Still, to a ten-year-old, 25 minutes in the backseat can often be torture.
The "other side of the county" was also where all of the big stores and restaurants were, anyway. The north side of the county, where we lived, was mostly a bedroom community of commuters and townies, but the south side was where the majority of the action was. Since that's where everything was, we made the trek fairly often.
As I've mentioned several times, I grew up playing ice hockey. I started on the ice as early as kindergarten, and street hockey years before then. One of my favorite things to do after church on Sundays was to go check out Modell's Sporting Goods for hockey supplies. We'd usually buy a fresh roll or two of hockey tape and look at the new sticks on display, especially the "new" aluminum shafts that my brother liked to use.
Occasionally, Dad would buy us those bright orange (or sometimes yellow) street hockey balls with the NHL logo that used to be everywhere in the '90s. The color dictated the ball's hardness, and if memory serves, orange was the softest.
More often than not, we just used tennis balls from a rusty old popcorn bucket (the big holiday-mix kind) that we kept in the corner of the garage because Mom and Dad were afraid we'd break someone's car window.
Knowing us, we probably would have. Actually, I think we may have.
Those rubbery plastic balls had a distinct smell, too, especially when they were hot and soft in the summertime. Man, smell is a strong memory!
Even before I started actually playing, I always wanted to be the goalie. It probably all started because my brother placed me in net to add a challenge to his own game, but I always loved the flashiness of goalies. The goalies I'd see on television had colorful helmets, made big saves, and were key players in many "big game" moments... which is funny because, looking back to when I played, I was one of the least "flashy" goaltenders around. I tried to never waste a movement, and most of my equipment was solid black.
But before I became a goalie, Dad wanted me to play forward to learn the game (and how to skate) and to see if I really stuck with it before spending the money on goalie equipment. Even as a left winger, once through the doors of Modell's, I'd make a beeline to browse the goalie equipment on display. Most often, it was just a helmet or gloves, but a few times, there were leg pads.
Sometimes we'd go into New Jersey for the closest Sports Authority, and when I was really little, we would visit a Herman's Sporting Goods at the Nanuet Mall. If I remember right, I got my first pair of ice skates from Herman's, and I loved visiting what I called the "sun store" because their logo was half a flaming hot sun and half an icy snowflake.
Little did I know that decades later, Modell's and Herman's would cross paths.
A 2020 photo of the Modell's from my youth. Note the "Store Closing" sign.
As I got older, we started going to a local pro shop to buy our hockey supplies, and visited Modell's less and less. This also likely coincided with a move by our local Modell's during the late 90s away from sporting equipment toward mostly apparel like sneakers, jerseys, and gym clothes. The real ice hockey equipment (albeit never top brands or a wide selection) was slowly replaced with basic street hockey gear.
Ice skates were replaced with rollerblades, baseball bats replaced with Yankees hats.
Years later, after we were married, our first house was less than 3 minutes from a Home Depot. In the early days of living there, I seemed to be at Home Depot daily for some repair or another.
It wasn't long before I realized that there was a Modell's tucked into the corner of that Home Depot, between the main entrance and the side lumber/contractor's entrance. Seriously, the Modell's was part of the same building, with its own corner spot carved out of the Home Depot. It was an odd location for Modell's (or any store), and by that time in the early 2010s, the store had switched to all apparel and sneakers.
Disappointed, I didn't go into that store more than once. If they had a few Little League-sized baseball gloves or tennis balls, I'd have been surprised. That Modell's closed for good in March 2020, right before the pandemic would have shut it down anyway.
Growing up in New York, Modell's was everywhere.
You really couldn't escape it. It was in the background during all New York sporting events. They sponsored segments during broadcasts, advertised in the stadiums and arenas, and even sponsored local youth sports. Most programs on evening television would feature a commercial from the sporting goods chain at least once per episode.
I remember driving around with my Dad listening to New York Ranger games on WFAN AM radio (how archaic!) and hearing the Modell's jingle every few minutes.
I can still hear it in its staticky, nostalgic glory.
Ask anyone who grew up in New York during the 80s and 90s what the theme song for Modell's is, and I guarantee they'd launch into "Gotta go to Mo's! Gotta go to Modell's! Gotta go to Mo's... Modell's! Gotta go to Mo's!"
Honestly, it was a "banger" as the kids say these days.
I'm sure it was similar for any kid who grew up in the Northeast, where Modell's existed, but Modell's is a store born and raised in New York, and one that always considered and treated New York as its home.
Now that their theme song is stuck in my head, and perhaps yours, let's find out what happened to Mo's. What went wrong? Let's take a look!
