Rivalry$-$related competitive pressures are being intensified by the active and ongoing efforts on the part of Under Armour, Nike, and adidas$-$Reebok to expand their product lines, alter designs, styles, and colors, and offer wider selections to consumers who wear performance sports apparel.

The recent falloff in demand for performance sports apparel acts to weaken the rivalry among rival designers$/$marketers because there is enough new demand to enable each rival to grow sales$/$market share without having to steal customers away from rival brands.

Rivalry is weakened by the differentiation that exists from one brand of athletic apparel to another, such differentiation creates buyer preferences for the features of certain brands, thus inhibiting brand switching and giving rise to buyer loyalty.

Rivalry$-$related competitive pressures are being intensified by the active and aggressive efforts on the part of Under Armour, Nike, and adidas$-$Reebok to build and strengthen the appeal of their brand names via celebrity endorsements, sponsorships of sporting events, various promotional activities, and advertising.

Rivalry$-$related competitive pressures are being intensified by the ongoing and vigorous efforts on the part of Under Armour, Nike, and adidas$-$Reebok to expand the sizes of their retail distribution networks in all geographic areas of the world.

The rivalry among designers and marketers of performance sports apparel is a moderate competitive force worldwide.