Best Sports Equipment Store '98

Best Sports/ Equipment Store

Play It Again Sports
4128 N. Oracle Road
4648 E. Speedway Blvd.
7280 E. Broadway Blvd.

READERS' PICK: From the looks of some of this stuff, the place ought to be called "Never Played It Used Sporting Goods," or "Aw, You Go Ahead I'll Just Wait Over Here By The Keg, Sports." Sure, some of this stuff is a little careworn. But all of it still has plenty of play left--and at half what you'd pay for new gear, what've you got to lose? Play It Again is here to remind us that a sport isn't about winning or losing--it's about getting your money's worth out of the equipment that cost you (or someone else) a month's wages.

READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: The Sports Authority, 4225 N. Oracle Road, has so much stuff that by the time you circumnavigate the premises, you've taken up three new sports, including hockey, which you always thought was stupid. Walk in the place and there's always an employee at the door, greeting you with a smile. They're smiling because they know they've got you. And by the time you come out, they'll be done with their shift and another person will be standing at the door, smiling at the unsuspecting. And if you get to the back of the store and are just too tired to find your way to the cash registers, steer yourself over to the camping section and grab a nap in a tent. These guys are used to it.

1997 Winner: Play It Again Sports
1996 Winner: Play It Again Sports
1995 Winner: Sports Authority