Dick’s SG Partners with Drew Brees Around Concussion Awareness

The Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation announced that it has partnered
with world champion All-Pro quarterback Drew Brees and ImPACT for PACE,
the concussion awareness and education program. PACE, which stands for
Protecting Athletes through Concussion Education, aims to inform young
athletes about the dangers of concussions in sports and provides free
baseline neurocognitive testing for schools and youth athletic programs
nationwide.

Dick's SG noted that concussions continue to affect all levels of
athletics in the U.S., with an estimated 3.8 million recreation and
sports-related concussions occurring in professional, collegiate and
youth sports each year.(1) According to the American College of Sports
Medicine, approximately 85 percent of those concussions go
undiagnosed.(2)

Parents, coaches and school officials can visit
www.DicksSportingGoods.com/PACE to sign up eligible middle, high school
and youth athletic organizations to receive free ImPACT (Immediate
Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) testing software
licenses, which provide baseline tests for up to 300 young athletes free
of charge for one year ($500 value).

Utilized by more than three million athletes at thousands of middle and
high schools, collegiate and professional sports teams, ImPACT is the
first, most-widely used, scientifically-validated computerized
neurocognitive evaluation system available. ImPACT begins with a
20-minute baseline test that is administered pre-season. If a concussion
is suspected later, another post-injury test is administered by trained
clinicians to assess the possible after-effects. The program evaluates
multiple aspects of brain function including memory, processing speed,
reaction time and post-concussive symptoms, assisting doctors in making
return-to-play decisions and potentially reducing the possibility of
long-term neurological effects.

“The Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation has a unique opportunity through
PACE to empower parents, coaches and young athletes with the right tools
to make sure they're informed and taking the necessary precautions to
manage concussions,” said Edward W. Stack, Chairman and CEO of Dick's
Sporting Goods (NYSE:DKS) . “Together with Drew Brees and our partners
at ImPACT, our goal is to provide awareness and information so that
every athlete, every team and every school can be smart about
concussions.”

Record-breaking pro football star Drew Brees, who suffered a concussion
in 2005, will serve as the national spokesperson for PACE in 2012,
participating in various marketing initiatives to support the program
including online video, public relations, and social media engagement.

“As an athlete who has taken the ImPACT baseline as well as the
post-injury test following a concussion, I can say firsthand how
valuable the results can be in helping to properly determine a safe
return to play,” said Brees. “Through The Dick's Sporting Goods
Foundation PACE Program, we can help educate kids, parents and coaches
on some simple, but impactful ways to identify and manage concussions –
including getting a baseline test – so young athletes can be smarter and
safer on the field, on the court and on the ice.”

To help bring even greater awareness to the topic of “Concussions in
Youth Sports” and the benefits of baseline testing for young athletes,
The Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation will host a panel discussion
tomorrow at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) Auditorium in
New York. Moderated by pro football insider Adam Schefter, the panel
will feature Drew Brees, neuropsychologist, CEO and Co-Founder of
ImPACT, Dr. Mark Lovell, gold medal-winning women's soccer goalkeeper
Briana Scurry, two-time world champion football star Carl Banks and
hockey world champion and Hall of Famer Mike Richter.

“The Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation PACE program represents the
largest baseline neurocognitive testing initiative ever and ImPACT is
proud to be associated with this program,” said Dr. Mark Lovell, CEO and
Co-Founder of ImPACT. “The PACE program will create a safer environment
for youth athletes and represents an exciting opportunity to better
educate athletes, their parents and all other participants in youth
sports.”

For more information on The Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation PACE
Program, including how to sign up your school or athletic program to
receive free ImPACT software or how to receive a free PACE green
wristband at participating Dick's Sporting Goods stores, please visit
www.dickssportinggoods.com/PACE .

(1) Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Vol. 126 No. 3, September 1, 2010, pp. 597-615 (doi:10.1542/peds.2010-2005)

(2) American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM): “Concussions: ACSM
Issues Recommendations for Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention,” Press
Release, June 2, 2006

About The Dick's Sporting Goods FoundationThe Dick's Sporting Goods
Foundation is an exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation created by
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. as a private corporate foundation to support
Dick's charitable and philanthropic activities.