It's no secret that football helmets are in short supply but coaches are also saying that other endangered species are uniforms, cleats, baseball and softball gloves, pads and the chips that help keep video boards up and running. It's all tied up with supply chain problems. There's some good news, though: The great chicken wing shortage is over.

Fall has traditionally been the time when hotel room rates drop. Only this year, say industry pundits, those prices are not dropping. In many cases, the per-night price of hotels is predicted to remain the same, or even go up, from its vacation-season high, when pent-up demand brought prosperity to accommodations. How might it affect sports travel?

What do you do when your high school's sports facilities are the punch line of jokes statewide? If you're the Board of Ed at Bowling Green High School, you allow the funds that athletes pay in order to participate in sports to be used to improve facilities and pay for current uniforms (rather than go into the general fund). Can sports tourism grow?

One of the side effects of the pandemic was the movement of travelers away from airlines, and toward other forms of transit, one of which was rail. With fewer regulations concerning baggage, carry-ons and documentation, regional rail travel spiked. Now, a possible strike is looming. What could it mean to sports tourism? Here are some scenarios.

Pickleball facilities are everywhere. Literally. Even in conjunction with "eatertainment." The sport seems to have permeated society at all levels, in all cities, for all age groups. Even The New Yorker Magazine ran an article, asking "Can Pickleball Save America?" and Stephen Colbert has assembled a star-studded, comedic pickleball tournament.

SDM has opened nominations for its awards program, Champions of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism, to recognize events held over the past year that have helped our industry continue to be the nearly $50 billion force that it is. We know you have questions, and we've tried to answer them in advance. Read here to learn more and to enter your event!