COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) – Stephen Martin, owner of Prime Time Sports sporting goods store in Colorado Springs, stands by his decision to choose principle over profit. Earlier this week Martin announced he was closing the sporting goods store due, in part, to lagging sales following his boycott of Nike products. Martin decided to stop selling Nike products after a 2018 advertisement featuring former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. “This was never about property to me, this was about principle,” Martin, owner of Prime Time Sports, said Wednesday night while he was preparing to shut down his store. “I ditched all NIKE back in the summer over the Kaepernick ad and I have less than a bag full of their disrespectable stuff left,” Martin wrote on Facebook on Wednesday. Kaepernick started kneeling during the National Anthem before NFL games in 2016, sparking a movement among other players, including Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall. The ad said: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” The words “sacrificing everything” stood out to Martin. And he decided he needed to take a stand against Nike. Martin decided to sell all of his Nike product at highly-discounted prices. Five months later, Martin announced he would be closing the store. “Being a sports store and not having Nike jerseys is kind of like being a milk store without milk or a gas station without gas. They have a virtual monopoly on jerseys. There is no other option,” Martin told the CBS affiliate in Colorado Springs, KKTV. Martin said the boycott was about principle over profit and even though the lost revenue played a role in his decision to close the store he was absolutely glad he did it. The move made headlines across the country and sparked lots of discussion online. “I spent 30+ years in the Army Reserves (no combat) and am 90% disabled with the VA (70% w/Military). As a honorably medically discharged Veteran I thank you for supporting the military and the Flag!” one person commented on Martin’s post. “Actions have consequences. You let your hate and blindness lead you to failure,” another wrote. Multiple comments were crass and crude and filled with expletives. Martin seemed to focus on the supportive messages and responded to one, “Your comment was soul rewarding.” (© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. CNN contributed to this report.)<doc-sep>'Not A Monster': Devon Erickson's Defense Attorney Says STEM School Shooting Suspect Was 'Confused Kid'Devon Erickson has pleaded not guilty to murder in the deadly shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch on May 7, 2019. 6 hours ago Trail Ridge Road Could Reopen As Soon As Friday At Rocky Mountain National ParkTrail Ridge Road could reopen as soon as Friday in Rocky Mountain National Park, if weather and conditions allow. 7 hours ago DICK's Sporting Goods Park To Operate At Full Capacity Starting July 4DICKS's Sporting Goods Park will hold Colorado Rapids games at full capacity starting July 4. The club made the announcement on Thursday ahead of their home match on the Fourth of July against Seattle Sounders FC. 7 hours ago Vaccinated Veterans May Not Be Entered To Win $1 Million PrizeSome veterans are not currently among those who will get a chance at the $1 million Colorado lottery prizes. 7 hours ago Video: Bag Piping Thornton Police Officer Leads 5th Grade 'Eagle Flight' At Silver Creek ElementaryStudents finishing fifth grade at Silver Creek Elementary in Thornton had a special escort as they took off of for the next chapter of their lives. 7 hours ago Vaccinated And Entered To Win? Make Sure You're Eligible To Win $1 Million From ColoradoAs Coloradans started researching their own records, many noticed their vaccinations were either not listed on the state’s website, or they were not listed as a known resident of Colorado. 8 hours ago<doc-sep>That’s when he first created the display of military photographs. And even as the national anthem controversy died down, more photographs kept pouring into Martin’s store. People sent him essays about the people in the photographs to go along with the photos. Where they once took up a horizontal strip across the middle of the windows, they now blocked out the light coming from the mall’s corridors outside the store.<doc-sep>
Nike took a risk when it released a controversial advertising campaign featuring former NFL star Colin Kaepernick, and that risk paid off. Nike shares rose 36 percent in 2018, even though some stores and customers boycotted the brand. Now, a Colorado sporting goods store that stopped selling Nike products is closing its doors, in part due to the owner's boycott. Prime Time Sports owner Stephen Martin took issue with the Kaepernick ad — which was released in September 2018 — and decided to boycott Nike products in retaliation, according to CBS Denver. Now, the Colorado Springs store is going out of business. Kaepernick became a polarizing figure when he began kneeling during the national anthem at NFL games in 2016. He sparked a movement, and other players started kneeling as a silent protest of police brutality and racial injustice. Some people, like Martin, were outraged by Nike's choice to hire Kaepernick. The store owner started selling his Nike products at highly-discounted prices, even though the brand's products made up 40 to 50 percent of his inventory. Five months later, the risk he took to boycott Nike did not pay off. "Being a sports store and not having Nike jerseys is kind of like being a milk store without milk or a gas station without gas," Martin told KKTV. "They have a virtual monopoly on jerseys. There is no other option." While the busy holiday shopping season helped the store, that was apparently not enough to keep it alive. Martin announced Monday on Facebook everything inside Prime Time Sports is now 40 percent off and after 21 years, he's going out of business. "For everybody that has offered help and support through the "Honor The Flag" memorial wall and NIKE boycott, now is your time to help me liquidate," he wrote. "Please do your Facebook thing with everyone you know so this can go as quickly as possible." Martin had a photo wall of military heroes in the window of his store, which he hopes he is remembered for.