In 2012, D Magazine published a story about competitive cheering. I’m sure you read Jason Sheeler’s piece, which was titled (online at least) “How the Plano Panthers Cheer Squad Became World Champions: Lots of hard work, the perfect red bows, and because, in their own words, they are ‘bad-ass bitches.’ ” You read it because who isn’t interested in competitive cheering?
Well, then, you’ll want to read this new Inc. story that further proves that ever since the Herkie was was invented in Dallas, we’ve continued to be the epicenter of cheering. (And by “we,” I mean “North Texas.” Relax, Plano.) The Inc. story is about a Dallas woman named Karen Noseff Aldridge, founder of Rebel Athletic, who is shaking up the uniform side of the industry. A taste:
[E]ven as Rebel generates buzz and profits, a mighty opponent wants to swat it down. Varsity Brands is a $1.2 billion company owned by the $3.5 billion private-equity firm Charlesbank Capital Partners. Thanks to an aggressive campaign of acquisitions, rebate plans that make it expensive for gym owners to switch suppliers, and other strategies, Varsity Spirit, the corporation’s cheer division, commands north of 80 percent of the uniform market, as estimated by competitors. The company also wields outsize influence in virtually every aspect of the industry … .
Having established a name in All-Star, Rebel is now making a run at Varsity’s traditional sideline business, where schools present a very different customer universe. Here, too, Varsity dominates thanks to longstanding relationships with school coaches. “They grew up in the Varsity system,” says Noseff Aldridge. “All they know is to buy Varsity.” It’s another chance for Rebel to play the “challenger brand”: an upstart using unexpected tactics to tackle an entrenched player.
