U.S. sporting goods imports soared in the first quarter of 2021, accelerating sequentially from Q4 last year, and surpassing the pandemic-depressed comparable quarter by 45.3% for a total of $6,717.8 million compared to $4,624.2 million. The total is the highest we’ve seen since we began tracking industry imports over a decade ago. Every category was positive, though exercise was the standout again, more than tripling year-over-year. Athletic footwear imports increased 15.9%, while apparel could only muster a 0.6% improvement, but total equipment imports surged 79.3% and would still have been up 24.3% even excluding exercise.

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