Opinion: South Idaho Is A One-Stop Shop For CA Sports Apparel

Sports are known to bring people together. However, seeing a large section of an Idaho retail store heavily promoting California sports teams was confusing, since 90 percent of the Gem State aren't fans of West Coast teams, especially those from the Golden State.

During a recent trip out to shop, I was slightly surprised to walk in and see rows of California sports apparel in southern Idaho. I'm aware southern Idaho has a big Denver, Seattle, and Las Vegas following; it was almost as confusing as walking into a state Fred Meyer and seeing rows of Pittsburgh Steelers gear.

While it is true Idaho has not a single professional sports team ( Idaho Steelheads are the closest thing), repping the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Lakers at Gem State stores is an interesting choice. Stores in the region should be going hard with Steelheads and Boise State Broncos gear.

It's Not Hard To Find California Sports Apparel In The Desert Of South Idaho

Credit: Greg Jannetta

I'm not saying area stores shouldn't carry a variety of sports apparel, since so many people continue to move from other states to Idaho. It was the amount of retail space reserved for California sports that was perplexing.

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The Lakers and Dodgers are indeed iconic sports franchises, having won a combined 26 world championships. I'm just not sure Idaho is the right market to move this apparel, even with the large number of Californians who have migrated to the state in the past decade plus.

What do you think of the selection of sports apparel at stores in southern Idaho?