Sports Authority - wikipedia Sports Authority Not to be confused with Sports Authority of India. Sports Authority Former type Private Industry Retail Fate Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Liquidation sale Founded 1928 ; 90 years ago ( 1928 ) ( as Gart Sports ) Denver, Colorado November 1987 ; 30 years ago ( 1987 - 11 ) ( as The Sports Authority ) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. Defunct July 28, 2016 ; 2 years ago ( 2016 - 07 - 28 ) Headquarters 1050 West Hampden Avenue, Englewood, Colorado, U.S. 80110 Number of locations 463 ( at the time of closure ) Area served United States Canada Puerto Rico Key people Michael Foss ( CEO ) Paul Gaudet, COO Jeremy Aguilar, CFO Products Apparel, sports equipment, footwear, exercise equipment Number of employees 14,250 ( 2011 ) Parent Kmart ( 1990 -- 2003 ) Gart Sports ( 2003 -- 2006 ) Website Archived official website at the Wayback Machine ( archive index ) Sports Authority, Inc. ( formerly The Sports Authority ) was a sports retailer in the United States that was headquartered in Englewood, Colorado. At its peak, Sports Authority operated more than 460 stores in 45 U.S. states, Canada and Puerto Rico. The company 's website was on the GSI Commerce platform and supported the retail stores as well as other multi-channel programs. A joint venture with ÆON Co., Ltd., operates `` Sports Authority '' stores in Japan over a licensing agreement. On March 2, 2016, Sports Authority filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, but the case was converted to Chapter 7 a few months later. On May 18, 2016, the company 's stores were sold to a group of liquidators and on May 25, CEO Michael Foss announced that all of the stores would close by the end of August 2016. On June 30, 2016, Dick 's Sporting Goods won the auction for Sports Authority 's brand name and intellectual property. On July 15, 2016, the online store closed operations, redirecting users to the Dick 's Sporting Goods website. On July 21, 2016, the purchase of Sports Authority 's intellectual property by rival Dick 's Sporting Goods was approved. Contents 1 History 1.1 Gart Sports 1.2 Sportmart 1.3 Oshman 's 1.4 Sports Authority 1.5 Gart Sports merge with Sports Authority 1.6 2006 leveraged buyout by Leonard Green & Partners 1.7 Copeland 's Sports 1.8 S.A. Elite 2 Bankruptcy / Ceasing of Operations 3 Brands 4 Sports Authority Field at Mile High 5 Competition 6 References 7 External links History Gart Sports Gart Sports began in 1928, when Denver Post newspaper carrier Nathan Gart started the company with $50 in fishing rod samples. In 1971, Gart Sports Company opened the `` Sportscastle '' superstore in Denver, Colorado at the corner of 10th Avenue and Broadway. The 1980s marked a period of substantial growth for the company through a series of acquisitions. These mergers included Hagan 's Sports Ltd. ( 1987 ) and Stevens Brown of Salt Lake City ( 1987 ). In the fall of 1992, Leonard Green & Partners acquired Thrifty and became the company 's largest shareholder. Sportmart At the same time that Gart Sports Company opened the Sportscastle, the Hochberg family and the Cantor family opened their first Sportmart in Niles, Illinois. The company grew to 60 stores in nine states. Gart Sports and Sportmart merged in 1998. Sportmart briefly operated in Canada in the 1990s before closing down their operations after two years. Oshman 's Main article : Oshman 's Sporting Goods Oshman 's Sporting Goods was founded in Houston, Texas in 1919 by Jake Oshman. By 1965, Oshman 's had become the largest sporting goods chain in Texas, operating 43 Oshman 's SuperSports USA stores and 15 traditional stores ; the company merged with Gart Sports in 2001. Sports Authority Interior of a Sports Authority in Daly City, California The Sports Authority, Inc. was founded in Lakes Mall in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida by a syndicate of venture capital groups and several key founding executives. Jack A. Smith, formerly COO of Herman 's World of Sports, CEO ; Roy M. Cohen, Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager ; Richard Lynch, Senior Vice President and CFO and Arnold Sedel, Vice President of Stores Operations were the founding executives. The venture capital syndicate was led by William Blair Venture Partners and included First Chicago Venture Partners, Bain Capital, Phillips - Smith Venture Partners, Marquette Venture Partners, and Bessemer Securities. The Sports Authority, Inc. opened its first store in November 1987 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 1990, Kmart acquired the company. Five years later, The Sports Authority had expanded to 136 stores in 26 states, and was spun off from parent Kmart. Its headquarters were in Lauderdale Lakes, near Fort Lauderdale. 