Jason Hairston, the founder of the KUIU hunting apparel brand, has passed away after taking his own life. In 2016, the former NFL linebacker revealed he was suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy [CTE] symptoms.

Nike drew significant controversy for featuring Colin Kaepernick in the company’s campaign supporting the 30th anniversary of the “Just Do It” slogan.

Decathlon plans to open the company’s first major store, measuring 47,000-square-foot,  in the U.S. in Emeryville, CA in spring 2019. A smaller “lab” location was opened in San Francisco last December.

Amer Sports Corp. placed the cmpa Mavic cycling business under strategic review due to poor performance.

Vista Outdoor completed the divestiture of the legal entities operating the company’s Bollé, Cébé and Serengeti eyewear brands.

Compass Diversified Holdings (CODI) announced that the company’s subsidiary, Velocity Outdoor acquired Ravin Crossbows for a purchase price of $94 million.

Mason Wells, a PE firm, acquired EastPoint Sports Ltd., a leading supplier of indoor and outdoor recreational sporting goods.

Lew’s Holdings Corp., a leading supplier of branded fishing and hunting gear and accessories, promoted Ken Eubanks to CEO. Gary Remensnyder will remain involved in the business as a member of the company’s board of directors.

Dick’s Sporting Goods hired Vidya Jwala, formerly at Overstock.com, as chief e-commerce and supply chain officer.

Mountain Khakis hired Jeremy Hale, formerly at Billabong, as president. Founder and president Ross Saldarini will be leaving to pursue other opportunities.

Pentland Brands Limited appointed Simon Breckon as the new brand director of Ellesse.

Tern, the cycling company, and Stile Products, Tern’s North American distributor, added Steve Gluckman to the company’s product development team and hired Josh Schlee as sales & service coordinator.

The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) announced that David Weinstein will lead close-to-home recreation advocacy as the company’s state and local policy director.

Columbia Sportswear selected McCann Worldgroup as the company’s global agency of record for marketing services for the Columbia brand.

New Era Cap Co., the official on field cap of the NFL, rolled out a new line-up of ambassadors for the 2018 NFL Season including Multi-Platinum breakthrough country artist Kane Brown.

Puma signed Kevin Knox, the New York Knicks forward selected ninth in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Alterra Mountain Company agreed to acquire Crystal Mountain Resort in Washington.

The National Football League (NFL) and Fanatics launched a new Canadian-based e-commerce platform, NFLShop.ca.

Fanatics became the exclusive global e-commerce partner for Chelsea Football Club.

Team Dignitas, the esports franchise, announced a multi-year partnership with Champion, marking the brand’s first esports team and franchise partnership and foray into the esports ecosystem.

Iconix Brand Group announced that Ocean Pacific is reissuing the company’s classics with the launch of the company’s new website.

New Balance is deploying artificial intelligence to track the outfits of New York Fashion Week attendees and reward those with the best style-sense with free sneakers.

NSSF-adjusted firearms background checks were down 5.3 percent in August.

The Buckle’s comps dipped 0.7 percent in August.

Photo courtesy KUIU