Last month, I shared with you in this column many of the tremendous benefits and great opportunities available to you through the distributor members of the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers. I intended to continue that message this month, but the murder of Charlie Kirk changed my focus.
I never met Charlie, though I’ve watched his career and influence grow for a while. I do, however, know many who were good friends of his. My heart goes out to Charlie’s wife and two kids, his family and in-laws, and all his friends. May he rest in peace.
I’ve got to say, I believe last week changed a few things for us as Americans. I don’t think it’s too early to say the murder of Charlie Kirk is a watershed moment.
It’s been a belief of mine for quite some time, that most people just want to be left alone. Decent and honest, God-fearing Americans simply want the government, and especially those who do not share their values and morals, to stay away. It’s not a terrible idea necessarily, to mind your own business and stay out of the fray. But what do you do when the fray comes after you, and with the help of their media mouthpieces and certain political leaders, tells you everything you believe in is bad and you’re intolerant simply for holding those beliefs? The goal is to threaten you into submission, to keep you out of the conversation. Radicals know that power is not only what you have, but what your enemies “think” you have. So, they leverage this against you. It’s literally right from the political organizer Saul Alinsky’s playbook.
Just the threat of being singled out or ridiculed for closely held religious and political beliefs pushes people to retreat, feeling helpless to do anything. In this, the radicals hold the power because they make you think the consequences will be severe if you continue to hold those beliefs and share them. In truth, the strategy is super effective because they win when you hide.
Charlie Kirk approached this threat much differently than most. He embraced the fray, and his whole mission in life was to honestly debate issues and bring facts to issues that often focus on feelings. His college campus rallies, where he’d debate with literally anyone, were hugely successful at changing minds. In the end, many believe he was so effective, and so many were listening to his messages, that it cost him his life.
Kirk’s never surrender attitude was a direct counterattack to radicals. Instead of retreating to the shadows, he brought light to arguments and disagreements through his effective efforts and his unwavering Christian faith. His message was about non-violence and finding common ground in honest communication and debate.
When I heard about the shooting, I immediately went to social media to learn more. To say I was unprepared for what I’d find is an understatement. The amount of gloating and utter joy on display over the death of a husband, father, a Christian believer, was overwhelming. The pathetic and disgusting narcissists and self-aggrandizing influencers were taking things to a new level of depravity. The rot was so deep a guest on MSNBC even went so far as to suggest that Charlie Kirk got what he deserved. He later apologized, as did MSNBC leaders, but the damage was already done.
To be fair, I am at least somewhat encouraged at how many people, even some who did not share Kirk’s beliefs, were disturbed by the same things I was seeing. Notably, even some political leaders are starting to see the damage being done and likely from a spirit of self-preservation, they’re calling on folks to back off and calm down.
What I’ve learned in the past week, aside from recognizing that there are a lot of people who are deeply disturbed, is that I need to exponentially grow the amount of time I spend praying for conversion of hearts, for people to come to understand the true gift of life and our common humanity. I hope that if you are called to do so, you’ll join me in that. I’ve also learned that I need to speak out more.
I know many of you are also wondering what you can do about the state of our country and our current political environment. So first I’d say, pray. Second, get engaged in the conversation and get active in debating the facts. Third, get your family, friends and community engaged as well. I think we will all need to come together and do that if we’re to save this country from ourselves.
I’ve read and been told repeatedly, your past is not your purpose, your priority is ahead of you. I believe it’s time for all of us to make the solution to all this chaos, our priority.
I’d like to shift gears now and talk just a bit about the upcoming NASGW Expo and Annual Meeting. It’s coming up fast and furious. The team has been working hard to deliver yet another great show for you and we’ve been sold out for quite some time now. I know the market has not been the greatest, but now’s a good time to start strategizing ways to make 2026 a better year. Coming together at the Expo allows us all to kickstart plans and ideas that can help us have a better year next year.
We’ve got a lot of great networking events planned and we’ll be sharing with you all some new and exciting programs that NASGW has been working on since the last time we got together. If you’re a distributor, please bring along some extra buyers. If you’re a supplier, please come with some extra special deals for your distributor partners. We look forward to a great show and working together, we can help ensure that the market takes a turn for the better.
I look forward to seeing you all at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, TX in just a month from now.
Until next time,
Kenyon Gleason
NASGW President