Are you a savvy shopper? Interested in a good deal?

Well you’re in luck because a new Recently Added sort is available on the “Closeouts” tab of the Epic Sports site.

This allows you to view the most recently added closeouts on our site.  Giving you first dibs at selecting the colors and sizes you need before quantities become limited.

With closeout items at 40% to 90% off retail prices, closeouts.epicsports.com is the first place to go when looking for discounted sporting goods!

Updated 11/07/12: All of our manufacturers now have power restored and are back online. Champion Sports will be playing catch-up with our orders for the next few days and we thank you for your patience and understanding. There are some UPS service delays still in effect for parts of Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York City.

Hurricane Sandy has disrupted shipping services to parts of the U.S. Please be aware of the following manufacturers that temporarily have a limited or no ability to ship:

• Blue Generation
• Champion Sports
• GK1 Sports

Additionally, customers can expect UPS service delays from shipping to the following states:

• Connecticut
• New Jersey
• New York City

We wish for our customers affected by Hurricane Sandy to stay safe and we will update you with further information when it becomes available.

There's bound to be iPad or iPhone sports apps and games on the market worth checking out, from Fantasy Football to Ultimate Frisbee. The gaming world has gone a long way to keep all their sports fans entertained.

Here's our list of games we’ve chosen based off their popularity on the app market.

Soccer - FIFA Soccer 13 by EA Sports (iTunes App Store Editor's Choice)

Available for both iPhone and iPad, user ratings gave this game 4.5 out of 5 stars.

“ASTOUNDING VISUALS AND PRECISION CONTROLS”

FIFA 13 is more realistic than ever - with all the authenticity and innovation you've come to expect from the FIFA franchise. Matches come to life with groundbreaking graphics and the most responsive controls ever delivered on iOS.

Connect to real-world competitions, support your favorite club, and connect with friends, rivals, and millions of other players around the world. Level-up and earn experience points to build status. You can even relive famous real-world football events through in-game challenges."

Basketball - NBA Jam by EA Sports

Available for both iPhone and iPad, user ratings gave this game 4 out of 5 stars.

"'Editor's Choice...It’s certainly the best basketball game on any mobile platform.' -Hilary Goldstein, IGN.
Jam with all 30 NBA teams and your favorite NBA stars. Jam with a friend in Local Multiplayer and rock your iPad with all the over-the-top, high-flying, 2-on-2 arcade basketball action."

Baseball - Homerun Battle 3D

Available for both iPhone and iPad, user ratings gave this game 5 out of 5 stars.

"GameZebo: 'Batting cage-like game-play is a lot of fun. Slick graphics.'
iPadInsight: 'This game is all about hitting homeruns, All Star Game Homerun Derby style, and it's barrels of fun.'
148Apps: '…everything boils down to see ball, hit ball, watch fireworks go off. On this level the game is very satisfying and in many cases downright addictive.'
everythingicafe: 'I have found this to be a blissfully simple and entertaining game.'"

Golf - Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12

Available for both iPhone and iPad, user ratings gave this game 4.5 out of 5 stars.

"Play as, or alongside, Tiger Woods and other PGA TOUR greats. Create your own male or female golfer, too! Play in solo, head-to-head, or PGA TOUR modes - and also casually hone your skills in the Tiger Challenge, featuring over 20 mini-games. Master the challenges to unlock special prizes and share Game Center Achievements with your friends!

Tee off from the Championship tees of 8 stellar courses, including Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, TPC Sawgrass, Hazeltine, Doral, Greenbrier, TPC Boston - plus the fan favorite, the PREDATOR."

Football - NFL Pro 2013

Available for both iPhone and iPad, user ratings gave this game 4 out of 5 stars.

 "The official NFL license allows you to choose your favorite team among any of the 32 franchises.
 Enjoy revamped graphics as well as smoother animations for an even more realistic football experience.
 Enjoy an exclusive first-person camera to get completely immersed in the action.

 Think you have what it takes to make the right choice at the right time?
 Discover a new management system that allows you to control every aspect of your team.
 Hire players, upgrade your stadium to increase your income, and practice your favorite plays to optimize your team's performance."

Tennis - Chop Chop Tennis (HD)

This game is only available for iPad. User ratings gave this game 4 out 5 stars.

"Chop Chop Tennis is a unique action tennis game. Chop Chop Tennis is certainly the most
frantic, intuitive and enjoyable tennis game ever created for your iDevice!
*Innovative gameplay       *Easy to play       *Online Multiplayer using Gamecenter          
*Colorful & cartoonish graphics      *Lots of characters/stadiums"

MMA - MMA by EA Sports

Available for both iPhone and iPad, user ratings gave this game 4 out of 5 stars.