Evolving from a humble immigrant's store in 1889 to a regional powerhouse in the sporting goods industry, Modell's Sporting Goods stood as a testament to the American dream... until it faced the harsh realities of the modern retail industry in the internet age.
Founded by Morris Modell, a Hungarian Jewish immigrant, the company began as a small general goods store on Cortlandt Street in Lower Manhattan in New York City. Initially selling army surplus items and other goods, it catered to the bustling urban population and even supplied outfits and other gear for Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War.
Over 130 years, Modell's grew into a family-run chain with over 150 locations across the Northeast, becoming synonymous with affordable sports gear and fan merchandise. The catchy slogan "Gotta Go to Mo's" immortalized the store through jingles and commercials, becoming a cultural staple for generations of New Yorkers and sports enthusiasts.
Unfortunately, competition from online giants and big-box retailers led to its bankruptcy in 2020, and the COVID-19 pandemic sealed its fate. Modell's remains an online-only brand today, relying heavily on its nostalgic appeal to drive sales.
The early years of Modell's were marked by adapting to a changing world. Arriving in the United States in the late 19th century, opened his first store amid the industrial boom of New York in 1889. The shop initially focused on clothing but quickly pivoted to army surplus after the Spanish-American War, purchasing excess military gear and selling it at discounted prices.
This strategy proved well during World War I, when surplus items like uniforms and equipment became a core offering. Upon Morris's passing, his son Henry took the reins in 1920, renaming the business Henry Modell & Company Inc. Under Henry, the company thrived during the Great Depression by emphasizing cut-rate prices, achieving record growth at a time when many retailers faltered.
World War II brought the company greater fortune. Modell's outfitted soldiers and, post-war, began to sell menswear exclusively to veterans at discounted rates amid clothing shortages.
In 1946, the company opened the Model Veteran Training Center on Lower Broadway, an innovative program that trained and employed veterans using surplus stock, paying them while they learned retail skills.
By then, Modell's had expanded to five stores, including a flagship location in Brooklyn, staffed in part by these trainees. Creative repurposing was key for Modell's in this era. Shell cases became lamp bases, helmets turned into toys, and the firm advocated for industry-wide price reductions, selling items like cotton socks for just 17 cents a pair in 1947.
This post-war era solidified Modell's as a discount retailer.
By the 1950s, it operated under the name "Modell's Shopper's World" and served as a full-line discount department store.
In 1963, a pivotal acquisition occurred when Modell's bought the bankrupt Davega Stores Corp., an eight-store sporting goods chain, for $311,100. This move integrated sporting goods into the core business, requiring the closure of two locations and the restaffing of others with its young, trained veterans.
The third generation, William D. Modell (Henry's son), assumed leadership in the 1970s, steering the company toward high-volume sales of staples like jeans, shoes, and its newly acquired sporting goods selection.
By 1975, with ten stores and $10.5 million in sales, Modell's weathered the economic recession thanks to its strategic store locations in high-traffic areas. Under William, expansion accelerated in 1987 with the acquisition of bankrupt Polly Brothers, bringing the Modell's name to the Philadelphia market.
In 1988, the company sold three Modell's Shopper's World stores to Home Depot and shifted its focus entirely to sporting goods and sports apparel, ending the discount department era due to intense competition from other retailers (such as Caldor).
The 1990s represented the peak of Modell's, driven by aggressive growth, family involvement, and wonderful marketing. William's sons, Mitchell and Michael, became co-presidents during this era. Mitchell handled the merchandise and marketing while Michael oversaw real estate and the company's finances.
By 1995, the chain had 48 outlets (32 in New York and 16 in and around Philadelphia) with over $140 million in sales.
Notably, Modell's Sporting Goods acquired 15–16 former Herman's locations in 1996 for around $2.5 million, including sites in New Jersey and the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area. This opportunistic purchase helped Modell's expand from 52 to 67 stores, boosting its regional dominance and sales to $229 million that year, solidifying its position as a top Northeast player.
Other chains like The Sports Authority picked up prime Herman's locations.
Herman's had lacked a signature ad campaign as memorable as Modell's "Gotta Go to Mo's," but its stores were part of the same competitive landscape in the 1980s-90s tri-state area. Its demise directly fueled Modell's growth, and today Herman's is remembered fondly in retail nostalgia circles (Facebook groups and Reddit threads) as a vanished chain from an era of mall-based sporting goods shopping.
With the expansion after it purchased Herman's, Modell's sales grew to $229 million, making Modell's the eighth-largest U.S. sporting goods retailer. Modell's stores averaged 20,000 square feet, stocking 400 footwear styles and over 200 brands, like Nike and Reebok. Inner-city locations featured more trendy apparel, while suburban stores relied heavily on sports equipment.
