Dick’s Sporting Goods entered into a corporate partnership making the company the official sporting goods retail partner of the NCAA, which includes all 90 men’s and women’s championships.
The partnership is timed with 2023 March Madness, where Dick’s will activate the sponsorship through media investments, which include courtside signage and content production. Dick’s will also own exclusive category sponsorship rights to select fan events during the men’s and women’s Final Four games.
Through the deal, Dick’s receives product category exclusive access to official NCAA licensed merchandise for promo purposes available to official NCAA corporate champions and partners. The retailer also gets category-exclusive rights to NCAA-owned historical championship footage, which it noted would be used to create custom content.
“We are excited to partner with the NCAA in our pursuit to change lives through sport for athletes and fans alike. And what better time to tip off our partnership than during March Madness? We look forward to activating across both the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments and more broadly across other championships throughout the year,” said Ed Plummer, SVP, chief marketing officer, Dick’s Sporting Goods.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Dick’s Sporting Goods to the NCAA Corporate Champion and Partner Program,” said Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president of basketball. “Dick’s Sporting Goods and NCAA form a wonderful partnership that will help enhance all 90 Championships. We look forward to working together on our collective goals, which center around supporting student-athletes and their overall achievements.”