"Featuring over 20 real MMA fighters like Fedor Emelianenko, Randy Couture, and Ken Shamrock...a Career Mode with deep fighter customization...and superior visuals made to maximize the Retina Display. Punch, kick, and grapple across 3 weight classes with 24 of the world's finest fighters, including Fedor Emelianenko, Randy Couture, Ken Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Andrei Arlovski, and more. Experience arenas in the USA,Japan, and Brazil, and mix it up in a hexagon, boxing ring, or circular ring - more than just an octagon!"

What's your favorite game for your mobile device? Is there a game that you'd like to see develop?

Recent news of Lance Armstrong facing allegations of doping has been become a spectacle of disappointment for fans of the seven-time Tour de France champion as well as co-founder of the Lance Armstrong (Livestrong) Foundation.

Armstrong has denied his use of banned substances but does not wish to challenge USADA and their charges against him.

Once accusations spiraled, Armstrong stepped down as Chairman from his charity organization "LiveStrong" saying he needed to "spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of controversy."

Around the same time of his resignation, Nike announced their sponsor for the charity would continue, however sponsorship for Armstrong would be terminated. "Due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping... [Armstrong] misled Nike for more than a decade…" Nike states.

The news has come as quite a shock for many. His charity organization, which is best known for its rubbery bright-yellow wristbands, had raised over 500 million dollars in support for cancer victims since it began in 1997. He also holds the title as the seven-time winner of the Tour de France, which may be revoked by the end of October after investigators reach a verdict in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The USADA has banned Armstrong from Tour de France for life, stating his involvement was, "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."

Including Nike, brands such as Anheuser-Busch, Trek Bicycles, and energy-drink FRS have terminated their sponsorship towards Armstrong. Oakley, Inc. Sunglasses will continue to support Armstrong until the sport’s international authorities have reached a final decision. A Radioshack spokesman claims they will continue to support Armstrong and the Livestrong Foundation.

Twenty-six accusers have testified against Armstrong, including 11 former teammates. When Armstrong wished to see the hard evidence, he was handed a 200-page report detailing the athlete's makeshift blood transfusion centers that he'd supposedly set up inside hotel rooms as well as handing out Cortisone wrapped in tin-foil to his other teammates. The report also accuses him of "depending on performance-enhancing drugs to fuel his victories and more ruthlessly, to expect and to require that his teammates do the same."

UCI former-president Hein Verbruggen responded to the news stating that he believed there was no evidence against Armstrong for doping. "My reaction (to the news) was strictly limited to the fact that Lance Armstrong was never found positive by the anti-doping laboratories, that there was no positive test and that there was nothing to be covered up," Verbruggen said.

Witnesses, on the other hand, beg to differ. Armstrong allegedly evaded drug-testers over the decade. Reports state Armstrong's system for passing tests was full of holes. Low-dose performance enhancers were taken the night before and by morning would be untraceable in tests. Measures were taken to pass the tests by diluting urine, chemical interference (e.g. Aspirin), saliva neutralizing gum, and using synthetic urine substitutes.

Fellow teammates of Armstrong informed each other in text messages with warnings to prepare for random drug tests. Armstrong, according to his report, had dipped out of tests often and planned convenient last-minute travel changes, skipped races when he was unable to give a sample, and simply didn't answer the door to testers.

Based on his allegations, what do you think really happen, is Lance Armstrong guilty or not? Did his teammates set him up? Should Armstrong be stripped of his 7 titles to Tour de France or should he be cut a break? We'd like to hear your opinion!

Madron F.C., deemed Britain's worst soccer team to date; holds strong to their team's ideals and sportsmanship while refusing to let their infamous 55-0 record-breaking score affect their passion to play soccer.

Newspapers reported their defeat and mocked their team as an embarrassment. But who should be embarrassed? The team hardly seems discouraged as they continue to play and utilize what helps them the most; strong communication, great teamwork, and realizing that sports shouldn't be taken so seriously.

"I'd rather be playing for a team and have fun, than playing for a team you don't enjoy playing for," says a team member. For many, the team's drive to continue working hard for their first win is comically inspirational. The team carries their humble attitude light-heartedly game-to-game and though knowing they are going to lose, they feel progress as their scores get closer and plays becomes tighter.

"It's not right to just think, 'Oh, we're losing all the time' and just leave. You've got to work on it. Everything you do in life you've got to build on."

