Sporting Goods Fail

Champs Sports has a location in San Francisco at the Westfield Shopping Center in downtown San Francisco. The company motto is "Where Sport Live"(TM). Now, I don't know about you, but in a sporting goods store, I expect to see "sporting goods". In my mind, "sporting goods" refer to products which facilitate the participation of said physical activities, often referred to as "sports".

Apparently not.

I went in to buy a baseball, because I, Zhi Qiao, All-American boy would like to throw it around (i.e. learn to not throw like a girl). So I take a quick look around, and see nothing but shoes and jerseys. I peruse more carefully to see if perhaps I missed something. No baseballs. I ask the friendly sales clerk who works in this "sporting goods" store, decked out in a faux-athletic jersey, if they carried any baseballs.

He replied that they do not. Nor does any store in the mall (not sure of how many other "sporting goods" stores there are in Westfield center...). In fact, the only place in the city where this friendly sales clerk of the place "Where Sports Live"(TM) thought I could find some baseballs was at the Sports Authority. Aside from the fact that he was recommending a direct competitor to his company of employment, this statement also implies that no other Champs Sport, "Where Sports Live"(TM) in the city of San Francisco carries baseballs.

What. The. Hell.

In fact, as far as I could tell, all the "sporting goods" at the place "Where Sports Live"(TM), were replica jerseys and shoes. Not cleats and specialized shoes, no I had already looked before for those (they had 1 pair of football cleats in stock), just sneakers. Basically it was a clothing store. But instead of the newest summer fashions, there was nothing but replica jerseys and sneakers.

Is my perception of what is a "sporting goods" store too antiquated? Or has the whole world gone crazy? When did sports become fashion? Jerseys are for wearing to watch a game or to show support for your team(s). When did it become OK wear it anywhere and everywhere. Why is the most important thing to have in a "sporting goods" store not sports equipment? I'm not asking for a full set of golf clubs, it's a baseball. You can keep 100 in stock and it would take up 4 square feet of shelf space.

I don't understand this. And it makes me angry.


ps: The friendly sales clerk from the place "Where Sports Live"(TM) also ended our brief exchange with "word, yo". I just wanted to share that.