Sports equipment
Bikini rule changed in beach handball after player protest

Nov. 01, 2021 11:54 AM EDT
BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — Bikini-style uniforms will no longer be mandated for female beach handball players following protests by players and European...

FILE - In this May 16, 2012, file photo, the Facebook logo is displayed on an iPad in Philadelphia. The 2020 pandemic lockdowns could have been virtual reality’s chance to offer an escape for the homebound. The success of Facebook's latest VR gear could show whether the industry has finally cracked the code. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Missing the moment: Virtual reality's breakout still elusive

By Mae Anderson Jun. 01, 2021 08:10 AM EDT

A salesperson helps a customer shopping for Bean Boots at the L.L. Bean flagship retail store, Thursday, March 18, 2021, in Freeport, Maine. Maine-based retailer L.L. Bean saw the best sales in nearly a decade during pandemic. Officials say the Freeport-based retailer started its fiscal year with store closings and worries about survival but the company weathered the turbulent times to revenue growth of 5%. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
L.L. Bean sees sales boom amid pandemic's push to outdoors

By David Sharp Mar. 19, 2021 11:00 AM EDT

Meredith Hopkins, right, helps fit ski boots on Makenna Houghton at the ski shop at McIntyre Ski Area, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, in Manchester, N.H. Over the summer, people looking to get out of the house snapped up boats, bicycles and patio furniture, figuring they were safer socializing and being active outdoors than inside. Now that temperatures are dropping, they're buying snowshoes, skis, boots and winter coats, boosting the beleaguered retail sector. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Consumers still want to get outdoors as temperatures plunge

By David Sharp Dec. 25, 2020 07:32 AM EST

Bike Surgeon's Mike "Big Mike" Eschmann works on a customer's bike in the service area in O'Fallon, Ill. The Bike Surgeon has been busy since COVID-19 hit the region. (Derik Holtmann/Belleville News-Democrat via AP)
Coronavirus put more cyclists on Illinois trails

By Teri Maddox Aug. 29, 2020 01:02 AM EDT

FILE - In this May 18, 2020 file photo, Gus Promollo delivers an order into a customer's trunk at Dick's Sporting Goods in Paramus, N.J. At home workouts and outdoor athletic activities are shaping up to be good business for Dick’s Sporting Goods. The retailer’s second-quarter results easily beat Wall Street’s expectations, Wednesday, Aug. 26, as consumers continue to focus on health and wellness while stuck at home amid the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
No sweat: Dick's crushes 2Q as consumers focus on fitness

By Michelle Chapman Aug. 26, 2020 09:05 AM EDT

With precautions for clients and staff on mask wearing, social distancing, and constant disinfecting cleaning, this Life Time full service health club location remains open even as Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has issued an executive order for all gyms to close due to the surge in coronavirus cases in Arizona Thursday, July 2, 2020, in Phoenix. For the third straight day, several health clubs in metro Phoenix were defying Ducey's 30-day shutdown order to close gyms, bars, water park and tubing businesses, raising questions about whether officials who have been criticized for responding indecisively to the pandemic will be effective in shutting down the clubs. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
2 dozen health clubs disobey Arizona’s gym closure order

By Jacques Billeaud Jul. 02, 2020 06:09 PM EDT

FILE - In this May 12, 2020, file photo, store manager Josh Hayden, left to right, talks with Kay Amey and Jackie Gee about a new bicycle at Eddy's Bike Shop in Willoughby Hills, Ohio. The pandemic has had a devastating impact on retail as businesses across the country were forced to close their doors for weeks at a time. In the sporting goods industry, the impact has depended on the focus of the business. On the flip side of the puck, some sporting goods businesses have flourished during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
Sporting goods industry hit or miss during pandemic

By John Marshall May. 27, 2020 05:12 PM EDT

In this photo taken Friday, May 15, 2020, the public pool in Mission, Kan. is lifeless as plans remain in place to keep the pool closed for the summer to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. As warm weather approaches and many public pools remain closed there has been a surge of people using backyard pools as well at taking to water activities on lakes and rivers to get out and cool off. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
US communities face tough choices on opening public pools

By Heather Hollingsworth May. 25, 2020 10:21 AM EDT

Ezra Christi, a junior at St. Michael's Catholic School, in Brattleboro, Vt., puts up American flags at the gravesites of veterans at Locust Ridge Cemetery, in Brattleboro, on Monday, May 18, 2020. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)
Sued Vermont gym reopens as outdoor fitness facility

By Lisa Rathke May. 19, 2020 11:51 AM EDT

USA Olympic modern pentathlon team member Amro ElGeziry jump his horse, Chino, during practice at a stable in Fountain, Colo., Friday, April 24, 2020. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Modern love: Pentathlon couple balances training, military

By Pat Graham May. 04, 2020 04:01 PM EDT

This Thursday April 2, 2020, photo provided by GogglesForDocs shows a bin for collecting new and used ski goggles outside Basin Sports in Killington, Vt. Olympic athletes, recreational skiers/snowboarders and businesses are rounding up as many new or used snow goggles with one clear vision: To aid those in the medical community who are in need of eye protection as they treat patients with COVID-19. It's part of a program called “Goggles for Docs," a grassroots effort that began in late March. (GogglesForDocs via AP)
Clear vision: Program provides ski goggles to medical staff

By Pat Graham Apr. 07, 2020 03:30 PM EDT