Mergers AcquisitionsIndustry ContextFriday, April 10, 20262 min read

Dick’s and Under Armour Team up to Build Youth Sports Experiences

Retail TouchPoints13d ago

Executive Summary

Dick's Sporting Goods and Under Armour partnered with Unrivaled Sports for youth sports experiential marketing, building on Dick's $120M investment in May 2025. The partnership includes exclusive apparel deals and livestream content for youth baseball and flag football tournaments.

Our Take

This signals Dick's strategy to own youth sports experiences beyond retail, potentially creating new advertising opportunities for sports brands on their platforms. Sporting goods sellers should monitor Dick's expanding content and experiential offerings that could influence youth sports purchasing decisions.

What This Means

Traditional retailers are investing in experiences and content to differentiate from pure marketplace competition, creating new competitive moats beyond price and selection.

Key Takeaways

Track Dick's Sporting Goods' youth sports content initiatives to understand their experiential marketing approach that could affect sporting goods category competition.

Monitor how Dick's investment in sports experiences translates to their retail platform advantages over the next 12 months.

Bottom Line

Dick's experiential sports investment signals retail-to-experience expansion affecting sporting goods competition.

Source Lens

Industry Context

Useful background context, but lower-priority than direct platform, community, or operator intelligence.

Impact Level

low

Dick's experiential sports investment signals retail-to-experience expansion affecting sporting goods competition.

Key Stat / Trigger

$120 million investment round led by Dick's in May 2025

Focus on the operational implication, not just the headline.

Relevant For

BrandsSellers

Full Coverage

Dick’s Sporting Goods and Under Armour are partnering with youth sports experience company Unrivaled Sports to collaborate on a series of integrated, experiential activations designed to bring the partnerships to life. Initial tentpole efforts are tied to Ripken Nationals, a premier 12U baseball national championship tournament in its inaugural year.

Participating athletes will see big-league experiences such as: Content series from Under Armour celebrating the MVPs of Ripken Nationals and highlighting the most exciting plays each day of the Ripken Nationals Championship; and Dick’s Sporting Goods Post-Game Press Conference, a social content series spotlighting youth athletes and coaches sharing live reactions to pivotal moments.

Additionally, Under Armour is now the exclusive performance apparel partner of Ripken Nationals and its championship, as well as for Unrivaled Flag events such as the Youth Flag Football World Championships and the High School Girls National Flag Football Competition.

Dick’s will serve as the presenting-level sponsor of Ripken Nationals and its championship and will provide livestream coverage tied to key moments, including the Ripken Nationals Championship at Cooperstown All-Star Village.

“Supporting youth sports is central to who we are at Dick’s,” said Mark Rooks, VP of Creative, Sponsorship and Entertainment at Dick’s in a statement.

“This partnership with Unrivaled Sports allows us to show up for young athletes in new ways by elevating their tournament experience, celebrating their achievements and creating moments that mirror the biggest stages in sport.” This new partnership represents an expansion of Dick’s Sporting Goods’ involvement with Unrivaled Sports.

In May 2025 Dick’s led a $120 million investment round in Unrivaled Sports, joined by new entrants Dynasty Equity, LionTree and Miller Sports & Entertainment and existing investor The Chernin Group. Dick’s Sporting Goods Chairman Ed Stack discussed the retailer’s successes and challenges at the NRF 2026 Big Show in January.

Original Source

This briefing is based on reporting from Retail TouchPoints. Use the original post for full primary-source context.

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