A Colorado sporting goods store that pulled its Nike apparel in protest of Nike signing Colin Kaepernick is reportedly shutting its doors. Prime Time Sports Owner Stephen Martin announced he would closing shop after more than 20 years in business—citing decreasing sales and an inability to afford the lease.
“Being a sports store without Nike is kind of like being a milk store without milk or a gas station without gas,” Martin told a local news station. “How do you do it? They have a monopoly on jerseys.”
That thought didn’t seem to dawn on Martin last year, when Prime Time Sports removed all of its Nike products after the apparel company launched its 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign featuring Kaepernick. The former NFL star sparked a league-wide movement when he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest racism and police brutality. Kaepernick has not been signed since becoming a free agent in 2017, and launched a lawsuit against the league claiming its owners colluded against him.
Martin also canceled an autograph session in 2016 with Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall after he kneeled in solidarity with Kaepernick.
“As much as I hate to admit this, perhaps there are more Brandon Marshall and Colin Kaepernick supporters out there than I realized,” said Martin.
