Dick’s Sporting Goods opens influencer program to the public
Dick’s Sporting Goods is broadening the scope of its influencer initiative by opening it to customers and the general public.
The nation’s largest sporting goods retailer is expanding its previously internal influencer program, the “Dick’s Varsity Team.” Both Dick's employees and members of the public are eligible to apply online for the 2025 iteration of Dick’s Varsity Team through Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST.
If chosen, Dick’s Varsity Team members will work closely with the retailer and its partner brands to create original social media content and share it across their platforms.
Athletes Tara Davis-Woodhall, Hunter Woodhall, and Haley and Hanna Cavinder, all current members of the program, will provide mentorship to new Dick’s Varsity Team influencers. 2025 team members will also receive:
- A paid contract for creating content and posting to their social media channels.
- A Dick’s gift card each month to purchase product to feature in their social content
- The opportunity to be featured on Dick’s social media channels, website, brand videos and photoshoots, in-store signage and other touchpoints.
- Early access to select product launches, VIP events, celebrity appearances and other special occasions.
- Insights from content creators, industry experts and monthly learning sessions with the Dick’s influencer team and influencer marketing agency, Fohr.
Since launching as an internal program in 2023, the retailer says Dick’s Varsity Team members have created more than 1,000 pieces of social media content, garnering over 38 million impressions, and have been featured in 10 campaigns for both the retailer and its national brands, including Away, Carhartt, New Balance and Brooks.
"The Dick’s Varsity Team program and its talented content creators far exceeded our expectations over the past couple of years," said Mark Rooks, VP of creative, entertainment & sponsorships at Dick’s Sporting Goods. "The program's continued success and the growing demand for authentic, first-person social content are the reasons we're excited to expand the Varsity Team outside the walls of Dick’s Sporting Goods and bring together a new roster of sports-focused creators."
[READ MORE: Social media commerce, influencer marketing here to stay]
Founded in 1948 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, the leading omnichannel retailer serves athletes and outdoor enthusiasts in more than 850 Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Public Lands and Going Going Gone! stores, online and through the Dick's mobile app. Dick's also owns and operates Dick's House of Sport and Golf Galaxy Performance Center, as well as GameChanger, a youth sports mobile platform for live streaming, scheduling, communications and scorekeeping.
