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Before Amazon, before same-day delivery and before nearly anything could be ordered from a phone, Long Islanders had another answer.
“Gotta go to Mo’s.”
For generations of local athletes and families, Modell’s Sporting Goods was the place to find uniforms, sneakers, equipment and nearly everything else needed to get in the game.
Now, Mitchell Modell, the former CEO of the longtime New York retail staple, is looking to bring some of that familiar spirit back through a new online venture — one inspired by the Knicks’ historic championship run.
The Knicks captured their first NBA title in 53 years this month, setting off celebrations across New York and fueling overwhelming demand that led to shortages of Knicks gear at official team stores and sporting goods retailers.
Modell is now looking to tap into that renewed excitement surrounding New York sports.
But it is not a revival of the original Modell’s Sporting Goods company.
MitchellModells.com is a separate business and is not affiliated with Modells.com, Modell’s Sporting Goods or the company that owns the former retailer’s name and intellectual property.
“The goal is to bring back what Modell’s meant to people,” Modell said in an announcement. “It’s about culture, memory, and being part of New York sports again.”
The new website currently features Knicks-themed merchandise designed to reconnect Modell with the place his family’s former business once held in New York sports culture.
Among the featured items is a limited-edition championship shirt incorporating the image of a New York City pigeon — a symbol Modell said captures the spirit of New Yorkers and Knicks fans.
“The pigeon survives everything,” Modell said. “It’s tough, adaptable, relentless, and proudly New York. That’s what this city is all about.”
A return to brick-and-mortar retail is being discussed, but for now, the new venture is strictly digital.
Modell pointed to what the original brand once meant to New York sports culture, calling it “a place where generations of families prepared for their biggest moments in sports and life.”
For many Long Islanders, those memories remain vivid.
Founded in 1889, Modell’s grew to more than 150 stores across the Northeast and became one of the country’s most recognizable sporting goods retailers. Changing shopping habits and the rise of e-commerce ultimately forced the company into bankruptcy and the closure of its remaining stores in 2020.
“Modell’s has always been about New York sports fans,” Modell said. “That connection never really went away.”
Six years later, Modell is hoping to tap into that connection once again — even if this new venture is separate from the sporting goods chain Long Islanders once knew as Mo’s.
And after six years away, Long Islanders may soon find themselves saying it once again: “Gotta go to Mo’s.”
Top: New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, center, celebrates with teammates during the New York Knicks’ NBA championship parade Thursday, June 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
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