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Target said its quarterly sales fell for the first time in six years — a result of customers’ “negative reaction” to its spring “Pride” clothing collection that featured tuck-friendly swimwear and LGBTQ-friendly gear for infants and children.

Target’s CFO Michael Fiddelke addressed Target’s disastrous rainbow-clad collection in an earnings call on Wednesday, saying: “Traffic and top line trends were affected by the reaction to our Pride assortment.”

Sales at stores and digital channels open for at least a year were off 5.4% from a year earlier, according to Target’s Q2 earnings report released Wednesday, while digital sales slipped 10.5%.

Fiddelke said on the call that the retailer couldn’t quantify the impact the Pride collection alone had on comparable sales.

Brian Cornell, who’s been Target’s CEO since 2014, chimed in, adding that “the impact of inflation” contributed to the quarter’s losses.

Though foot traffic to Target stores recovered steadily in July, customers were purchasing food and other essentials rather than spending on apparel and impulse purchases, Cornell added.

Target’s revenue for the three-month period ended July 29 was $24.8 billion — 4.9% lower than this time last year and worse than the company’s predictions.

The figure was slightly under the $25.2 billion economists expected, though the dip isn’t surprising considering Target’s stock lost nearly $14 billion as the Pride Month controversy grabbed headlines.

The hefty losses were the result of a boycott that lasted over two weeks — triggered by Target’s release of “PRIDE” in May — an LGBTQ-friendly line that includes clothing for children and tuck-friendly womens swimwear with extra crotch coverage.”

Customers accused Target of grooming children with the items including alt-right rapper Forgiato Blow who topped iTunes charts with his rap song, Boycott Target” that addressed an LGBTQ agenda that the rapper sings has gone too far.

The fierce backlash from conservative consumers, including reactions that turned aggressive in some stores, pushed Target to yank some of its Pride merchandise from shelves in select locations and move displays farther back in others.

The move then caused Pride supporters to condemn the company for falling victim to “extremists,” leading to a boycott from customers on both sides of the political aisle.

The latest sales decline pushed Target to lower its profit goal for the full year, now expecting “comparable sales in a wide range around a mid-single-digit decline for the remainder of the year,” according to its Q2 report.

Despite the losses, Target will still be celebrating Pride Month in 2024, Cornell said, noting that future collections will focus on being “celebratory and joyous, with wide-ranging relevance.”

Target will also be “mindful of timing, placement and presentation” of its future Pride collections, Cornell added.

“Pride is one of many heritage moments that are important to our guests and our team, and we’ll continue to support these moments in the future.”

The Post has sought comment from Target.

Target has been celebrating the LGBTQ+ community during June with a clothing line and other items touting rainbow colors and related slogans for years.

However, the move has frequently landed the retailer in hot water for taking part in rainbow capitalism, which describes profiting off the commodification of the LGBTQ+ community, especially surrounding Pride month in June.

For 2022s Pride month, Target tapped a team of seven LGBTQ+ artists to design its collection. Pieces included genderless underwear and swimsuits.

There were also chest binders a gender-affirming undergarment often used by transgender and nonbinary people to flatten their chests and packing boxers, which are made with an extra pocket for a gender-affirming prosthetic.

Though LGBTQ customers seemed happy with the 2022 Pride line, they still expressed disappointment that the inclusive clothing was only available during Pride celebrations.

Last year’s Pride collection was an improvement from 2021 when the retailer’s LGBTQ+ line was slammed for being “ugly” and out of touch.

However, Target’s earnings didn’t suffer as much in recent years. Last year, the retailer took home $6.9 billion, a staggering 59% increase from 2022.

And in 2021, the Minneapolis-based chain reported $4.4 billion in net income for the fiscal year — a 33.13% increase from 2020.

The latest quarterly report was a far cry from Target’s performance throughout the pandemic when consumers flocked to the “cheap chic” retailer for clothes, home goods, and other discretionary goods.

Target shares have fallen nearly 18% so far this year, to $125.05.

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Cyclones name WSU’s Rogers to replace Campbell

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Cyclones name WSU's Rogers to replace Campbell

Washington State coach Jimmy Rogers has agreed to a six-year deal to become the next coach at Iowa State, the school announced Friday.

Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard moved quickly to replace departing coach Matt Campbell, who agreed to an eight-year deal to take over Penn State on Friday, and landed Rogers, a proven winner at the FCS level who just concluded his first regular season at Washington State.

“Jimmy Rogers is a rising star in college athletics who has very strong ties to the Midwest both as a player and as a coach,” Pollard said in a statement. “He has been on my short-list ever since the first time I met him. He immediately impressed me with his interest in Iowa State University and told me during our first visit several years ago that he wanted to be the next head coach at Iowa State.

“Since our initial meeting, I have stayed in close contact with him and have been very impressed with his work ethic and understanding of what it takes to be successful at Iowa State,” Pollard added. “He is a proven winner who has demonstrated throughout his career that he will fit our culture.”

Rogers, 38, has a 33-9 record over three seasons as a head coach. He went 6-6 in his debut season at Washington State after overseeing a significant roster rebuild following the departure of coach Jake Dickert to Wake Forest.