The company opened five D.C. area stores in 1996 and more in 1997, including a team store in the MCI Center. At its peak, Modell's had 153 stores in ten states, with a flagship location near Times Square where they sold athletic apparel, footwear, accessories, sports equipment, and licensed gear tied to major sports leagues like MLB, NHL, NBA, and the NFL.
A Modell's on 34th Street in New York City Celebrates a Rangers Victory in 2015
Business strategies emphasized tough supplier negotiations, low overhead, value pricing (such as price-matching and 25% rebates), and extremely heavy advertising.
Modell's focused so much on advertising that by the late 90s, they were spending up to $30 million a year and had pioneered ideas like Metrocard sponsorships and mini-stores in arenas like the MCI Center and Giants Stadium.
Central to Modell's cultural impact and any relevance the brand has today was the company's marketing, particularly the famous "Gotta Go to Mo's" slogan and commercials. The jingle, featuring a playful abbreviation of "Modell's," emerged sometime in the 1980s and 90s as the company solidified its sporting goods identity.
The catchphrase became a ubiquitous earworm in the Northeast, especially in New York, through frequent radio and television ads that positioned Modell's as the go-to spot for affordable sports gear. Commercials often featured high-energy scenarios: families rushing to buy back-to-school sneakers and jackets, fans grabbing championship merchandise, or athletes endorsing sports equipment.
Modell's cranked up the fun in their commercials too, often tapping into that over-the-top New York energy with celebrity cameos. Comedian Gilbert Gottfried, with his unmistakable screechy voice and wild impressions, starred in several early '90s spots, either hawking back-to-school deals or teaming up with folks like former Mets manager Jeff Torborg to make the ads memorable and hilariously chaotic. They also featured current athletes in later years, like NFL players Danny Woodhead, DeSean Jackson, and Sterling Shepard, going "undercover" as store employees to sell their own jerseys, blending local sports fandom with cheeky humor. Those celebrity touches helped cement Modell's as more than just a store... it was part of the Northeast's quirky sports culture.
The slogan encapsulated the brand's accessibility and community ties, with occasional midnight store openings after a local team won championships to sell fresh gear, fostering loyalty among fans of teams like the Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, Giants, and Jets.
"Gotta Go to Mo's" wasn't just marketing; it became household slang, symbolizing urgency for deals on everything from hockey sticks and baseball bats to bicycles and roller blades. Even in the early 2010s, when the jingle was updated to keep the phrase alive, it appeared in holiday ads and on social media.
Its enduring popularity is evident in nostalgic YouTube clips and Reddit threads, where fans reminisce about singing it decades later.
The 2000s and early 2010s brought challenges that eroded Modell's dominance. Giant internet retailers like Amazon disrupted traditional retail, while Dick's Sporting Goods offered broader selections and better online integration.
Modell's was very slow to adapt to digital trends. Its website lagged behind many of its competitors and compounded problems such as high debt, internal management strife, and shifting consumer preferences.
Some members of Modell's management foolishly blamed the underperforming sports teams in New York for sluggish apparel sales.
Mitchell Modell, CEO since the early 2000s, gained visibility on the hit television series Undercover Boss in 2012 but faced controversy in 2014 when he was sued by Dick's Sporting Goods for allegedly spying in disguise. The lawsuit was settled out of court.
By 2019, after a holiday season of weak sales, Modell's closed 24 underperforming stores, halted payments to vendors, and hired advisors to stave off bankruptcy. The final blow came months later, on March 11, 2020, when, amid the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, planning to liquidate all 153 remaining stores. The COVID-19 lockdowns had disrupted any and all sales, and without much of an online retail presence, the company lost almost all of its income overnight.
By August 30, 2020, all physical locations had been shuttered, bringing an end to 131 years of brick-and-mortar presence in the Northeast.
Modell's legacy is one of innovation, community, and adaptation. After sponsoring countless East Coast sports teams, from the Baltimore Orioles to the New York Rangers, the bankruptcy sale in August 2020 brought an end to the long-time Northeast fixture.
Retail Ecommerce Ventures acquired the company's assets out of bankruptcy for only $3.64 million, and relaunched modells.com as an online-only retailer that focused primarily on fan apparel. By 2023, the new owner of the Modell's name ran into its own financial woes, and after facing foreclosure by secured creditors, REV hired restructuring lawyers.
In 2025, the REV transferred assets to Omni Retail Enterprises and expanded its e-commerce operations, with plans for future pop-up stores in brick-and-mortar settings. As of 2026, the Modell's name lives on as a digital-only e-commerce site, tapping into nostalgia among Northeast sports enthusiasts.
The memorable commercials and the "Gotta Go to Mo's" jingle, once blaring from TVs, now live on in memes and our memories.
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