Sports Authority

Infobox_Company
company_name = Sports Authority Inc.
company_
company_type = Sporting goods
key_people = Tomasi Binagi, CEO and President
Jason Sleaper, COO

foundation = 1928
location = 1050 West Hampden Avenue, Englewood, Colorado 80110
industry = Retail
products = Apparel, sports equipment, footwear, exercise equipment
homepage = http://www.sportsauthority.com/

Sports Authority is one of the USA's largest sporting goods retailers. The company is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado. It operates over 400 stores in 45 U.S. states under the Sports Authority name. Total sales for the fiscal year ending January 28 2006 were $2.51 billion.Facts|date=February 2008

The company's e-tailing website (located at sportsauthority.com), is operated by GSI Commerce, Inc. under license and e-commerce agreements. Because the e-commerce website is operated under a company separate from Sports Authority, the website often carries a wider selection than what is available in the stores. Because of the licensing agreement, unfortunately, returns from the website may not be processed in the stores. In addition, a joint venture with ÆON Co., Ltd. operates "Sports Authority" stores in Japan under a licensing agreement.

History

Gart Sports

The Gart Sports name has been synonymous with the top tier of sporting goods retailers in the United States for over 70 years. The Gart tradition started in 1928, when Denver Post newspaper carrier Nathan Gart started the company with $50 in fishing rod samples.

In 1971, Gart Sports Company opened its first "Superstore" with the opening of the world famous "Sportscastle" store in Denver, Colorado at the corner of 10th Avenue and Broadway Avenue. The 1980s proved to be an exciting time for the company, during which the company grew through a series of acquisitions. These mergers included Hagan's Sports Ltd., Dave Cook and Stevens Brown of Salt Lake City.

portmart

At the same time that Gart Sports Company opened the Sportscastle, the Hochberg family opened their first Sportmart in Niles, Illinois. The company grew to 60 stores in nine states. Gart Sports and Sportmart merged in 1998.

Oshman's

Oshman's was opened in 1919 when Jake Oshman opened the first Oshman's Sporting Goods store. By 1965, Jake Oshman had built his business to become the largest sporting goods chain in Texas. The company operated 43 Oshman's SuperSports USA stores and 15 traditional stores when it merged with Gart Sports Company in 2001.

ports Authority

The Sports Authority, Inc. opened its first store in November 1987 in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. In 1990, with approximately nine stores in six states, the company was acquired by Kmart. Five years later, The Sports Authority had expanded to 136 stores in 26 states, and was spun-off from parent Kmart.

Gart Sports merge with Sports Authority

Gart Sports, which also operated Oshman's and Sportmart, completed a "merger of equals" with Sports Authority on August 4, 2003. At the time of its merger with Gart Sports Company, The Sports Authority was the largest full-line sporting goods retailer in the United States, and had 205 stores in 33 states. The combined company took the Sports Authority name. With the merger, each share of Sports Authority was exchanged with 0.37 shares of Gart Sports which gave investors in each about 50% of the new merchant. The new company is based in Englewood, Colorado, which was the home of Gart Sports.

As of May 2006, the remaining stores that were not operating under the Sports Authority name re-branded to the Sports Authority name. There are no longer any stores operating under the name of Gart Sports, Sportmart or Oshman's.

Copeland Sports

In August 2006, Copeland Sports, headquartered out of San Luis Obispo, California filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. In November 2006, Sports Authority assumed the leasehold interests of seven former Copeland's Sports locations, and had planned to acquire at least five more. These stores were remodeled and re-branded to Sports Authority locations, and re-opened as Sports Authority stores in 2007.

Brands

Sports Authority sells a multitude of different brands of sporting goods from many different vendors. The company also sells products under its own private labels, including Alpine Design (which makes up a majority of clothing and outdoor goods), Aspire (women's sportswear), Golf Day (Golf goods), Tour Collection (Golf), Estero (Soccer cleats and equipment), Parkside (outdoor games and trampolines) and Bodyfit by Sports Authority (fitness accessories). Many of these products are made by other manufacturers and branded with the Sports Authority private labels.

Competitors

Its major competitors in the U.S. include many other like Dick's Sporting Goods. Dick's Sporting Goods operates Dick's Sporting Goods Stores, Golf Galaxy Stores and recently acquired the West coast sporting goods chain, Chick's Sporting Goods. Excluding revenues from Chicks, DKS generated 2007 revenues of $3.8B in fiscal 2008. With the inclusion of Chicks, DKS operates over 450 stores, surpassing The Sports Authority on stores and revenue. Fact|date=June 2008

In popular culture

*In Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure it is mentioned that Genghis Khan had trashed the Oshman's at the "San Dimas Mall" resulting in Kahn's (and the others) arrest.

Trivia

*Sports Authority is home to the World's Largest Ski and Snowboard sale, known as SNIAGRAB ("bargains" spelled backwards) (which some consider to be a Semordnilap).
*Sports Authority currently operates stores in every US state with the exception of North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Kentucky and West Virginia.
*Sports Authority is a major contributor to the National Sports Center for the Disabled.
*The company sponsors both the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox.
*Sports Authority's logo is featured near the "Green Monster" in Fenway Park in Boston.
*In Fresno, CA, there are currently two Sports Authority Stores on opposite sides of the street. One was formerly a SportMart until SportMart was acquired by Sports Authority

External links

* [http://www.sportsauthority.com/ Official website]
* [http://sec.edgar-online.com/2004/04/15/0001047469-04-012189/section2.asp 10-K filing] , containing merger information