Keith Strudler: Shopping For Sporting Goods

If you have two kids of a certain age like I do, you spend a whole lot of time in sporting good stores. We tend to do a weekly pilgrimage to buy anything from soccer cleats to compression shirts to running shoes that aren’t even necessarily used for running. It’s an expensive hobby, having kids. And of course, that means we spend a whole lot of time in Dick’s Sporting Goods, the largest retail sporting goods chain in the US. And every time I go to Dick’s, I have an uncomfortable moment when I have to walk my kids by the hunting section of the store. Because there, among other things, is a wall full of guns. There’s also bullets, and scopes and all the other things that make guns work – most of which I’m largely unfamiliar with, despite my three summers of Boy Scout camp in Texas. I tend not to spend much time staring, and I certainly don’t encourage my kids to peruse – which isn’t usually that hard, since they’re busy trying to convince me to buy them $100 basketball shoes they don’t need. It hasn’t stopped me from shopping there, obviously. But the feeling is there, and perhaps one reason I wish I was at Nike Store or a Foot Locker – something I never thought I’d say.

That vista at Dick’s Sporting Goods will change, if ever so slightly. Effective today, Dick’s will no longer sell assault-style rifles, including the notorious AR-15 at the center of the gun debate. Apparently these were already off the shelves at Dick’s stores, but will now also be gone from their Field & Stream stores. They’ll also pull high capacity magazines and won’t sell any firearm to anyone under the age of 21. So basically, they’ve enacted common sense gun reform in their stores. On top of that, they’ve officially encouraged elected officials to basically do what they’re doing in store, and also require universal background checks, create a database of people banned from buying guns, and close the gun show and private sale loophole. That, as of today, is the official policy statement of the largest sporting goods retailer in the US.

Certainly, Dick’s isn’t the only US company making a statement about guns right now. Everything from car companies to airlines to insurance companies have ended their official relationships with the NRA – which basically means getting rid of a nominal discount that you could probably find just as easily by using the app RetailMeNot. On the other hand, Amazon and Apple have not cut similar ties, choosing to still air NRA TV, which, not surprisingly, I haven’t watched a whole lot. There’s considerable talk of repercussions for companies on both sides, including Georgia politicians threatening Delta’s massive stake in Atlanta’s airport and a movement for individuals to drop Amazon Prime – although good luck with that.

In all fairness, Dick’s position – and impact – is far more substantial. Companies like Hertz and United are distancing themselves from the NRA, which increasingly is recognized as the fringe of the gun movement. Dick’s is bowling more down the middle, taking aim at potential gun buyers and politicians. And they’re not simply taking away a discount. They’re dealing in the arms themselves, which, we should remember, is the heart of the matter.

There’s a lot to unpack here, and perhaps even a red herring or two. For example, it’s well documented that gun sales are down in the Trump era, I guess because people aren’t worried they’ll be taken away. And Dick’s isn’t doing well in the assault rifle business. So freeing up floor space isn’t a particularly risky move. But simple economics aside, Dick’s sporting goods CEO Edward Stack jumped right into the middle of the gun debate. And he’s made it abundantly clear he’s okay with that. So it’s entirely possible the store loses business because of this decision – not on gun sales, but everything else that 30% of the population might have bought, from swimsuits to treadmills.

But importantly from a sporting perspective is how this decision framed the nexus of guns, hunting, and sport. There’s been an argument – not a logical one, but an argument nonetheless – that gun reform is an assault on America’s sportsmen – meaning hunters, not marathon runners. Dick’s decision to remove assault weapons and magazines and such counters that ridiculous claim. At least according to the largest sporting goods store in the US, you don’t need a military assault weapon to hunt. I’d say that makes sense. And it takes sports out of the argument that far to often uses faulty logic to make a case. For that, Dick’s decision is important. And that’s coming from a long time vegetarian who hasn’t worn leather in over 25 years. I don’t really like hunting in any form. Or any gun, for that matter. But Dick’s position is one I can at least understand.

I’ll still have to walk by the gun section when I go in their stores. But at least now, it won’t make me so uncomfortable.

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