From pickup games to national championships, we Americans love our sports. We’re always looking for cool new ways to show our support and allegiance.
That’s where lapel pins come in. These colorful custom buttons portray everything from teams, players, and mascots to balls, rackets, bats, clubs, bikes, skates, helmets, oars, and paddles.
Plus, because they are 100% customizable and range in size from .75 inch to 2 inches, they work perfectly with any clothing style, from T-shirts to business suits.
The market is huge – and growing – as more and more sports enthusiasts get in on the pin-trading craze and other popular trends.
How are you involved with sports? All of the following (and others) will love our custom pins:
- Fans of Professional Teams: Whether you’re looking at the NFL, the NBA, or the PPA (Professional Pickleball Association), you’ll find avid fans eager to show off their loyalty to their favorite team. With a colorful enamel lapel pin depicting the team’s logo or mascot, they can do exactly that. With an offset-printed pin, they can do even more – i.e., sport a high-resolution photographic image of their favorite player.
If you are not with the team’s organization, make sure your imagery has been licensed by the relevant sports league or association before you produce any of these pins.
- Fans of College Teams: Few fandoms are as enthusiastic as collegiate sports fans. Especially in regions where college football and basketball play prominent roles in the local culture.
If you’re in the marketing department of a collegiate soccer, tennis, golf, lacrosse, or other team, consider creating a series of sports lapel pins for every phase of the season – including playoffs and championships – as well as every athlete.
- Fans of School Teams: Parents and students alike appreciate lapel pins celebrating middle and high school sports like soccer, football, baseball, basketball, track, tennis, golf, wrestling, and gymnastics. Pins can depict anything from the school mascot to a ball, glove, or helmet inscribed with the team name or logo.
- Professional Team Executives and Staff: Even when sports execs are sporting business suits, they still want to promote their teams. How can they do so professionally? With lapel pins, of course. Hard enamel pins are ideal: With their brilliant colors and glossy shine, they convey elegance and class. Yet, at the same time, they definitely get the point across.
- Coaches: From preschool T-ball to pro basketball, every sports team has a coach. Usually more than one. According to IBISWorld, as of 2023, there are 322,629 sports coaches in the United States. Many of those coaches may be looking for creative ways to honor, reward, and recognize their high-achieving players. Lapel pins are perfect for this purpose. They can be customized to show team colors and logos along with messages like “MVP” or “Outstanding Catcher/Kicker/Whatever.”
- Sports Clubs: Do you belong to a local softball league, golf club, or pickleball association? Or do you market to these informal amateur groups? You may want to consider ordering a batch of custom lapel pins. Such pins provide these regional sports clubs with an easy, effective way to forge a group identity, build a unique brand, and connect with other members.
- Pin Traders: Nowadays lapel-pin trading has become a booming business. At online sites like Amazon, and eBay, sellers feature pins everything sports. Why not get in on the game with attractive enamel pins promoting popular players, clubs, and teams? (If you are a reseller of sports pins, make certain you have proper licensing approval before ordering.)
Choose From Several Alternatives
Once you’ve decided to offer lapel pins with a sports or athletic theme, what’s the next step? Decide what kind of pins you want. At Sunset Pins and Coins, we offer a range of options:
- Soft Enamel Pins: Known for their richly textured beauty, these budget-friendly pins boast higher raised ridges and lower recessed hollows. Brilliant colored enamel fills the recessed areas – but never comes up to the rims – to create a unique, distinctive 3D look. Best of all, these pins can be manufactured quickly at quite affordable prices, so they’re the perfect choice when you’re in a pinch.
- Hard Enamel Pins: Also known as cloisonné, these jewel-like pins are famous for their solid, durable finish. Unlike soft enamel pins, they’re sleek and smooth all over, with a beautifully buffed sheen. Yes, they cost a little more to produce, but if you’re selling to major teams or sports CEOs, you’ll find that the customers’ smiles are more than worth the modest additional price.
- Die-Struck Pins: Technically, most pins are die-struck. But these pins differ from their enameled counterparts because they contain no colored enamel at all. Instead, they simply consist of an engraved steel base plated with a decorative metal like gold, silver, or copper. Sometimes they’re antiqued for a vintage effect or trimmed with fancy finishes. But basically they’re elegant monotone pins, ideal for sports execs who prefer a refined, understated look.
- Offset Printed Pins: Yes, they’re exactly what they sound like – lapel pins incorporating full-color photography printed with offset technology. Perfect for showcasing individual players.
Have questions? We are here to help. Leave your comment below or contact us for assistance at 800-890-2789 or email info@sunsetpinsandcoins.com.