The players in Madron F.C. had anticipated their first victory. While every game they are still losing, they see the gains they've made and are slowly lifting their scores from the ultimately low 55-0, to 22-0, and their closest game while up against one ofBritain's more competitive teams, 5-3.  Their ever-so-uplifting spirits have influenced their progress as well as won them a good amount of supporters, too.

"If you're a team that wins every week you're not going to get excited about it," A teammate explains, "But when we win, then it will get very exciting. It'll be bigger for us to win a game than any other team. And we'll enjoy it more."

They were finally able to pull in the first victory this season, showing the team's consistent efforts had finally paid off. After 30-straight losing matches, Madron F.C. had finally earned the win they were waiting for.

Team manager, Alan Davenport, has high hopes for the team. "Heads are up," he says, "and things are getting better."

Madron F.C. hadn't always been on the bottom. At the beginning of the season, Madron's original line-up held an impressively unbeatable streak of luck. Lack of funding had led Davenport to ask his players to pay their subs, causing the team to form an en masse walk-out. "Fourteen players - guys who hadn’t lost a single match the whole of last season - just upped and left," he says. "Their manager had told them that they needn’t pay, but we’re a very small club . . . So I then had to put a scratch team together for the first division."

Davenport decided to waive the team's fees so he could avoid losing future players. He figured if he were to cut the players some slack for paying, he'd be able to hold on to a good team that may lead him to winning the division. “So we played with who we could get,"Davenport says. “Unfortunately, that mostly means lads of 16 or 17 who haven’t really played football before and can’t get a game anywhere else. Often there aren’t enough of them, either. In 11 games, we’ve fielded three full teams."

The current line-up doesn't seem to mind their team's position. They're confident that as time goes on their teamwork will prosper; becoming the team that they've been striving for. "Motivate yourself and be good at what you're doing." Says one of the players, "But if you don't have passion you will never improve."

Watch the full video on Madron F.C.'s story here:

Though holding the title as the "worst football team in the world", Madron F.C. isn't the only team who's been having tough times on the field. The following are voted as the top 10 worst soccer teams - who play it simply because they strive to play, despite their winless efforts.

Top Ten Worst Soccer Teams in the World

10. Ajmen (UAE) 8 games, 0 wins

9. Tornadoes de Humacao (Puerto Rico) 3 pts from 16 games, goalie -41

8. Baloch (Pakistan) 22 defeats from 26 games

7. Dingli Swallows (Malta)  1 win and 8 defeats

6. San Giovanni (San Marino) 3 pts from 11 games

5. PDRM (Malaysia) 3 pts (all draws) from 26 games - conceded 76 goals

4. Milano (Macedonia) 1 win and 16 loses, 63 goals conceded

3. Panthrakikos (Greece) 2 pts from 14 games, 7 goals scored and 30 conceded

2. Hong Lok (Macau) one point for 14 games

1. Carpet Masters (Guam) Played 10, Won 0, Drawn 0, Lost 10, Goals for 2, Goals Against 55

Concussions in football have recently become a topic of climbing popularity due to the rising concern of long-term effects on its youth players. Studies have suggested a child who has multiple concussions is likely to feel depressed, irritable, suffer from memory loss, headaches, and affect their overall study habits and GPA. Naturally, this worries parents that head trauma will affect their child's mental and physical health in the future.

An online public opinion survey of 1,000 participants was conducted by ESPN Research and the Global Strategy Group, and about 57% of the participants had stated they were less likely to allow their children to play in youth leagues. About two-thirds of the parents participating in the survey said concussions are a serious problem in youth football, and makes them feel uneasy about letting their child on the field.

In an effort to minimize the possibility of concussion, coaches will continue taking drastic measures to protect their players by teaching proper game play and avoiding helmet-to-helmet collisions in tackling and blocking. Neck exercises are also part of their routine in order to strengthen the muscles in their necks, helping to prevent serious injury upon impact.

 Coaches can visit http://www.tacklingacademy.org/ to learn helpful exercises that teaches their players how to avoid concussions and serious injuries. Your child's coach should already be emphasizing the importance of proper tackling and blocking techniques that will prevent future accidents from happening. Referees are also very strict about improper tackling and blocking techniques and will penalize players that use their heads; literally. This encourages kids to keep their heads up and out of the way upon impact, an extremely important tactic in avoiding head injuries.

The CDC estimated that out of the approximated 4,200,000 participants in youth football, 75% of them suffer from a concussion each year. The impact that these participants endure can be massive - with a report showing the force's equivalency can be as high as a 25 mph car accident.