“My family and I are excited to be joining the Iowa State University community and the Cyclone football program,” Rogers said in a statement. “Iowa State has been one of the nation’s top programs for the last decade and we look forward to building upon its upward trajectory. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity that Jamie Pollard has given me to lead the Cyclones.”

Rogers previously spent 12 years at South Dakota State and led his alma mater to an FCS national championship in 2023 with a 15-0 season in his first year as the Jackrabbits’ head coach after taking over for longtime coach John Stiegelmeier.

Rogers carried a 29-game win streak into his second year as coach and achieved a No. 3 finish in 2024 with a run to the FCS playoff semifinals and a 12-3 season.

The Jackrabbits also won the FCS national championship in 2022 after Rogers was elevated to being the team’s sole defensive coordinator, and they played for another FCS title in 2020.

Campbell, the winningest coach in Iowa State history with 72 victories, led the Cyclones to eight winning seasons during his decade at the helm and two appearances in the Big 12 championship game.

The Cyclones went 8-4 this season and are awaiting their bowl selection on Sunday.

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Cool it! JMU AD scolds fans for throwing snowballs

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Cool it! JMU AD scolds fans for throwing snowballs

HARRISONBURG, Va. — James Madison athletic director Matt Roan used the public-address microphone to implore Dukes fans to stop throwing snowballs onto the field during the Sun Belt Conference championship game against Troy on Friday night, warning that their actions could cost JMU a penalty.

Roan’s address to the crowd followed an incident that affected the game.

With 4:30 left in the first quarter, Troy’s Evan Crenshaw was nearly hit by a snowball while punting from the end zone with the JMU student section behind him. Crenshaw shanked a 26-yard punt that helped set up the Dukes’ first score, a 40-yard field goal.

Fans in the student section began throwing snowballs during pregame warmups, when the Dukes’ marching band got pelted. They kept it up for most of the first half, despite repeated warnings over the PA system.

Harrisonburg received about 1½ inches of snow Friday, its first measurable snowfall of the season.

No. 19 JMU had an outside shot at making the College Football Playoff field with a win over Troy and a loss by No. 16 Virginia to Duke in Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

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No. 1 recruit DT Lamar Brown signs with LSU

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No. 1 recruit DT Lamar Brown signs with LSU

LSU and coach Lane Kiffin closed a busy early signing period with a bang Friday, officially securing the signature of defensive tackle Lamar Brown, ESPN’s No. 1 overall 2026 recruit.

Brown, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound defender from Erwinville, Louisiana, signed his letter of intent on the final day of the three-day period, the program announced, formally joining Kiffin and the Tigers as the program’s first No. 1 overall addition since Leonard Fournette in 2014.

Committed to the program since July, Brown was not initially expected to sign this week following meetings between Brown’s representatives and members of the LSU staff Tuesday.

While Brown remained verbally committed to the program, sources told ESPN that his camp harbored reservations over Kiffin’s to-be-completed coaching staff. Uncertainty hanging over the futures of Tigers interim coach Frank Wilson and defensive coordinator Blake Barker marked a particular concern for Brown, who attends high school on the LSU campus and developed close relationships with the program’s previous staff during his recruitment.

As of Friday afternoon, the Tigers have not publicly announced plans for the program’s defensive staff. The statuses of Wilson and Baker, a reported candidate for multiple head coach openings across the country, remain unclear, too. But according to ESPN sources, Brown and the Tigers progressed toward his signing through talks across Wednesday and Thursday, culminating in the program officially landing his signature Friday afternoon.

Within an impressive Tigers defensive class in 2026, Brown was not alone in initially holding off on signing this week before ultimately submitting the official paperwork.

LSU officially announced the signing of ESPN 300 defensive tackle Richard Anderson (No. 90 overall) on Thursday after questions swirled over his signature on the opening day of the signing period. Top 60 defensive linemen Deuce Geralds (No. 39) and Trenton Henderson (No. 60) each pushed their signings to Friday. Henderson, amid late flip efforts from Auburn and Florida State, gave the Tigers his signature Friday morning. Geralds, ESPN’s No. 2 defensive tackle in 2026, followed in the afternoon, minutes before the program announced Brown’s signing.

For Kiffin, who officially arrived Sunday, Brown’s signature closes LSU’s class of ESPN 300 additions and marks a strong finish to a hectic first week on the recruiting trail with the Tigers.

Uncertainty surrounding Brown and the program’s top defensive pledges hung over early-week commitments from wide receiver Brayden Allen and former Ole Miss pledges J.C. Anderson (No. 165 in the ESPN 300) and Ryan Miret. Pass catcher Corey Barber, another ex-Rebels commit, also signed with the Tigers on Wednesday. LSU also lost five commitments following Kiffin’s arrival, headlined by safety Dylan Purter (No. 266), who flipped to Florida on Thursday.

Kiffin & Co. took some big swings, as well. Sources tell ESPN that the Tigers made late efforts to flip USC tight end signee Mark Bowman (No. 29 overall) and four-star South Carolina quarterback signee Landon Duckworth (No. 186). LSU also attempted to sway No. 1 wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., who affirmed his pledge to Ohio State and signed Friday.

With Brown officially in the fold, the Tigers will close the early signing period with the nation’s No. 14 signing class in ESPN’s latest class rankings for the cycle.

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