Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation is a sporting goods retailer headquartered in El Segundo, California, with 410 stores in the Western United States.[2] Theodore Shin is the CEO as of January 2026.
History
Founded in September 1955 by Maurie Liff, Harry Liff and Robert Miller,[3] its name is derived from the first five Army surplus stores that were opened in California.[4] Sportswest and Sportsland were acquired in May 1988 from Pay 'n Save.
In 1990, the company was fined $125,000 for selling discounted brand-name shoes that were actually poorly manufactured by those brands to be distributed only in Big 5 stores. For example, some New Balance models sold in Big 5 stores used a cardboard heel cup instead of a plastic heel cup. The investigation started when long-distance runner Gary Tuttle reported the oddly poor quality of the name-brand shoes he had purchased at Big 5 stores.[5]