Play It Again Sports Franchise Failure Rate
SBA 7(a) loan default data, FY2010–FY2019 · Updated 2026
Play It Again Sports franchisees defaulted on 4.8% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 3 of 62 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is lower than the Sporting Goods Stores industry average of 10.8%.
- 4.8%SBA default rate3 of 62 loans
- 62loans resolvedapproved FY2010–FY2019
- 10.8%Sporting Goods Stores averageall SBA loans in the industry
- 10.2%all-franchise average7.8% non-franchised
| SBA default rate | 4.8% |
|---|---|
| Loans approved | 62 |
| Loans charged off | 3 |
| Date range | FY2010–FY2019 |
| Industry | Sporting Goods Stores |
| Industry average | 10.8% |
| Data source | U.S. SBA 7(a) FOIA loan data |
Most SBA default figures published online use loans approved since 2020 — loans that have had six years or less to fail — so those rates are floors, not outcomes. Every rate on this site is computed from the matured FY2010–FY2019 cohort: loans that have been paid in full or charged off, so the result is settled. Loans approved since 2020 are shown as counts so early charge-offs are visible without being mistaken for a rate.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.
About 1 in 21 Play It Again Sports SBA borrowers failed to repay — well below the Sporting Goods Stores average of 10.8%.
What is the Play It Again Sports franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Play It Again Sports is a Sporting Goods Stores franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Play It Again Sports franchisees: 62 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 3 were charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY201962
- Charged off3
- Charge-off rate4.8%
- Sporting Goods Stores franchise benchmark10.8%
- Brand vs industry0.4x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$198,110
- New SBA loans since 202070
- Early charge-offs since 20203
How does Play It Again Sports compare with other Sporting Goods Stores franchises?
The table sets Play It Again Sports's charge-off rate beside its Sporting Goods Stores peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable.
| Measure | Play It Again Sports | Sporting Goods Stores | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 4.8% | 10.8% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 62 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 3 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $198,110 | — | — | — |
What has Play It Again Sports SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, Play It Again Sports franchisees have taken 70 new SBA 7(a) loans. 3 have already charged off. Early defaults on loans under six years old are worth noting. Most SBA failures take longer to develop.
Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 3 have charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2010 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2011 | 12 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2012 | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| FY2013 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2014 | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| FY2015 | 8 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2016 | 7 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2017 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2018 | 11 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2019 | 4 | 1 | 25.0% |
| FY2020 | 3 | — | outstanding |
| FY2021 | 6 | — | outstanding |
| FY2022 | 11 | — | outstanding |
| FY2023 | 15 | — | outstanding |
| FY2024 | 13 | — | outstanding |
| FY2025 | 10 | — | outstanding |
| FY2026 | 12 | — | outstanding |
How to read this
A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.
How reliable is this number?
Play It Again Sports's figure rests on 62 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019. That cohort has matured, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 62 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 1.6 percentage points. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every Play It Again Sports figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Based on 62 resolved loans — directional, not precise.
Is Play It Again Sports in financial trouble? What the SBA data shows
Play It Again Sports's SBA 7(a) default rate was 4.8% for loans approved FY2010–FY2019 (3 of 62 loans charged off) — the only Sporting Goods Stores brand tracked here. A default rate this far below the Sporting Goods Stores average of 10.8% is not, on its own, a sign of distress.
Frequently asked
- What is Play It Again Sports's franchise failure rate?
- Play It Again Sports franchisees defaulted on 4.8% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 3 of 62 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is lower than the Sporting Goods Stores industry average of 10.8%.
- How does Play It Again Sports compare to other Sporting Goods Stores franchises?
- Play It Again Sports's 4.8% SBA default rate is lower than the Sporting Goods Stores industry average of 10.8%. See every Sporting Goods Stores franchise ranked on the Sporting Goods Stores industry page. Sporting Goods Stores franchises →
- What does 'SBA default rate' mean?
- An SBA default rate is the share of SBA 7(a) loans, approved FY2010–FY2019 and since resolved (paid in full or charged off), that were charged off — written off after the borrower failed to repay. It is not a measure of unit closures.
Source
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) loan program charge-off data, FY2010–FY2019. Franchise data is matched on the SBA's franchise code / brand name. "Failure rate" here means the share of approved loans (resolved: paid in full or charged off) that were charged off; it is not a measure of unit closures. Last updated September 30, 2026.
Every brand in one table, with percentiles and breakdowns by year, industry and loan size: franchise SBA default rates, all 415 brands.
Cite this page
Franchise Default Rates (2026). Play It Again Sports franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 4.8% (3 of 62 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/play-it-again-sports/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)