COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 5941

Sporting Goods and Bicycle Shops

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

15companies1887–1988founding years15still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedRawlings Sporting Goods Co., Inc.
1887
FoundedSpiegel, Inc.
1893
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedKinney Shoe Corp.
1917
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedGart Sports CompanyFoundedOshman's Sporting Goods, Inc.
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedLechmere Inc.
1948
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedGander Mountain, Inc.FoundedSport Chalet, Inc.
1960
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedSportmart, Inc.
1970
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
FoundedAcademy Sports & Outdoors
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
FoundedGIB Group
1974
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedTrend-Lines, Inc.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedThe Score Board, Inc.
1986
FoundedThe Sports Authority, Inc.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedSports & Recreation, Inc.
1988
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Rawlings Sporting Goods Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1887
Rawlings Sporting Goods Co., Inc.
Spiegel, Inc. →
Active · founded 1893
Spiegel, Inc.
Kinney Shoe Corp. →
Active · founded 1917
Kinney Shoe Corp., a subsidiary of Woolworth Corp., is a century-old company that made its reputation as a family shoe…
Gart Sports Company →
Active · founded 1946
Appropriately headquartered in the recreation haven of Colorado, Gart Sports Company is the second largest sporting…
Oshman's Sporting Goods, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Creator of a unique retail format in the sporting goods industry, Oshman's Sporting Goods, Inc.
Lechmere Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
Lechmere Inc.
Gander Mountain, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
Gander Mountain, Inc.
Sport Chalet, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
A leading operator of full service, specialty sporting goods superstores, Sport Chalet, Inc.
Sportmart, Inc. →
Active · founded 1970
The Sportmart, Inc.
Academy Sports & Outdoors →
Active · founded 1973
Privately owned by the Gochman family, Academy Sports & Outdoors operates the fourth largest chain of retail sporting…
GIB Group →
Active · founded 1974 · Belgium
GIB Group, Belgium's top retailer, is active in four sectors: supermarkets and hypermarkets; do-it-yourself (DIY) home…
Trend-Lines, Inc. →
Active · founded 1981
Trend-Lines, Inc.
The Score Board, Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
The largest distributor of sports memorabilia in the United States, The Score Board, Inc.
The Sports Authority, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
The Sports Authority, Inc.
Sports & Recreation, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
Operator of the tenth-largest sporting goods chain in the United States, Sports & Recreation, Inc., is a specialty…
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