A sports article includes a portion that includes a nanostructured material. The nanostructured material includes a metal, and the nanostructured material has an average grain size that is in the range of 2 nm to 5,000 nm, a yield strength that is in the range of 200 MPa to 2,750 MPa, and a hardness that is in the range of 100 Vickers to 2,000 Vickers. The sports article can be any of a variety of sports equipment and associated components, such as a golf club, a baseball bat, a softball bat, a lacrosse stick, or a hockey stick.