What is slowing down the road running industry? A combination of rising fees, competition from nontraditional events (hello, novelty runs and obstacle racing) and a business culture that has seen too many races go belly-up soon after launch. The decline has event planners worried.

As residents and business owners take stock of the fire damage to California's wine country, a sports destination in Eastern Tennessee is watching with the unique empathy that can only come from having lived through the same thing. Now, they share their insights, advice and messages of hope.

The issue of heading in soccer, which divided youth sports last year, just took another hit and it's a hard one. Retired English soccer star Alan Shearer has announced that even at the age of 47, his memory has deteriorated and that he is at risk for dementia.

Did 'Silent September,' an initiative in South Carolina to get soccer parents to pipe down, resonate? Yes, it did, and it remains the non-shout heard 'round the soccer world. In fact, it worked so well that at least one organization has expanded this to be a 'silent season.'

To the initiated, skijoring sounds bizarre. An activity in which a skier is pulled by a galloping horse at high speeds through obstacles, it's been called "skiing meets the rodeo meets Medieval Times." But to winter sports planners, it could be spectator-friendly and a new revenue stream.

It's not often planners and destinations are handed a road map of what sports are going to be big in the coming year. The American College of Sports Medicine, however, has presented its Worldwide Fitness Trends for 2018. Bonus round: It's a treasure trove of ideas for new revenue streams.