DICK'S Sporting Goods | LA28 Sponsor Research

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

DICK'S Sporting Goods announced its partnership with Team USA and the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games on July 23, 2024, becoming the Official Sporting Goods Retail Provider. The deal designates DICK'S as an Official Supporter of Team USA for Paris 2024, Milano Cortina 2026, and LA28, spanning three consecutive Games cycles.

The partnership came at an inflection point for DICK'S. The company has since completed a $2.4 billion acquisition of Foot Locker (September 2025), expanding from 800+ U.S. locations to over 3,200 stores across 20 countries. The combined entity's total addressable market grew from $140 billion to $300 billion. DICK'S is no longer just an American sporting goods chain; it is now a global sports retail platform, and the Olympic partnership takes on different strategic weight at that scale.

The deal includes travel and training apparel for 11 Team USA national governing bodies, co-created LA28-branded merchandise, and consumer marketing activation across DICK'S stores and digital channels. The company's marketing debuted during the Paris 2024 Olympics on NBC with a "Big Moments" campaign.

1. OLYMPIC HISTORY & MARKETING PRESENCE

1.1 Partnership Timeline & Evolution

This is DICK'S Sporting Goods' first major Olympic partnership. The company had no prior formal relationship with the Olympic Movement before the July 2024 announcement.

Paris 2024: DICK'S debuted as an Official Supporter of Team USA during the Paris Games. The "Big Moments" campaign premiered on NBC during the Olympic broadcast.
Milano Cortina 2026: Continued Team USA supporter status with in-store activations and athlete partnerships. DICK'S launched the DICK'S Team USA Ambassadors Program and a new advertising spot titled "Every Season," running across streaming and broadcast platforms from February 8 throughout the Games. If an ambassador earns a medal, their selected youth sports organization receives an additional $10,000 grant, doubling the impact. Nine athlete ambassadors announced, each receiving a $10,000 Sports Matter grant for their community sports organization:
Erin Jackson (Speedskating, USA) - Olympic gold medalist (Beijing 2022), first Black woman to win Olympic speedskating gold
Oksana Masters (Para Biathlon/Cross-Country Skiing, USA) - Multi-sport Paralympic champion with 17 Paralympic medals across cycling, rowing, and winter sports
Charlie McAvoy (Ice Hockey, USA) - NHL defenseman (Boston Bruins), first Olympic appearance
Ilia Malinin (Figure Skating, USA) - First skater to land a quadruple axel in competition, 2024 World Champion
Red Gerard (Snowboarding, USA) - Olympic gold medalist (PyeongChang 2018) in slopestyle at age 17
Declan Farmer (Para Ice Hockey, USA) - Three-time Paralympic gold medalist
Audrey Crowley (Biathlon, USA) - Emerging U.S. biathlete
Korey Dropkin (Curling, USA) - Member of U.S. men's curling team
Caroline Harvey (Ice Hockey, USA) - U.S. women's national team defenseman, youngest player on 2022 Olympic team
LA28: Full activation as Official Sporting Goods Retail Provider for the home Games.

1.2 Signature Programs

"Big Moments" Campaign: Consumer advertising running across social, streaming, and NBC broadcast. Premiered during Paris 2024.
Team USA Travel & Training Apparel: Providing apparel through DICK'S owned brands for 11 national governing bodies, starting with USA Canoe/Kayak.
LA28-Branded Merchandise: Co-creating exclusive LA28 gear with LA28 licensees, sold through DICK'S in-store and online channels.
Varsity Influencer Team: DICK'S broader influencer program (not Olympic-specific) features Olympic talent including Tara Davis-Woodhall, Hunter Woodhall, and the Cavinder twins.

2. LA28-SPECIFIC INITIATIVES

2.1 Announced Plans & Positioning

Retail Activation: DICK'S plans to bring customers closer to the Games through in-store experiences, exclusive merchandise, and athlete storytelling.
Licensed Merchandise: Co-created LA28-branded gear available through DICK'S retail and e-commerce channels.
Athlete Partnerships: Ongoing relationships with Olympic athletes for content creation, social media, and in-store appearances.
Foot Locker Scale: The Foot Locker acquisition adds 2,400+ international locations and a younger, more urban customer base, potentially expanding the reach of Olympic merchandise distribution.

