08/14/2026
Attention Parents, School Board Members, and Booster Club Members in Wayne and Lenoir Counties:
If your school partners with BSN Sports for spirit wear, athletic gear, or team uniforms, I encourage you to compare the pricing, product quality, decoration methods, and turnaround times with those offered by North Carolina businesses.
I recently purchased a required team shirt for my son. The cost was $48 for one Nike T-shirt featuring a two-color heat-pressed transfer. I was then notified that the shirt would not be delivered until four to five weeks after the online store closes on August 21.
For comparison, the same Nike shirt would cost approximately $30 through one of our online stores, include a screen-printed design, and be delivered to the school within 10 business days after the store closes.
I understand that our company competes with BSN Sports, but that does not change the facts of this particular comparison. Our employees live here, work here, pay taxes here, and send their children to local schools. North Carolina has several qualified apparel and sporting-goods businesses—not just ours—that can provide the same name-brand products, often at lower prices and with faster service.
When schools and athletic programs purchase from an out-of-state corporation, much of that money leaves our community. When they work with local businesses, those dollars support local employees, families, and the communities our schools serve.
I encourage school boards, athletic departments, and booster clubs to review how much families and schools are paying for these products. Booster clubs work incredibly hard to raise money, and families are already facing higher costs for everyday necessities. We should not ask parents to overpay when more affordable local options are available.
The question is simple: Why send this business to Texas when capable North Carolina companies can provide the same brands, competitive quality, lower prices, faster turnaround times, and dependable local service?
Supporting local businesses means supporting the same families who support our schools.