Sports Authority...New York Jets...Florida Panthers

All Sports Authority stores will be liquidated. The "sales" will start on May 25. The Consumerist has more info on it.

I went to Ross yesterday because I like their hat selection and found this:

It's a New York Jets New Era On Field Cap. I paid $8 for a cap that retails for $35. It will go great with my Tim Tebow jersey.

According to a poster on Reddit, the Florida Panthers will be having a massive sale on team merchandise starting Saturday. Details can be found here.

Anaheim Ducks Team Store Sale

The Anaheim Ducks had their Team Store sale on Saturday. They have this annually after the season ends. This was the second one I've ever been to.

Mother's Day - Anaheim Ducks Sale

I don't have much to write about. I missed the Angels' Sale during Fiesta Angels. They had it on the Saturday before Mother's Day again. I guess this will be the tradition going forward.

If you go to auctions.mlb.com, you can buy the gear that the players were wearing for Mother's Day. So far only the Orioles have their Mother's Day jerseys on there.

The Anaheim Ducks will be having their sale on Saturday. Information is here. 

Statement from the CEO of Sports Authority

I got this in my email today and I thought I would share it.



Dear Sports Authority Customers,
We appreciate your support and patronage and want you to know that you can continue to shop at Sports Authority stores and online at SportsAuthority.com.
As we communicated in early March when we entered Chapter 11, we are closing or selling approximately 140 of our 450 stores. We continue to move forward with this process, which we expect will be completed by the end of June. During this time, you can take advantage of our ongoing sales at those stores, with big discounts on great brands and merchandise!
The majority of our stores remain open on normal schedules and you can continue to shop on SportsAuthority.com as you always have. For an up-to-date list of operating Sports Authority stores and to find the nearest location, please visit our Store Locator at SportsAuthority.com.
We remain fully committed to delivering value and great merchandise wherever you shop at Sports Authority, and we look forward to continue serving you.
Sincerely,

Michael Foss
Chief Executive Officer


We'll see what happens next.

The Future of Sports Authority

Many media outlets are reporting that Sports Authority will be liquidating their stores. Sports Authority came out with a statement today saying they were looking for a buyer. I don't know who would buy them but if this is the case, many of their stores will probably close.

I had a gift card to their store and I wanted to use it before they liquidated.

When I went last week, it was void of customers. There was one cashier and a few staff members stocking items.

I bought this branded baseball for less than three dollars. Maybe it will be worth something one day. It's sad how Circuit City, CompUSA, Borders, and many other retailers have gone out of business in recent years. Hopefully the people working at Sports Authority will land on their feet.

If you have any gift cards from them, use them before they liquidate or are sold. Liquidators don't take gift cards. Also, wait a week or two into any liquidation sale when there are actual discounts.  

Chargers On Field Cap...Going Out of Business....All Star Voting

Last week I bought this cap at Burlington Coat Factory for $10. The retail value of it is $35, so this was a great find. I like how the Bolts' logo pops out of the cap.



Sports Chalet and many Sports Authority stores are going out of business. The Consumerist has an article about it.  I have been to Sports Authority (SA) on a few occasions and as consumer I felt like their stores very outdated and that their prices weren't competitive with Dick's Sporting Goods. Most of the time I went to SA, there was hardly anyone there. Aisles were vacant of staff and customers. I believe most consumers would rather shop in a big box store or a store tailored towards their sport.



On a lighter note MLB All Star Game voting has opened up. It's been less than one month into the season and it's voting time. The jerseys for it are pretty sweet and I'll break my rule and buy one that isn't on sale.

Game Used Baseballs

Last week I wrote about the Game Used Baseballs that were being sold on MLB Auctions website. On Saturday I received them. This is what $60 ($30 each) got me.

San Diego is spelled wrong on the labels.

There is a seal on both balls, which you can use to see when these were used. The one on the left was used during a Padres/Rockies game in 2014.

The baseball on the right was thrown by former Padres pitcher Ian Kennedy to the Rockies' Justin Morneau. It might have been from this game.  

I am not actually sure what to do with them. I don't want to spend the money on display cases for them.

The Kennedy baseball also features the 10 year anniversary logo of Petco Park. I didn't know the Padres used commemorative baseballs during that season.



Two more things:

Kobe Bryant's last game netted the Staples Center $1.2 million in Bryant merchandise sales. I guess there is a market for $40K hats.

The NBA owners approved ads on jerseys for the 2017-18 season. Many people are upset with this because there are already enough ads in any telecast. I feel like most people won't notice them but I wouldn't buy a jersey with an ad on it unless it was a soccer kit.