounting and industry specific events like the World Cup, wrote HSBC in a report in late March.

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