Putting on its best game face, Sports Authority
The bad news? Well, retail is a lot like football in that the game is won or lost in the critical fourth quarter. On that end, Sports Authority will come up short as it is lowering its guidance. The leading sporting goods retailer is now looking to earn between $1.04 and $1.06 a share on $720 million in fourth-quarter sales.
With fiscal 2004 also now being targeted towards the low end of Wall Street's projections, is the company abandoning its game plan? Not likely. If anything, in a sector that is remembered more for its failures than its survivors, the fact that Sports Authority is profitable and actually growing its bottom line is commendable.
Think it's easy to sell athletic footwear and throwback jerseys? Think again. Competition is fierce as discount department stores such as Target
But this is also a sector of opposites. Dick's Sporting Goods
It's fitting, I guess. There are winners and losers in every game.
What has Nike done to stay afloat since Michael Jordan's retirement? Come to think of it, how bad have the Chicago Bulls been since he's been gone? Who can stop the Lakers this year? All this and more -- in the NBA Discussions discussion board. Only on Fool.com.