Google product taxonomy · 2021-09-21

Athletics

The Google product category ID for Athletics is 499713. It sits under Sporting Goods and has 25 subcategories of its own, so it is a predefined value you can send as it stands — but one of those 25 is usually the closer answer, and an interior category fits when a product genuinely spans the ones below.

Category ID: 499713
Direct subcategories: 25
Categories below it in total: 231
Depth, on a branch that runs 6: 2 / 6
Others at this level: 3
Parent category: Sporting Goods
Taxonomy version: 2021-09-21
Sent in your feed as: google_product_category

Where this sits in the taxonomy

Measured by how much sits beneath them, Athletics is second largest of the 4 categories under Sporting Goods, with 231 categories below it. Size is not correctness — a small category is the right answer when it is the right answer — but it does tell you how much of the taxonomy you are still choosing between once you pick this branch.

AthleticsAmerican Football American Football Protective Gear American Football Helmet Accessories American Football Chin Straps

The longest route down from here runs 4 more levels, ending at American Football Chin Straps (3247) on level 6: Athletics › American Football › American Football Protective Gear › American Football Helmet Accessories › American Football Chin Straps. Most branches stop sooner than that — the figure to compare it against is the seven levels Google's taxonomy allows, not the depth of the branch next door.

Every category at the same level as Athletics, compared by id, direct subcategories, total categories below and how many levels each one runs.
Category	ID	Direct	Below	Levels
Exercise & Fitness	990	26	56	4
Indoor Games	1001	8	51	3
Outdoor Recreation	1011	17	458	5
Athletics — this page	499713	25	231	4

Using this value

Either form of this value goes in the google_product_category attribute: the numeric ID (499713) or the full path ("Sporting Goods > Athletics"). Both are predefined values for the same category. The ID is the sturdier of the two, because renaming any segment above this one changes the path text and leaves the number alone. Before sending it, check whether one of the 25 subcategories below fits — a narrower category groups the product with fewer, closer things.

Bear in mind that google_product_category is an optional attribute. Google assigns a category automatically, and your value is treated as a signal rather than an override. When an override actually applies.

In your feed, it looks like this

Either row below is accepted. The first is the one to send.

products.csv3 of your columns

id	title	google_product_category
SKU-1001	Your product title	499713
SKU-1001	Your product title	Sporting Goods > Athletics

This path has no comma, so an unquoted cell holds it as it stands — which is not true of every category in the taxonomy. The numeric ID, 499713, is the form that does not depend on how the file is quoted.

What sits under Athletics

25 subcategories. A narrower category groups the product with fewer, closer things, so prefer one of these when it fits.

They are not the same size. Figure Skating & Hockey (499915) is the largest with 24 categories beneath it, so most of what sits under Athletics sits under that one name. 23 of the 25 carry subcategories of their own and the remaining 2 are leaves, which is worth knowing before you go looking for a narrower value that is not there.

Categories beneath each one12 largest of 23

Figure Skating & Hockey24 American Football17 Boxing & Martial Arts17 Field Hockey & Lacrosse17 Baseball & Softball16 General Purpose Athletic Equipment15 Track & Field12 Tennis12 Coaching & Officiating11 Cricket10 Basketball9 Gymnastics7

Questions about Athletics

What is the Google product category ID for Athletics?

499713. The full path, "Sporting Goods > Athletics", is the same category written the other way. The ID is shorter, and renaming a segment above this one changes the path text while leaving the number alone.

Should I use Athletics or one of its subcategories?

Prefer a subcategory when one fits: Athletics has 25 directly below it, starting with American Football (1093), Baseball & Softball (1070), Basketball (1081), and 231 in total further down. 499713 is itself a predefined value, so an interior category is not an error — it just groups the product more broadly than a subcategory would.

Where does Athletics sit in the taxonomy?

At level 2, under Sporting Goods (988). The chain from the top is Sporting Goods → Athletics. If your product does not belong under Sporting Goods, it does not belong here either — check the level above before going deeper.

What should I use if Athletics is not quite right?

Look across the rest of Sporting Goods first — there are 3 other categories at this level: Exercise & Fitness (990), Indoor Games (1001), Outdoor Recreation (1011). If none of them fits either, the problem is higher up: go back to Sporting Goods (988) and pick a different branch from there rather than settling for the closest thing on this one.

How much more specific can I get than Athletics?

4 levels more. The longest route down from Athletics is Athletics > American Football > American Football Protective Gear > American Football Helmet Accessories > American Football Chin Straps, ending at American Football Chin Straps (3247) on level 6. Not every branch below Athletics runs that far, so the category that fits your product may stop earlier than this one does.

How big is Athletics compared with the categories next to it?

It is second largest of the 4 at its level, carrying 231 categories below it. Inside it, Figure Skating & Hockey (499915) is the biggest branch with 24 beneath it. A bigger category is not a better one — it just means more of the taxonomy is still open below you after you pick it.

Not sure this is the one?

Describe the product and get the category with its ID, a confidence figure and the runners-up it was weighed against.

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Canonical URL: https://sellersort.com/google-product-category/499713-sporting-goods-athletics