The data and areas of interest covered are intentionally broad, ranging from the various types of businesses involved in sports and recreation, to the teams and leagues that make up professional sports of all types, to an in-depth look at the 350 major firms (which we call “THE SPORTS 350”) within the many segments that make up the sports industry.

This reference book is designed to be a general source for researchers. It is especially intended to assist with market research, strategic planning, employment searches, contact or prospect list creation (be sure to see the export capabilities of the accompanying CD-ROM that is available to book and eBook buyers) and financial research, and as a data resource for executives and students of all types.

PLUNKETT'S SPORTS INDUSTRY ALMANAC takes a rounded approach for the general reader and presents a complete overview of the sports and recreation field (see “How To Use This Book”).

THE SPORTS 350 is our unique grouping of the biggest, most successful corporations in all segments of the sports and recreation industry. Tens of thousands of pieces of information, gathered from a wide variety of sources, have been researched and are presented in a unique form that can be easily understood. This section includes thorough indexes to THE SPORTS 350, by geography, industry, sales, brand names, subsidiary names and many other topics. (See Chapter 4.)

Especially helpful is the way in which PLUNKETT'S SPORTS INDUSTRY ALMANAC enables readers who have no business background to readily compare the financial records and growth plans of sports companies and major industry groups. You’ll see the mid-term financial record of each firm, along with the impact of earnings, sales and strategic plans on each company’s potential to fuel growth, to serve new markets and to provide investment and employment opportunities.

No other source provides this book’s easy-to-understand comparisons of growth, expenditures, technologies, corporations and many other items of great importance to people of all types who may be studying this, one of the fastest growing industry sectors in the world today.

By scanning the data groups and the unique indexes, you can find the best information to fit your personal research needs. The major companies in sports and recreation are profiled and then ranked using several different groups of specific criteria. Which firms are the biggest employers? Which companies earn the most profits? These things and much more are easy to find.

In addition to individual company profiles, a thorough analysis of trends in sports and recreation sectors is provided. These trends include recent changes. This book’s job is to help you sort through easy-to-understand summaries of today’s trends in a quick and effective manner.

Whatever your purpose for researching the sports field, you’ll find this book to be a valuable guide. Nonetheless, as is true with all resources, this volume has limitations that the reader should be aware of:

• Financial data and other corporate information can change quickly. A book of this type can be no more current than the data that was available as of the time of editing. Consequently, the financial picture, management and ownership of the firm(s) you are studying may have changed since the date of this book. For example, this almanac includes the most up-to-date sales figures and profits available to the editors as of early 2005. That means that we have typically used corporate financial data as of late-2004.
  
  
• Corporate mergers, acquisitions and downsizing are occurring at a very rapid rate. Such events may have created significant change, subsequent to the publishing of this book, within a company you are studying.
  
  
• Some of the companies in THE SPORTS 350 are so large in scope and in variety of business endeavors conducted within a parent organization, that we have been unable to completely list all subsidiaries, affiliations, divisions and activities within a firm’s corporate structure.
  
  
• This volume is intended to be a general guide to a vast industry. That means that researchers should look to this book for an overview and, when conducting in-depth research, should contact the specific corporations or industry associations in question for the very latest changes and data. Where possible, we have listed contact names, toll-free telephone numbers and World Wide Web site addresses for the companies, government agencies and industry associations involved so that the reader may get further details without unnecessary delay.
  
  
• Tables of industry data and statistics used in this book include the latest numbers available at the time of printing, generally through late-2004. In a few cases, the only complete data available was for earlier year.
  
  
• We have used exhaustive efforts to locate and fairly present accurate and complete data. However, when using this book or any other source for business and industry information, the reader should use caution and diligence by conducting further research where it seems appropriate. We wish you success in your endeavors, and we trust that your experience with this book will be both satisfactory and productive.

Jack W. Plunkett
Houston, Texas
June 2005