When Does Sports Authority Open on Thanksgiving?

If you happened to go on Sports Authority's website exactly one week before Turkey Day, you may have noticed a countdown clock flashing 6 DAYS until Black Friday. Some of you smarty-pantses have probably already done the quick math in your head to realize that in six days it will actually be Thursday again, not Friday, and a very specific Thursday at that: Thanksgiving. Nope, it's not a mistake. Sports Authority will be open from 6 p.m. to midnight next Thursday and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday for holiday doorbusters, joining the list of retailers giving shoppers an early boost with their Black Friday deals by opening a day early.

Last year in the New York Times Black Friday postmortem, it was stated that more large retailers were open on Thanksgiving Day, and for longer, than in previous years, and that "those openings nibbled away not only at the holiday, but at the sales the day after, too." This year, some companies are bucking the new trend by promoting that they won't be open on Thanksgiving. The New York Times reports:

Walmart, Kmart, Macy’s, Target, RadioShack and many other major retailers are proclaiming that they will be open on Thanksgiving Day to make shoppers happy. But Costco, Marshalls, GameStop and T. J. Maxx are riding the backlash against holiday commerce by boasting that they will not relent: They will remain closed that day to show that they are family-friendly and honoring the holiday.

Either way, Sports Authority is offering some pretty sweet deals this Thanksblackfridaygiving (Treadmills! Yoga pants! Ping pong tables!), and let's face it, we're living in a material world. So you better inhale those mashed potatoes at breakneck speed and get down to your local Sports Authority. Black Friday isn't going to shop itself!

Visit our Black Friday Explore page for more on shopping's biggest day of the year.