Sports Stores Near Me

For the athletic minded individual, a trip to the local sports store is the best place to find every item needed for sports, recreation, and fitness. Whether you’re looking to outfit your child for their team activities or simply want to get some new workout wear for yourself, a sports store can mean finding everything you need in one convenient location.

Are you interested in finding sports stores near you? Simply browse sports stores near me on the map below and find a list of sporting goods stores located in a close proximity to your current location. Need a bit more information on sporting goods stores? Read on for facts, trivia, and a bit of history on these stores.

Sports Stores Near Me – Find it on the Map

Sports Stores Near Me – Sports Stores Trivia

What is the history behind popular sporting equipment?

Two of the most popular pieces of equipment used in modern sports are soccer balls and baseballs. But just where did these two widely used sports accessories get their start? Consider these facts while searching sports stores near me! Soccer balls date all the way back to ancient china when the Ts’in and Han Dynasties first used them between 225 BC and 220 AD. At the time, soccer balls were made of animal skins and looked far different than the soccer balls we would recognize today. In 1855, Charles Goodyear invented the first soccer balls bearing vulcanized rubber. This truly changed the way the game was played and had great impacts on ball speed and force. By the 1950s, the ball was produced in a bright white color in order to help the players and fans see the ball with ease in any kind of weather conditions. Much like soccer balls, early baseballs were far different than today. Prior to 1857, baseballs were created with a hard substance in the middle. The core was then wrapped with string to form the ball and the cover was crafted from brown leather. In 1857, baseballs were made to a regulation size to improve gameplay. The circumference was between 10 and 10 ¼ inches and the ball weight was between 6 and 6 ¼ oz. By 1872, the rules changed again. The ball’s circumference was lowered and the ball’s weight lessened. The regulations of ball size and weight are still the same today. Though many things have changed, so many have stayed the same in the world of sports!

sports stores near me

Dick’s is the biggest sporting goods chain in the US.

When were athletic shoes first introduced?

Many times, individuals searching sports stores near me are looking for proper athletic shoes, either for team sports, fitness, or hiking. Proper footwear is 100% required to reach your peak level in most athletic pursuits. Not only do they aid in balance and coordination, but they can definitely lead to better traction and mobility. In 1925, athletic shoes were first introduced by a British company, an early incarnation of Reebok. This is when spiked shoes were first developed. The creator of the shoes felt that this new feature would allow athletes to run faster and maintain balance. Adidas later developed shoes that could be worn for certain running distances and terrains. By the 1800s, the world’s first pair of shoes featuring an entirely rubber sole were created. They were dubbed plimsolls. Converse released the first performance sport show in 1917 for the sport of basketball. Sneakers reached peak popularity in 1985 when superstar Michael Jordan endorsed his popular sneakers dubbed Air Jordans.

Sports Stores Near Me – Sports Stores Facts

The Oldest Sporting Goods Stores

If you’re searching sports stores near me, you may be wondering what the oldest sporting goods store in the US actually are. The oldest sports stores in the US are James F. Brines in Massachusetts, Burghardt Sporting Goods in Milwaukee, and Modell’s in Manhattan. The store you may be most familiar with is Modell’s which was founded as a single store by Morris A. Modell in 1889 in Manhattan, New York. Modell was a Jewish immigrant from Hungary, who opened his first location on Cortland Street in the lower portion of Manhattan. Over time, Modells has remained a family business, passing through more than four generations of the Modell family. Though Modells is largely recognized as strictly being a sporting goods store retailer in the modern day, Modell’s once operated a chain of full line discount retailers in the New York metropolitan area known as Modell’s Shopper’s World from the 1950s up until 1989. This is when the company officially decided to focus solely upon sporting goods due to increased competition in the discount retail markets. Today, Modell’s operates more than 152 stores in the US, mainly in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. Over the past decade, the brand has started to expand into areas such as Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The flagship store is still located on 42nd store near Times square New York. The biggest rival to Modell’s is Dick’s Sporting Goods. According to some estimates, Modells makes more than 875 million dollars in revenue every year.

Top Sportswear Brands

If you’re searching sports stores near me, you may be wondering what the top sportswear brands in the US actually are. The answer may just shock you. According to statistics, the top sportswear store in the US is currently Champion Sportswear. As a subsidiary of Hanesbrands Inc, Champion has given us much of the sportswear we know and love today. Champion produced the first sports jerseys, reversible shirts, and neon mesh uniforms They were also the first company to screen print names and numbers onto sports jerseys. If you or your child have ever played little league, odds are you sported a Champion brand jersey. Champion has always been functional, but in recent years, many have also taken to wearing Champion as a form of athleisure wear. The second biggest sportswear brand in the US is Adidas. Adidas is timeless and classic. The Stan Smith sneaker is one of the best selling shoes of all time, with many in the fashion crowd now donning the sneakers during down time. Other popular brands include Under Armor, Nike, Lulu Lemon, Reebok, and Puma.

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