The declared customs value of U.S. sporting goods imports fell 17.5% in the final quarter of the year, with almost every category showing a decline against the prior year but the Athletic Apparel category showed by far the most damage with a 75.8% decline in Q4 to just $305.0 million from $1,258.2 million, a level well below even the previous low we tracked for the category during Q2 2009 when imports were just $583.6 million at the height of the last recession. Sneakers were the relative bright spot in the data with a 10.0% increase in Q4 to $1,618.6 million ... Log in to view full article.