At the Hispanic Retail 360 Summit this week I asked the following two questions during a sports marketing presentation.

Where are we in terms of brands evolving beyond just soccer? And...Are sports brands beginning to take participation into consideration when planning their marketing strategies? Both action sports, especially snowboarding, and golf are prime examples of the conundrum many non-soccer focused sports brands will find themselves if they don't address the high growth opportunities found in the Hispanic market. We're already past the point of no return.

After playing off and on for ten years I've been hit hard by the golf bug this year. Interestingly enough its also fueled passion for understanding business opportunities awaiting the golf industry now and the years ahead. He's written a really great piece for the National Golf Foundation titled 'Golf's Hispanic Boom - Are you Ready?' It's not hard to see the writing on the wall for the golf retail sector.  

If the number of U.S. golfers continues to decline while the Hispanic population continues to grow; and if this Hispanic population does not really represent a serious opportunity to attract and develop new golf players, then I suggest you evolve to survive. The golf industry might better start seriously thinking to transform itself into soccer. Those closing golf courses can accommodate a number of soccer fields. Sport retailers can expand their underperforming golf departments into soccer. Maybe we will soon see the first Foot Joy soccer shoe. I am being sarcastic here; or am I?

Golf participation levels is a sports marketing issue that has to tap into the ONLY growing pool of the population. It just makes too much sense. There is a history of prominent Hispanic golfers in the sport. So why wouldn't it now help it address its losses in participants since 2000?   

You may wonder, are there really opportunities in the Hispanic segment?

You should ask yourself:

- Is not golf one key trait to American culture and the American way? Is it true that golf is one of the key tools for U.S. style business?

- Is not golf a naturally social activity? Are not Hispanic cultures naturally social and relationship oriented?

- Do not Hispanics surpass the percentage of participation in golf of African-Americas in the $75-99k and Asians on the $100-149k brackets, and on the higher end of $150k+ Hispanic participation surpasses all minorities and even the white population?

- Are there not proven facts that the most active golfer starts the game early in their lives and that one of every four U.S. youngsters is of Hispanic descent or origin?

- Is not the U.S. one of the countries in the world where golf is the most affordable and accessible? Certainly, it is a lot more so than in any Latin-American country. I am sure you will not find a minimal fraction of the existing public golf courses in the U.S. through all the Latin-American countries. This significant impediment, and thus part of the reasons for low Hispanic participation in golf is pretty much eliminated in the U.S.

- Did not golf participation in the U.S. grow the fastest and to its largest size when golf got to the masses, to the middle-class?

I was intrigued by this NY Times article...Just goes to show how interwined language & sports really are in today's world. This is what makes an action sports oriented SGT trip so unique.

“This may feel like an L.P.G.A. thing, but it’s really a business thing,” Whan said, adding: “I don’t really consider it a language program. I consider it a cross-cultural program.”