Most concussions go completely unnoticed. Only 1 out of 10 concussions result in unconsciousness, so it can be hard to tell after a severe hit if your child needs to sit out or seek medical help. Keep on a lookout for these symptoms:

Signs Observed by Coaching Staff:

-memory loss (can't recall before or after being hit)

-sudden mood/behavioral changes

-loss of consciousness

-loss of balance

-forgets instructions or a play

-unusual confusion

-appear dazed or shocked

Signs Reported From the Athlete:

-Headache or 'pressure' in head

-Nausea and/or vomiting

-Balancing problems/dizziness

-Light Sensitivity

-Memory problems and trouble concentrating

-Confused

-Doesn't feel "right" or feels sad

You can also determine the force of an impact by attaching an Impact Indicator to your child's helmet strap. Using the Impact Indicator will help coaches decipher whether the hit was severe enough for a concussion and if the player should seek medical attention.

You can find these indicators on our website by clicking here.

It is also very important that parents and coaches should be well-informed on how to correctly fit children in their equipment, especially helmets.

Many sports have possible risks and can be dangerous, but there are also many benefits from your kids playing them as well. Football is a classic American sport that parents and kids have related to and enjoyed together over the years, and teaches kids important values such as good sportsmanship, fairness, and perseverance. If football is what your child wants to play, be sure to take necessary precautions and ask your child's coach what steps they have taken to avoid severe head injuries and concussions.

Here is an informative guide for parents who want to learn more about injuries in football as well as how to avoid them: http://www.unc.edu/depts/nccsi/2011FBAnnual.pdf

As long as there have been sports around, there have been parents who have coached their children. As parents, we have heard the rallying cry from our sports administrators - "Get Involved!". Some parents partake of that message in different ways. For example, some may put time in working the concession stand, while others take it upon themselves to spearhead the fundraising activities, while others take the plunge and coach.
Coaching your child is a delicate balance, even for those of us who believe we are the most objective folks to ever walk the good earth. At times, fair or unfair, perception plays a larger role in this situation than in a "normal" coach - player relationship.
That relationship at times comes into play as a matter of course. The high school varsity baseball coach who coaches their child while the child is in high school, is one example. A number of other parents volunteer to coach, generally because their child is in that sport. Many will follow their child to various age levels, as well. In either circumstance, however, it still becomes a gentle dance of tact, professionalism, and objectivity.
Here are a couple of points to keep in mind if you find yourself coaching one of your children:
1) Know your sport - This seems rather obvious on the surface, but for some, I think it may not be evident. A parent may be so excited about coaching their child that they lose sight of the fact that they do not have the proper expertise to do it. I have seen this come into play with my daughter and nephews in various sports. Well-meaning parents are out there 'coaching', when all that happens is a glorified babysitting, back slapping, snack chomping session.

If the sport is organized, there should be teaching going on at each practice and game. If you do not have the expertise to be able to actually teach the sport, your help is best served off of the field and not on it.

Even if you feel you know the game, ask yourself if you can teach the proper, age appropriate techniques for your sport. If you cannot honestly answer "Yes" to that question, than look for other ways you can help.

2) Be Objective - Again, here is what is perceived as an obvious point, but it becomes even more important if you are coaching your child. Are you, as a coach, willing to do what is best for all at all times?

I've seen some coaches in this situation overextend themselves on either side of the coin. Some coaches come down extremely hard on their child, to make sure everyone can see that they are not being overly persuaded by their kid. That can take a toll on the child. My brother-in-law coaches his kids in baseball. I've seen (and heard!) many discussions between he and my
sister on that very topic. While thinking he's showing his impartiality, from another observer he may be coming down more than he probably would normally do on his own kids.

Of course, I have been a part of the opposite scenario, as well. The coach plays his child at enviable positions and for a greater time periods than others. These are well meaning coaches, as well. However, since they know their child better than anyone else, they give them the extra added benefit of the doubt, if you will, and honestly have a different perception of the child's skill level.

In either case, I have found that the best suggestion is to ask for feedback from a key observer, or two. Do not open it up for all, or you're going to get bombarded with comments and go through too much 'analysis by paralyses. Pick out one or two key folks that you trust to give you some honest feedback on a regular basis. This can help in creating as objective of an atmosphere, as possible.
Coaching is a tough and challenging calling. The coach has the responsibility of teaching and guiding a number of players on a team, not only individually, but also bringing those individuals together to meet a desired goal. That is a daunting task in and of itself, let alone adding on the focus of being the parent, as well. It can be quite rewarding for sure, but be thorough in your focus, thinking processes and preparation before coaching your child.

Written by Mike Mancini, coach, parent and website owner of "Athletic Training Now" specializing in youth sports, athletic and sports training, where you can also pick up the Free Report – "Jump Start Your Sports Training."