Sport Seasons

There is no better way to keep those New Year’s Resolutions on track than to participate in the Nashville Zoo Run Run this January 22nd.  Sport Seasons has been a sponsor for several years now, and it’s our favorite race to participate in.  Guaranteed to bring out your inner animal!  (Seriously, animal costumes are encouraged!)  It’s a great event for the whole family.  Bring your kids, strollers, or just your desire to beat last year’s time.  The Nashville Striders will be timing the race – so bring it on!

Click here to register now!  Online registration closes January 14th.

Need to gear up for the race?  Fresh running shoes or some Under Armour cold gear to keep you toasty?  Enjoy the coupons below, good in store or online.

(Click on coupon to print)

UPDATE:  What a great event!  Sold out at 1800 participants.  Sport Seasons had a great time, the Nashville Zoo staff is incredible.  They worked overtime to make sure the course was clear of all ice and snow.   Check out our Flickr page for some event photos.

My husband is a runner, and me, well, not so much.  As an asthmatic kid, running was never something I thought I could do.  In my 40′s now, with asthma much better controlled, it’s something that I’m trying.  Honestly, I have still been trying to find the WHY.  I know the health benefits, weight control, etc.  I just never naturally enjoyed running like my husband does.  At least not until the other night.

Working retail isn’t rocket science, but like any other job, it can be very stressful.  Especially during the holidays.  If you work retail and aren’t stressed out by December 21st, well, let’s just say you may not be normal.  This particular winter solstice was no exception, I was stressed out and jumpy.  All heads remotely near were in danger of being snapped off.  Even my dogs felt the vibe and looked at me sideways.    Everyone and everything was in mortal danger.  Did I mention that it was also a full moon?

It was dark outside, barely 6:30 but might as well have been midnight.  It was cold, drizzling rain.  Every experience I’ve ever had told me not to go out there.   I hate the cold and rain and am pretty much a big baby all winter.  But this was serious, lives were at stake.   I pulled out my Under Armour cold gear tights, my favorite Nike pullover, my beloved Mizuno Inspires, and got out.  Cursing under my breath at long winter nights and longing for just a little sunshine, I started an easy jog.  The rain felt good on my face, the road solid under my feet.  I was still so mad it took a while to notice that my breathing was good, it was even.  Slowly, my body reconnected with the earth and everything around it.  Every worry and disappointment started to fall away.  I noticed the beauty in the bare trees, the sparkle of the rain in the streetlights.  The night was beautiful.  I was human again.

It was a quick run, a little under two miles, with a couple of breath recovering walks in there.  But it was enough to finally get it.  This is why you run – it’s the best therapy on the planet.  No longer murderous, I came back in for some quick stretches and enjoyed the most wonderful night with my family.  It was amazing.  My husband wasn’t sure if I had been abducted by aliens and some perky, happy clone left in my place, but he wasn’t complaining.   Besides, he’s known this secret all along, running can save you.

Asics put out a cool commercial earlier this year, and I finally get it.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsxigPA1KPk]

No longer cursing winter, and now with the craziness of holiday retail almost behind me, I’m think I might finally run a 5k this year.   At least I can run enough to avoid needing a therapist.

We have some great runs coming up in Nashville, the first is a terrific family 5K that benefits the Nashville Zoo.  The Zoo Run Run is January 22, 2011.  The walk/run takes you through parts of the zoo you don’t normally get to see, there is always yummy pasta and Blackstone beer afterwards, and you get free admission to the zoo all day.   It’s a wonderful day, even when the weather doesn’t cooperate.  Sport Seasons has been fortunate enough to be a part of the zoo run for several years now.  We’ll be there again this year, and watch out, I might just run the whole thing.

Better get out.  Gotta run!

~Staff member JC

Hey Titans fans, we picked a winner for our Haiku contest yesterday.  It was a tough call, we received so many great ones.   Here’s our winner:

http://twitter.com/#!/kelmcdowell/status/1737805248077825

There were so many good ones, we had to honor our runners up.  Each runner up will receive a $25 gift card from Sport Seasons.

http://twitter.com/#!/Crackerjen/status/636519194820608

http://twitter.com/#!/BigOrangeJeter/status/1714639251443713

http://twitter.com/#!/jackmc9984/status/1741517035151360

http://twitter.com/#!/carsonoshoney/status/1735018967736320

Thanks to everyone that entered.  Go Titans!

This is a question our customers ask each time we have a great championship game.  We have to look to the future and place “if win” orders.  If team A wins, we’ll receive XYZ, and if team B wins, we’ll receive ABC.  You get the picture.  So what happens to all that product that is made and ready for shipment when the team loses?  This post is from a terrific blog – Mental Floss.  It answers the question so well, we had to share it with you.  Enjoy!

After a big game in any sport, from a league championship to the World Series, Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, etc., people are going to be clamoring for commemorative merchandise almost immediately, so it would make sense to have two sets printed up—declaring each team the winner.

The major sports leagues all produce official hats and shirts for the players and staff of each team in championship games—usually about 300 items per team. Manufacturers and retailers must produce enough product to meet fan demands. Based on the strong sales after the Chicago Bears’ 2007 NFC Championship win, Sports Authority printed more than 15,000 shirts proclaiming a Bears Super Bowl victory before the game even started. Then the Colts beat the Bears, 29-17.

That’s a lot of misprinted merch. Fortunately, there’s World Vision.

The Seattle-based international Christian humanitarian aid group works with Major League Baseball, the NFL, and the NBA to collect misprinted merchandise and distribute it to people living in impoverished nations.

(MLB used to require the destruction of shirts and hats proclaiming the wrong champions, but two years ago they began donating their postseason apparel).

The merchandise doesn’t go to waste, people living in poverty receive new, clean clothes, and the clothing makers recoup some of their losses—they get tax credits for the charitable donations. Why don’t the clothes go to needy families in the United States? Overseas donation is part of the agreement between World Vision and the leagues. The farther away the clothing is, the less likely it is to offend a losing player (or heartbroken Texas Rangers fan).

Now that the San Francisco Giants (note: I am from Philly. Booo!) have knocked off the Rangers, some of the Texas team’s championship merch will likely go to Indonesia, where World Vision’s emergency response staff is dealing with the aftermath of a volcanic eruption at Mount Merapi in Java and a 7.2 earthquake in West Sumatra. Refugees are in desperate need of clean clothes. Still more merchandise will be distributed as it is needed in disaster-stricken and impoverished areas around the world.

(reposted from Mental Floss, written by Matt Soniak)

A lot of us haven’t seen the Giants win a World Series in our lifetime – not since 1954.  Celebrate with really cool gear from Sport Seasons!  Products will ship November 10th.  More products coming soon, so check back on our website for new styles.

We are going to celebrate by sharing this great video.  Don’t stop believing!