Colorado Springs store that banned Nike products in anti-Kaepernick move is folding
The backlash among some against Nike for featuring Colin Kaepernick in an ad campaign was apparently a bad business move for one store owner
A Colorado Springs, Col., athletic wear store that took a stand against Colin Kaepernick and stopped selling Nike gear in protest of the athlete’s activism, now can’t afford to keep its doors open and is going out of business, the New York Daily News reports.
On Monday Stephen Martin, owner of Prime Time Sports announced on Facebook:
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Apparently, the business, which sits in Colorado Springs’ Chapel Hill Mall did not get the support he expected.
The store focused more on opposing athletes who took a knee during the national anthem, a decision which might have backfired on them. For instance, in 2016 Prime Time canceled a meet and greet with former Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall because he kneeled on the field, reported KKTV.
And when Kaepernick’s protests against police brutality took flight, Martin the owner, boycotted Nike and sold Nike products at a deep discount, KKTV reported.
Martin admitted that the boycott’s effect boomeranged and is one of the reasons his business has to close after 21 years, although it is unclear when his last day will be.
“Being a sports store and not having NIke jerseys is kind of like being a milk store without milk or a gas station without gas. They have a virtual monopoly on jerseys. There is no other option,” Martin told KKTV. “We had a really good Christmas season … but it’s caught up to me.”
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He also said that the Nike boycott caused more people to shop online, which cut in his brick-and-mortar sales which affected his ability to pay increasing rent costs, according to KRDO.
Nike actually had a sales increase after launching an ad campaign last Labor Day weekend featuring Kaepernick. After making the ex-San Francisco 49ers quarterback the centerpiece of its newest “Just Do It” campaign, Nike’s online shoe sales jumped up 31 percent, according to a report from Edison Trends, a San Francisco-based research firm.