LA28 Venue Context: The Games will use 40+ competition venues across the LA metro area, with a dual-venue Opening Ceremony shared between the LA Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium (announced May 2025). LA28 will be the first Games since 1948 built entirely on existing infrastructure. The Ticket Draw registration opened January 14, 2026 with tickets starting at $28; the first sales drop is scheduled for April 2026, with a Locals Presale (LA, Orange, Riverside, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties) running April 2-6. The 50-state Olympic torch relay, beginning April 2028 (a first in Olympic history), provides a national retail activation vehicle for DICK'S store network. DICK'S Southern California store density positions it to capture significant in-person traffic from Games attendees shopping for gear and fan merchandise.

2.2 Regulatory/Market Context

The sporting goods retail landscape has consolidated significantly. DICK'S acquisition of Foot Locker creates a dominant player with no true national-scale competitor in the U.S. sporting goods space (Academy Sports + Outdoors is the nearest peer but significantly smaller).
Nike, DICK'S largest supplier, has been shifting distribution away from wholesale and toward DTC channels. The Foot Locker acquisition strengthens DICK'S negotiating position with Nike by combining two of Nike's largest wholesale partners.
Olympic merchandise represents a significant sales opportunity, particularly for a home Games. DICK'S exclusive retail rights position it to capture the bulk of licensed LA28 consumer merchandise sales.

3. EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP & DECISION-MAKERS

3.1 C-Suite Leadership

Lauren R. Hobart - President & CEO since February 2021. First woman and first non-Stack family member to lead the company. Joined DICK'S in 2011 as SVP & CMO, progressing through EVP & Chief Customer/Digital Officer to President (2017). Her marketing background is relevant to the Olympic partnership strategy.
Edward Stack - Executive Chairman & Chief Merchandising Officer. Founder's son, previous CEO, and the public face of the brand for decades. Maintains strategic and merchandising oversight.
Navdeep Gupta - EVP & CFO
Julie Lodge-Jarrett - EVP, Chief People & Purpose Officer

3.2 Olympic Partnership Leadership

Not publicly disclosed at the individual executive level. Given Lauren Hobart's background as former CMO, the Olympic partnership likely has direct CEO-level attention. The marketing team handles day-to-day activation.

3.3 Board Members with Relevant Experience

Edward Stack's continued board presence and executive role ensures the founder's vision remains integrated with the Olympic strategy. Additional board members with sports or entertainment experience are not publicly detailed in the context of the partnership.

4. AGENCY & CREATIVE PARTNERS

4.1 Agency Model

DICK'S Sporting Goods works with multiple agency partners for different brand and campaign needs:

4.2 Known Agency/Partner Relationships

Juxtapose Studio - Production partner for the "Click on Dicks.com" e-commerce campaign, featuring Kathryn Hahn and Will Arnett. Directed by Lake Bell.
VML - Creative agency of record for DICK'S new apparel brand (separate from the main DICK'S brand).
London Alley - Production house for commercial content.
DICK'S has increasingly invested in in-house content creation, particularly through its Varsity Influencer Team program.

4.3 Notable Creative Executions

"Big Moments" Olympic Campaign (2024): Social, streaming, and NBC broadcast campaign debuting during Paris 2024 Games.
"Click on Dicks.com" (2024): E-commerce convenience campaign starring Kathryn Hahn and Will Arnett.
Varsity Influencer Team (2025): Public applications for 50 slots received 4,300+ applicants. Features Olympic athletes and brand ambassadors. Benefits from partnerships with Away, Carhartt, New Balance, and Brooks.
Nike Joint Campaign (2023): Largest co-branded campaign with Nike, themed "Sports Change Lives."
Advertising Spend: Over $100 million annually across digital, print, and national TV.

