Key Takeaways
- Caitlin Clark is the first athlete that either DICK’S Sporting Goods or Foot Locker has ever signed as a brand partner, according to the company.
- The multi-year, exclusive agreement spans both retail businesses and includes campaigns, signature product promotion, fan activations, appearances and community programming.
- DICK’S executives framed Clark’s appeal around youth participation and the young girls and boys she has inspired to play sports.
- The November 4, 2026 announcement did not disclose financial terms or the specific length of the contract.
DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc. (NYSE: DKS) has signed basketball star Caitlin Clark to a multi-year, exclusive partnership covering both DICK’S and Foot Locker, the company announced on November 4, 2026. The Caitlin Clark DICK’S partnership is the first time either retailer has signed an athlete as a brand partner, according to the release. The company did not disclose financial terms.
What Does the Caitlin Clark DICK’S Partnership Include?
The agreement covers a broad set of marketing and retail work. According to the release, DICK’S and Foot Locker will collaborate with Clark on national and global campaigns, custom promotion supporting her signature footwear, apparel and product lines, retail and digital experiences, fan activations, appearances and community programming.
Clark tied the deal to her own history with the brand.
“DICK’S Sporting Goods was always a stop before the start of any sports season when I was growing up,” said Clark. “Being the first ever brand partner for both them and Foot Locker is a really special full-circle moment.”
She added that both brands have deep roots in sport, basketball and sneaker culture, with strong connections to fans in the U.S. and internationally.
One Contract Across Two Retail Businesses
The deal’s structure reflects how DICK’S is now organized. According to the company, DICK’S owns and operates the Foot Locker business, which includes Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, WSS and atmos. That footprint serves sneaker customers across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, plus a licensed store presence in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, per the release.
The core DICK’S portfolio includes DICK’S Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Public Lands and Going Going Gone!, along with the experiential concepts DICK’S House of Sport and Golf Galaxy Performance Center, the company said.
Ed Stack, Executive Chairman of DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc., pointed to Clark’s reach beyond a single sport. “As an athlete whose love of sports extends beyond basketball to golf, football, soccer, baseball, softball and more, she connects with fans across every part of our business,” Stack said.
On the Foot Locker side, Brett O’Brien, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer, described the partnership as building on Foot Locker’s role connecting fans with athletes, products and moments in basketball globally.
DICK’S Frames Clark Around the Next Generation of Athletes
The language from DICK’S leadership leaned heavily on youth. Emily Silver, Chief Marketing, eCommerce & Athlete Experience Officer at DICK’S, credited Clark with inspiring “countless young girls and boys” to play the sports they love, stay in the game and become fans.
“That impact is deeply connected to what we believe at DICK’S: sports can build confidence, create opportunity and change lives,” Silver said.
That positioning lines up with the company’s existing youth sports activity. According to the release, DICK’S and its Foundation have donated millions of dollars to under-resourced teams and athletes through the Sports Matter program and other community initiatives. DICK’S also owns and operates GameChanger, a youth sports mobile platform for live streaming, scheduling, communications and scorekeeping, the company said.
One Athlete, Two Banners, and a Youth Platform Not Named in the Deal
The release spells out where Clark will show up: campaigns, stores, digital channels, fan events and community programs across the DICK’S and Foot Locker banners. It does not say whether GameChanger, the company’s own youth sports platform, will play any role in the partnership. With DICK’S executives centering the announcement on the young athletes Clark has inspired, how the community programming element takes shape, and which DICK’S properties it touches, is the detail the company has yet to make public.
Source / Adapted From: DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc. press release via PR Newswire, November 4, 2026
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How big is the youth sports market?
American families spend approximately $54 billion annually on kids’ sports and recreation, according to the YSBR and Kinetica Group Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, with organized sports alone representing a $40 billion-plus market. The average family spent $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46 percent since 2019, per the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, and market research projects the global youth sports market will reach approximately $114 billion by 2032 (Business Research Insights).
How many kids play youth sports in the United States?
Approximately 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17, or about 54.6 percent, played organized sports in 2022-2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health as reported by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. High school sports participation reached a record 8.26 million athletes in 2024-25, per the NFHS.
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Youth Sports Marketing Questions, Answered
Where can brands sponsor youth sports? Brands can sponsor youth sports through local leagues and clubs, tournaments and events, facilities and complexes, governing bodies, and national platform programs. Sponsoring a child’s own program is the most powerful entry point: 81 percent of parents say it captures their attention, outperforming TV, social media, and pro sports sponsorship, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study conducted by YouGov Sport.
How much does youth sports sponsorship cost? Youth sports sponsorship costs range from a few thousand dollars for a local league or team sponsorship to six and seven figures for regional facility naming rights and national platform programs. The environment is welcoming at every level: 84 percent of parents hold net positive sentiment toward brands sponsoring youth sports, with negative sentiment under 5 percent, per YouGov Sport research. Most brands start with a pilot activation, measure engagement, then scale.
What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? The data is striking: 80 percent of parents say they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program when comparing two similar products, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study by YouGov Sport. A 2026 EMARKETER and DICK’S Media survey found 84 percent of sports parents say that role influences their purchase decisions, and 60 percent spend more on game and practice days, driving loyalty across categories from dining to travel to automotive.
Ready to build a youth sports strategy? Vertical Sports is an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Every Fan, Every Level. Brands and youth sports organizations can reach the team at info@verticalsports.us.
