John Katu | Sport Business

Adapting the Game: Adaptive Sports Equipment for Seniors with Limited Upper Body Mobility

Maintaining physical activity is essential for healthy aging, yet seniors with limited mobility in the upper body—due to conditions like arthritis, stroke, or Parkinson’s disease—often find traditional sports and exercise challenging. The solution lies in adaptive sports equipment, which revolutionizes physical engagement by minimizing strain, maximizing stability, and re-engineering how activities are performed. This specialized gear ensures that limitations become minor adjustments, not roadblocks to an active lifestyle.

Redefining Grip and Control 🖐️

The inability to firmly grip or manipulate equipment is a major barrier. Adaptive solutions focus on simplifying the hand-object interface.

Universal Cuff and Gripping Aids: For seniors with very limited hand function or grip strength, universal cuffs and specialized gripping aids (such as those made of neoprene or leather) can secure a person’s hand to equipment like golf clubs, dumbbells, or resistance bands. This allows the forearm and shoulder muscles to power the activity, bypassing

Sports Business Ideas

The Price of Precision: The Cost of Launching a Personalized Golf Swing Wearable

November 9, 2025November 20, 2025 - by John Katu

Launching a specialized product like a personalized wearable technology for golf swing analysis is an expensive and complex endeavor, blending hardware engineering with sophisticated Artificial Intelligence (AI) software. The financial investment required goes far beyond a typical mobile app, involving simultaneous development in two high-cost domains. Entrepreneurs must anticipate a minimum total startup cost that easily ventures into the low to mid-six-figure range for a functional Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

1. Hardware Development and Prototyping (The Wearable)

The need for a physical device is the primary cost driver. The sensor technology must be precise enough to measure minute movements in a high-velocity golf swing.

Research & Development (R&D) and Sensor Integration: This involves selecting and integrating high-quality Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), gyroscopes, and accelerometers into a compact, durable, and comfortable form factor (e.g., a glove insert, a small strap, or a club attachment). Designing the final housing and ensuring battery

Sports For Old Age

Where to Find the Game: Walking Football and Pickleball Clubs for Retirees

October 21, 2025November 20, 2025 - by John Katu

The sports scene for retirees has never been more vibrant, thanks to the rise of accessible, low-impact team activities like Walking Football and Pickleball. These games offer a perfect blend of physical activity, mental stimulation, and—most importantly—social connection, making them ideal for older adults looking to stay fit and engaged. The question for many is: Where to find walking football or pickleball clubs for retirees in your local area?

Finding Your Pickleball Community 🎾

Pickleball, the fastest-growing sport in the US, is a smash hit among the 50+ crowd due to its smaller court size and gentle impact on joints. The community infrastructure is already well-established.

Local Recreation Centers and Parks: This is the most common starting point. Many municipal park and recreation departments have converted tennis courts or built dedicated Pickleball courts. Check your local city or county parks and recreation website for court schedules, often listing specific

Sports Business Ideas

From Swag to Story: Unique Merchandise Ideas for Small College Football Fan Engagement

October 12, 2025November 20, 2025 - by John Katu

For small college football programs, fan engagement isn’t about selling millions of jerseys; it’s about forging a deep, personal connection with a tight-knit alumni base, local community, and student body. Unique merchandise ideas for small college football fan engagement must prioritize affordability, local relevance, and storytelling over sheer volume, turning simple items into cherished keepsakes.

1. Hyper-Local & Historic Nods 🗺️

Merchandise that roots the team in the institution’s history and locale creates instant emotional value far exceeding its production cost.

Retro Logo Apparel: Instead of the current, often sleek logo, dive into the archives. Re-release a limited-edition line of t-shirts or hats featuring a quirky mascot design or a historical team crest from the 1950s or 60s. This targets nostalgic alumni and gives current students a unique, “vintage” look.
Stadium Blueprint Art/Mugs: Commission a simple, stylized line drawing of the campus football stadium or the iconic campus clock tower

Sports For Old Age

Finding Stability: The Benefits of Tai Chi for Balance Improvement in Older Adults

September 19, 2025November 20, 2025 - by John Katu

Falling is a leading cause of injury and disability among older adults. As balance naturally declines with age, preventing falls becomes a critical focus for maintaining independence and quality of life. Emerging as a powerful, non-pharmacological intervention is Tai Chi, an ancient Chinese martial art practiced as a sequence of slow, continuous, and graceful movements. For older adults, the practice offers substantial and well-documented benefits for balance improvement that directly contribute to fall prevention.

The Science of Stable Motion ⚖️

Tai Chi, often described as “meditation in motion,” works on multiple physiological systems critical for balance and stability.

Proprioception Enhancement: Tai Chi involves continuous, subtle shifts of weight from one leg to the other, moving through the center of gravity. This constant, conscious attention to body position—known as proprioception—trains the brain to accurately recognize where the limbs and torso are in space. Research consistently shows that Tai Chi