Recently, the Wall Street Journal published an article detailing how Dick’s Sporting Goods slowly became the biggest winner in the youth sports boom.
With families now spending more than $40 billion every year on children’s sports, the sporting goods retailer has seen its revenue nearly double in just the last decade alone. In fact, Dick’s generated a record $14.1 billion in sales in 2025.
How has the company been able to capitalize on youth sports to these levels of success? It comes down to three reasons: the store is a one-stop-shop for all sports, has a successful rewards program and offers engaging member apps. Here’s how your center can mirror the success of Dick’s and hit big with youth sports and beyond.
Be Your Community’s Central Youth Sports Source
With more families paying hundreds of dollars to support their children participating in youth sports each year, your center should be the primary provider of these opportunities in the community.
According to the Wall Street Journal, part of Dick’s recent success is how the store embraces aspects of all possible youth sports. If a father needs to buy a new baseball bat and a disc golf set for his kids, he can purchase both at Dick’s despite these options being drastically different.
In that same vein, your center should be the primary entity for all possible activities and not just the usual offerings of baseball, basketball, soccer and football. No matter how niche the activity may be, your organization should be seen as the place families take their kids for it. That level of synergy will only cause the rising tide of youth sports to lift your organization to new heights.
Capitalize on Passionate Members
Families are paying over $500 annually to unlock the premium tier of Dick’s loyalty program which features perks like early product access and exclusive deals. Overall, these members drive nearly half of the store’s total sales.
This correlation with community rec is simple — if people are champions and supporters of your center, then there are levels of their passion that possibly haven’t been unlocked. If there are ways to provide them rewards for their support, your center needs to be offering that.
In practice, this could look like tiers of high-priced tiers of membership that unlock specific value adds at your center like recovery room access, Pilates class discount, percentage off youth sports memberships and more.
You’ll never unlock the passion of your members if you don’t offer them the choice. So, embrace these unseen levels with tangible rewards.
Utilizing Apps for Members
Dick’s Sporting Goods has two apps under its umbrella — its own banded app and GameChanger specifically made for youth sports steaming and management.
These tech options make the company more accessible while also creating a closed-loop system that’s hard to break once it starts. Through using the GameChanger app, parents can track their kids’ stats and share highlights from their achievements.
Then on the Dick’s Sporting Goods app, loyalty members can sync their health data or Apple Watch and track their physical activity every day. Members then get points if they hit certain milestones — like walking 10,000 Steps — and points can be made into gift cards. It’s literally providing free money on purchases simply for being active.
What if your organization had its own software which offers points on how active members are within the center? Or what if your app provided the ability to manage a member’s fitness class schedule at any time of the day?
There’s unlimited potential waiting to be untapped through app integration. Your members are on their phones more than ever, so be sure you are meeting them where they are.
Conclusion
Overall, Dick’s Sporting Goods has managed to dominate the youth sports space because the company ensures it’s at the forefront of the conversation for parents. By casting a wide net, committing to engaged customers and achieving high accessibility, Dick’s has surged ahead of other retailers.
By following their lead, your center can also move ahead of similar fitness and wellness offerings in the community and climb to new levels of success.
