Sports Authority Fitness Retailer Inks Deal To Sell Wii

Starting this month, Nintendo’s Wii has its own section and pitch people, at Sports Authority stores in the US, part of a movement to help make America more fit, the fitness chain’s president told Kotaku this morning.

Sports Authority president David Campisi says that the Colorado company, which operated about 450 stores, has been working on the deal for about half a year, but that he was interested in selling the fitness-themed games since Wii Fit first hit stores in 2008.

“This is about getting the nation fit,” Campisi told Kotaku. “This could be really, really game changing.”

The chain started a soft roll-out of the Wii Fit Experience earlier this month with 102 stores selling the Wii, Wii Fit, Wii Fit Plus, accessories and other sports and fitness-themed games, Campisi said. The experience is set up along side the chain’s more traditional exercise equipment like weights and treadmills.

“On Saturday I had people from 30 stores sending me pictures of kids on the Wii Fit board all day,” he said.

The official announcement of Sports Authority’s deal with Nintendo to sell their console and games will come this Thursday with the help of fitness expert Jillian Michaels, star of The Biggest Loser and her own Wii game Wii Fitness Ultimatum.

Campisi says that Thursday’s event at their Torrance, California store will include more than 100 Wii boards and an attempt to host the world’s largest Wii Fit Plus workout.

“In our fitness departments we carry a lot of equipment,” Campisi said. “There are many, many ways to get fit and exercise, this is just one additional opportunity.”