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 was 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 were re-branded to the Sports Authority name. 2006 leveraged buyout by Leonard Green & Partners In January 2006, Sports Authority agreed to be purchased in a leveraged buyout by affiliates of Leonard Green & Partners, a private equity investment firm, in a transaction valued at $1.4 billion. Shareholders approved the deal in May 2006. Upon completion of the merger, Sports Authority ceased to be a publicly listed stock. Thus, no public bonds are outstanding and Sports Authority no longer files financial statements with the SEC. Copeland 's Sports In August 2006, Copeland 's Sports, headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and on November 17, 2006, Sports Authority, through a wholly owned subsidiary, assumed the leasehold interests in seven former Copeland 's Sports retail store locations. S.A. Elite Sports Authority launched new store brand `` S.A. Elite '' in mid-2010, based on consumer research and testing. These stores are smaller than typical Sports Authority outlets and carry high - end sports apparel and accessories. Bankruptcy / ceasing of operations A Sports Authority store in Tanasbourne, Oregon on May 20, 2016, with sign announcing closure of the store. Another Sports Authority Store, this one in former Borders of Flemington, New Jersey, as seen on May 28, 2016. This location also has signs announcing the store 's impending closure. It is currently Halloween City then ALDI On February 4, 2016, it was widely reported that Sports Authority was set to declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy, due to debt problems. Later that month, The Dallas Morning News reported that the company planned to close all 25 of its stores in Texas. The report did not specify a date for the closures. On March 2, 2016, Sports Authority filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. After considering restructuring, Sports Authority announced that on April 26, they would sell all of their assets, including all of the remaining store locations. Earlier in April, Reuters reported that Academy Sports + Outdoors and Dick 's Sporting Goods had expressed interest in purchasing Sports Authority 's assets. On May 3, 2016, the company notified the US Bankruptcy Court that it would not reorganize its debt but would auction its assets. Contrary to media reports, the company announced it would not be liquidating its assets, but would be auctioning off its stores and operations, with the intended goal of keeping all of its stores open. On May 18, however, it was announced that the effort to avoid liquidation was unsuccessful, causing the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing to be converted to Chapter 7. The stores would in fact be closed, part of the American retail trend known as the retail apocalypse. As of July 28, 2016, the Sports Authority website redirects to the Dick 's Sporting Goods website. Brands Sports Authority sold different brands of sporting goods from many different vendors. The company also sold products under its own private labels, including Alpine Design ( seasonal clothing and outdoor goods ), Sims ( seasonal clothing and snowboards ), Aspire ( women 's sportswear ), SA Gear ( men 's sportswear and fitness equipment ), Tommy Armour and Ram ( Golf ), Parkside ( outdoor games and trampolines ), and Bodyfit by Sports Authority ( fitness accessories ). Many of these products were made by other manufacturers and branded with the Sports Authority private labels. Sports Authority Field at Mile High Broncos Stadium at Mile High. Sports Authority owned the corporate naming rights to Sports Authority Field at Mile High, a stadium in Denver, Colorado, which is the home of the Denver Broncos. The Denver Broncos purchased the stadium naming rights in August 2016, and has since removed the Sports Authority name from the stadium. On June 20, 2018 the Broncos announced the stadium would operate under the name Broncos Stadium at Mile High until a new sponsor was found. Competition Sports Authority 's major competitor stores included : Academy Sports + Outdoors Big 5 Sporting Goods City Sports Dick 's Sporting Goods MC Sports Modell 's REI References Jump up ^ Dick 's Just Paid $15 Million For Sports Authority 's Name Jump up ^ `` # 127 Sports Authority ''. Forbes.com. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 28. Jump up ^ `` Sportsauthority.com Terms and Conditions of Use. '' Sports Authority. Retrieved on September 15, 2011. `` 1050 West Hampden Avenue Englewood, CO 80110 '' ^ Jump up to : `` Sports Authority 's Stores Have Been Sold To A Trio Of Liquidators, All Will Close -- Consumerist ''. Consumerist.com. 2016 - 05 - 17. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 04. Jump up ^ `` About Us ''. SportsAuthority.com. Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 17. Jump up ^ Rizzo, Lillian ( 2016 - 06 - 30 ). `` Dick 's Sporting Goods Wins Sports Authority Brand Name in Bankruptcy Auction ''. WSJ. Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 17. Jump up ^ `` DICK 'S Sporting Goods - Official Site - Every Season Starts at DICK 'S ''. sportsauthority.com. Retrieved 2018 - 01 - 13. Jump up ^ `` '' About Us `` ''. Archived from the original on October 6, 2001. Retrieved 2001 - 10 - 06. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ). Sports Authority. October 6, 2001. Retrieved on September 15, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Lauderdale Lakes city, Florida Archived 2006 - 09 - 26 at the Wayback Machine... '' U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on September 15, 2011. Jump up ^ `` '' Contact Us `` ''. Archived from the original on November 1, 2001. Retrieved 2001 - 11 - 01. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ). Sports Authority. Retrieved on September 15, 2011. `` Corporate Office THE SPORTS AUTHORITY, INC. Customer Service 3383 North State Road 4 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33319 '' Jump up ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer. `` Sporting Goods Retailers Start to Consider New Lineups. '' The New York Times. June 12, 1997. 1. Retrieved on September 15, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Schedule 14A ''. Sec.gov. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 28. Jump up ^ Harden, Mark ( May 12, 2010 ). `` Sports Authority launching new store brand ''. Denver Business Journal. Retrieved July 26, 2012. Jump up ^ Sharrow, Ryan ( January 31, 2012 ). `` Sports Authority 's S.A. Elite to open first East Coast store ''. Denver Business Journal. Retrieved July 26, 2012. S.A. Elite was launched in summer 2010 by Englewood - based Sports Authority. Jump up ^ `` Sports Authority to file for bankruptcy : Report ''. CNBC. Retrieved 2016 - 02 - 05. Jump up ^ `` Sports Authority closing all 25 Texas stores, report says ''. Fort Worth Star - Telegram. February 17, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Sports Authority Chapter 11 Petition '' ( PDF ). PacerMonitor. PacerMonitor. Retrieved 2 May 2016. Jump up ^ `` Sports Authority Abandons Hope of Reorganizing and Opts for Liquidation Report ''. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 26. ( Subscription required. ) Jump up ^ `` Sports Authority Anticipates Buyer for ' Major Portions ' of Stores ''. Wall Street Journal. ( Subscription required. ) External links Colorado portal Miami portal Companies portal Sports portal Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sports Authority. Official website ( Archive ) Dick 's Sporting Goods Current Field & Stream Former Galyan 's Golfsmith Oshman 's Sporting Goods Sports Authority People Edward W. Stack Leonard Green & Partners Active Consumer Products Lucky Brand Jeans Varsity Brands Transportation AerSale Healthcare Aspen Dental Retail Big 5 Sporting Goods BJ 's Wholesale Club The Container Store David 's Bridal Del Taco Equinox Fitness J. Crew Jo - Ann Stores Leslie 's Poolmart Neiman Marcus Petco Tourneau Exited Healthcare IMS Health Retail Rite Aid Whole Foods Market Defunct Sports Authority Sears Holdings Current Management : Eddie Lampert, Chairman ( major owner ), President and CEO Founders : S.S. Kresge Alvah Curtis Roebuck Richard Warren Sears Retailers : Kmart mygofer Sears Sears Roebuck de México Brands : Celestial Star Country Living DieHard Elle Kenmore Joe Boxer Pier 1 Imports ( Mexico ) Thom McAn Sears Centre Shopyourway Toughskins Spin - offs : Allstate Coldwell Banker Craftsman Dean Witter Reynolds Discover Card Homart Development Company Kmart Australia Lands ' End Martha Stewart Everyday National Tire and Battery OfficeMax Orchard Supply Hardware PayLess Drug Store Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Defunct and Acquired Properties Borders Group Builders Square Eaton 's The Great Indoors J.C. Higgins Pace Membership Warehouse Prodigy Sears Canada Sears plc Sears Tower Silvertone Sports Authority Tele - Games Venture Stores Waldenbooks Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sports_Authority&oldid=860104547 '' Categories : Defunct retail companies of the United States Clothing retailers of the United States Sporting goods retailers of the United States Companies based in Englewood, Colorado Defunct companies based in Colorado American companies established in 1987 Retail companies established in 1987 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016 Retail companies disestablished in 2016 1987 establishments in Colorado 2016 disestablishments in Colorado Private equity portfolio companies Hidden categories : CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown Webarchive template wayback links Pages containing links to subscription - only content Talk Contents About Wikipedia 日本 語 Norsk Português Edit links This page was last edited on 18 September 2018, at 11 : 06 ( UTC ). 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Question: when did sports authority go out of business
Answer: July 28, 2016