"Everything in a meeting starts with 'Yes, if…' and can never start with 'No, because…' and that's been a huge difference in our business." — Ed Stack, Dick’s Sporting Goods Executive Chairman
Is it too much to set your sights on becoming the best sports company in the world? Dick's Sporting Goods doesn't think so, and they're making it happen right before our eyes.
A whole new ball game: Reimagining the in-store experience
Dick's Sporting Goods (DSG) is building something literal: A House of Sport. These immersive flagship locations command massive square footage to house activities and sports of every flavor, ushering in a new era of in-person retail at a time when most chains are retreating from it. The result is a retailer that has risen well above commoditized, price-based online shopping to cultivate a loyal — and genuinely engaged — customer base.
DSG opened 16 House of Sport locations last year, alongside 15 Dick's Field House stores. And the momentum isn't slowing, 2026 brings plans for 14 more House of Sport, 22 Field House, and 15 Golf Galaxy Performance Center openings.
No away games: Meeting fans wherever they are
GameChanger, the #1-rated youth sports app, covers live streaming, statistics, scheduling, and scorekeeping across more than 9 million games and 1 million teams annually. The insight powering it is simple but profound: Sports drive connection regardless of physical location. A parent traveling for work shouldn't have to miss the game, and with GameChanger, they don't have to. The level of engagement is envy-worthy, with relevant Dick’s Sporting Goods offers and presence omnipresent.
Going coast-to-coast with an expanded physical footprint
DSG's acquisition of Foot Locker gave the brand a worldwide presence squarely in line with its long-term strategy. Skeptics raised eyebrows, but early results from the Fast Break pilot stores have quieted some of that noise. The 11 Fast Break locations have been streamlined with inventory tightened through Going Going Gone! clearance outlets to sharpen focus on high-performing stock. Clearer storytelling, better product presentation, and curation are already showing up in the numbers, reducing planned store closures.
Full court press with brand activations that drive traffic
Foot Locker's L.A. stores leaned into the NBA All-Star game with activations featuring Nike, Jordan, Adidas, and others, and the sell-throughs were exceptional. Ringing the consumer experience bell again proved its worth, and DSG expects that playbook to carry momentum through the back-to-school selling cycle.
ScoreCard: The loyalty program that’s playing the long game
What began in 2001 as a simple punch-card system has evolved into a fully loaded, data-driven, omnichannel loyalty ecosystem with over 20 million members. Enrollment is frictionless across every channel: In-person, online, or mobile, and the program's design sweats the details that matter to members.
Points can be retroactively applied up to 90 days after a purchase. Activity tracked via the MOVE tracker in the app also earns points. A one-year expiration window encourages redemption rather than letting points collect dust, and the real-time ScoreCard dashboard keeps members engaged with their rewards history.
The companion ScoreRewards Credit Card takes it a step further, automatically qualifying cardholders for Gold Status — the highest earning tier — along with soft perks like early access, double- and triple-points days, and exclusive experiences. The reward structure is intentionally attainable, which reduces breakage and keeps points in circulation.
Our take: Where we see the opportunity
Rounding out the roster, DSG should consider adding a debit card to earn more rewards for those who either don’t qualify or simply don’t want another credit card. It’s complementary to the credit program, and serves as another on-ramp to accelerated loyalty & app use (and possibly graduation to credit).
Debit also serves a younger demographic, capturing Gen Z and Millennials who use debit for daily purchases. Roughly 69 percent of Gen Z uses debit weekly, and nearly 60 percent prefer debit for online shopping. These groups want spending control and have a preference for using earned funds, vs acquiring debt.
“It’s how we play the game.” - Ed Stack, Executive Chairman and author
What ties all of this together isn't any single initiative, it's a culture. Dick's Sporting Goods has built an organization that leans into possibility rather than retreating from risk. The "Yes, if" mindset shows up everywhere: In the audacity of building 50,000-square-foot experiential stores when everyone else is downsizing, in acquiring a struggling global brand and betting on a turnaround, in turning a punch-card loyalty program into a 20-million-member ecosystem.
Sports teaches athletes that the margin between good and great is rarely talent, it's the willingness to keep showing up, keep iterating, and keep believing the next play can be better than the last. Dick's Sporting Goods seems to have internalized that lesson completely. They're not just selling gear. They're playing to win.
