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Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. (stylized asDICK'S Sporting Goods) is an American chain ofsporting goods stores founded in 1948 by Richard "Dick" Stack. It is the largest sporting goods retailer in the United States and is listed on theFortune 500.[4]
Company overview
Dick's is the largestsporting goods retail company in the United States,[5] with over 800 stores as of 2023.[6][7] The public company is based inFindlay Township, Pennsylvania,[8] outsidePittsburgh, and has approximately 53,000 employees as of August 2023.[9] The company's subsidiaries include Golf Galaxy, Public Lands, and House of Sport.[10][11] In 2017, there were 690 Dick's stores and close to 100 Golf Galaxy locations.[12] The company acquired Affinity Sports, Blue Sombrero, and GameChanger.[13]
Edward W. Stack is the executive chairman.[14]Lauren Hobart is president and chief executive officer of the company[15] and Navdeep Gupta is chief financial officer, as of 2024[update].[3] Hobart succeeded Edward W. Stack asCEO on February 1, 2021, becoming the company's first female CEO.[16][17]
History
Richard "Dick" Stack started the company as a fishing tackle store inBinghamton, New York, in 1948.[18] He began with a $300 loan from his grandmother.[19][20]
Edward W. Stack and his siblings purchased Dick's from their father in the early 1980s,[21] when the company had two locations inUpstate New York.[22] Stack established a board of directors, opened additional stores, and relocated the company's headquarters to Pittsburgh in 1994.[23] He became chairman and chief executive officer following his father's retirement in 1984, and led the company during its initial public offering in 2002.[24]
Dick's operated primarily throughout the Eastern United States until 2009 and has since expanded across the country.[25] There are more than 800 Dick's stores in 47 states, as of 2023.[26] In 2012, the company opened three True Runner stores targeting runners inBoston, the St. Louis suburbBrentwood, and Pittsburgh'sShadyside neighborhood.[27][28] The stores closed in early 2017.[29]
Dick's launched the women'sathleisure, fitness, and lifestyle store Chelsea Collective in 2015,[30] opening two stores in Pittsburgh andTysons, Virginia,[31] in theWashington, D.C. metro area. The shops closed in 2017.[32] The company launched Dick's Team Sports HQ in early 2016, offering youth sports teams websites, uniforms, and sponsorship options.[33]
Dick's opened its firstField & Stream store in Cranberry Township, a suburb of Pittsburgh, in 2013.[34] Thirty-five Field & Stream stores were open across the country as of 2018.[35] In 2023, Dick's shuttered its Field & Stream brand by converting its remaining Field & Stream stores to its House of Sport concept or large format Dick's stores.[36]
After theStoneman Douglas High School shooting in February 2018, Dick's stopped selling assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and increased the minimum age for purchasing guns to 21.[7][11] Dick's-branded stores had suspended assault-style weapon sales following theSandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, but the guns were still available for purchase at Field & Stream locations.[37][38] Dick's has never carriedbump stocks.[7]
The company operates five distribution centers[39] and the most recent, in Conklin inSouthern Tier, New York opened in January 2018.[40] It was expanded to fulfill online sales a few months later.[41] In 2019, Dick's launched itsprivate-label clothing line called DSG.[42] The company's otherbrands include the women's line Calia, and their menswear brand VRST.[43]
Dick's opened its first "House of Sport"concept stores inVictor,New York, andKnoxville,Tennessee, in 2021.[44] The stores are larger than Dick's flagship locations, sell higher-end gear and include features such as an outdoorturf field and track, climbing wall, batting cages, and a digital golf range.[45] Dick's also launched Public Lands in 2021, a chain of stores that focuses on outdoor recreation including camping, hiking, and biking.[46] In 2021, Dick's opened its first Public Lands store. Public Lands donates 1% of sales to the Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation's Public Lands Fund, which promotes conservation and outdoor activities.[47][48]
In 2022, Dick's Sporting Goods launched DSG Ventures, an investment fund worth $50 million.[49]
Acquisitions
Dick's acquiredGalyan's in July 2004.[50] The company agreed to purchase Golf Galaxy for $225 million in November 2006.[50] Dick's confirmed plans to close Golf Galaxy's headquarters inEden Prairie, Minnesota, in mid-2008.[51]
Dick's acquired Chick's Sporting Goods in November 2007 for $71 million. At the time, Chick's operated 15 specialty sporting goods stores in Southern California.[52][53] Dick's purchased the San Diego–based sports management technology company Affinity Sports for an undisclosed amount in mid-2016.[33] In September, Dick's acquiredSports Authority's brand name and intellectual property. There were 450 Sports Authority locations at the time.[54]
Dick's acquiredGolfsmith, the largest golf retailer in the United States, at a bankruptcy auction in October 2016. Dick's bid approximately $70 million for all of Golfsmith's intellectual property and inventory. The company planned to retain around 30 of Golfsmith's more than 100 locations and 500 employees.[55] Dick's rebranded 36-38 Golfsmith stores in 16 U.S. states as Golf Galaxy in 2017.[56] That increased the number of Golf Galaxy stores to 98, located in 33 states.[57] In 2016, Dick's Sporting Goods also acquiredGameChanger, a mobile scoring app company.[58]
In February 2023, Dick's Sporting Goods purchasedMoosejaw from Walmart for an undisclosed amount.[59] In May 2025, Dick's Sporting Goods announced its acquisition ofFoot Locker, Inc.[60] The acquisition was finalized in September 2025.[61]
Lawsuits and legal proceedings
In February 2014, Dick's brought a lawsuit againstModell's Sporting Goods CEO Mitchell Modell (who featured on an episode ofUndercover Boss in 2012), for going undercover into one of their stores to gain access to retail secrets.[62] The lawsuit was settled out of court by April for undisclosed terms. Independent analysts suggested that Modell visited the store on a whim rather than as part of some plot to steal information.[63]
In 2018, Dick's was sued forage discrimination by at least two people for no longer selling long guns to 18-20 year olds where legal.[64][65] One case was settled in November 2018; details of the settlement are confidential, but it did not directly result in any changes to the retailer's policies.[66] The second case was reported as "resolved" by an attorney for the plaintiff in late 2018 without disclosing details of any settlement.[67]
In 2015, the company sponsored Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls and became the "official sporting goods retailer" for Team USA for the2016 Summer Olympics andParalympics.[73] Dick's and Team USA established the Ambassador Program and Contender's Program in partnership with theUnited States Olympic Committee, employing Olympians and prospective Olympic athletes. Dick's employed approximately 200 Team USA athletes competing in 35 different Olympic and Paralympic sports as of March–July 2016.[74][75] The athletes worked in 89 stores in 32 states.[76]
In 2014, the Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation committed up to $2 million annually to fund youth sports via its Sports Matter program.[86] The Sports Matter program was initiated in 2014 to provide grants, equipment, and sponsorships to underserved youth sports programs.[87][88] Since its inception, Sports Matter has pledged more than $100 million.[89]
In 2023, Dick's Sporting Goods launched the 'Sports Change Lives' campaign to encourage participation in sports. The campaign partnered withNike, Inc., to feature athletes such asMike Trout,A'ja Wilson, andCarmelo Anthony. Participating athletes each nominate a youth sports organization to receive a $75,000 grant.[90][91] As of 2023, Dick's Sporting Goods and its foundation has pledged $170 millionUSD for youth sports initiatives.[92]
US$12.98 billion (2023)[1]
US$1.282 billion (2023)[1]