5. COMPETITIVE POSITIONING

5.1 Market Share & Competitive Landscape

DICK'S Sporting Goods is the dominant U.S. sporting goods retailer, now a global sports retail leader post-Foot Locker acquisition:

Pre-Acquisition: ~860 DICK'S stores, annual revenue ~$13.4 billion (FY2024).
Post-Acquisition: 3,200+ stores across 20 countries, combined TAM of $300 billion (up from $140 billion).
Key Competitors: Academy Sports + Outdoors (U.S. regional), REI (outdoor specialty), Nike DTC, Amazon (online).
Customer Demographics: DICK'S traditionally serves affluent, suburban, older consumers. Foot Locker brings urban, younger, lower/middle-income demographics.

Cross-Sponsor Dynamics: DICK'S Olympic retail role intersects with both Nike (Team USA outfitter whose products DICK'S carries in-store) and Fanatics (official merchandise platform and manufacturer). The three companies form an interconnected Olympic retail chain: Nike designs performance apparel, Fanatics manufactures and distributes fan merchandise, and DICK'S provides physical retail presence.

5.2 Olympic Sponsorship Differentiation

DICK'S is the only sporting goods retailer with an LA28 partnership. The exclusive category rights mean competitors cannot use Olympic marks or sell officially licensed LA28 merchandise. For a home Games, retail distribution exclusivity is a significant commercial advantage. The September 2025 acquisition of Foot Locker ($2.5 billion) expanded DICK'S to 3,200+ stores across 20 countries, dramatically increasing its international distribution footprint for Olympic-branded merchandise.

5.3 Key Brand Messaging

"Every Season Starts at DICK'S"
Sports participation and community engagement
Athlete-first storytelling
Innovation in sports retail experiences (House of Sport concept stores, GameChanger app)

6. KEY METRICS & BUSINESS CONTEXT

6.1 Financial Performance

DICK'S Sporting Goods is a publicly traded company (NYSE: DKS):

FY2024 (ended February 2025): Annual revenue of $13.44 billion, up 3.5% YoY.
Q1 FY2025 (ended May 2025): Revenue of $3.17 billion, up ~5% YoY.
Q2 FY2025 (ended August 2025): Revenue of $3.65 billion, up 5.0% YoY. Adjusted EPS of $4.38.
Q3 FY2025 (ended November 2025): Revenue of $4.17 billion, up 36.3% (includes Foot Locker). DICK'S comparable store sales up 5.7%.
Foot Locker Acquisition: Completed September 2025 for $2.5 billion. Foot Locker contributed ~$931 million in Q3 revenue.
FY2025 DICK'S Business Guidance: Net sales $13.95-$14.0 billion, comp sales +3.5% to +4.0%, diluted EPS $14.25-$14.55.
Market Capitalization: ~$18 billion (February 2026)

6.2 Olympic Period Performance

Paris 2024: DICK'S debuted its Olympic partnership during the Paris Games with the "Big Moments" campaign on NBC. Specific sales impact from Olympic merchandise during Paris has not been publicly broken out.
LA28 Opportunity: As the home Games with exclusive sporting goods retail rights, LA28 represents a potentially significant merchandise revenue opportunity. The Foot Locker acquisition adds international distribution capacity for Olympic-branded products.

APPENDIX: KEY SOURCES

Official Sources

LA28 Official Newsroom: la28.org/en/newsroom
DICK'S Sporting Goods Newsroom: prnewswire.com (corporate releases)
DICK'S Investor Relations: dickssportinggoods.com

Industry Analysis

Retail TouchPoints: "Dick's Makes Olympic Play with Team USA Partnership" (2024)
CNBC: Q1, Q2, Q3 2025 earnings coverage
Adweek: Agency and creative partner reporting
Youth Sports Business Report: DICK'S quarterly investor analysis

Financial Filings

DICK'S Sporting Goods Q1-Q3 FY2025 Earnings Reports
DICK'S Sporting Goods FY2024 Annual Report
Foot Locker acquisition SEC filings

End of Research Brief