You’ve probably seen the headlines or heard the whispers at the gym. Someone mentions Dick's Sporting Goods closing and suddenly everyone thinks the retail giant is going the way of the dinosaur. It’s a scary thought for anyone who needs a last-minute pair of cleats or a new driver before Saturday's tee time. But honestly? The reality is way more complicated than a simple "going out of business" sign.
The internet is great at turning a "restructuring" into a "funeral."
Let's be clear: Dick's isn't dying. In fact, they’re actually buying up other companies. But if you’ve walked past a shuttered store recently, you aren't hallucinating. Some locations are closing. To understand why, we have to look at a massive $2.4 billion gamble they took in late 2025 and how they are literally rebuilding what a "sporting goods store" even looks like in 2026.
The Big Foot Locker Cleanup
The biggest reason you're hearing about store closures isn't actually about the Dick’s-branded big boxes. It’s about Foot Locker.
Back in September 2025, Dick’s Sporting Goods pulled a power move and acquired Foot Locker for $2.4 billion. It was a massive deal that brought Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, and WSS under their umbrella. But here’s the thing—Foot Locker had been struggling for years. They had too many stores in dying malls and way too much dusty inventory sitting in the back.
Executive Chairman Ed Stack didn’t mince words during the November 2025 earnings call. He basically said they need to "clean out the garage." What does that mean for you?
- Massive Liquidation: They are aggressively marking down old sneakers to clear the shelves.
- Shuttering Underperformers: They’ve identified a "slew" of stores that just aren't making money.
- Mall Exodus: Most of the closures are hitting those older, smaller mall-based Foot Locker and Champs locations.
By the time we hit the end of fiscal 2026, the goal is to have a leaner, meaner Foot Locker that doesn't "drag down" the profits of the parent company. If your local mall just lost its Champs, that’s exactly what’s happening.
Why Some Dick's Locations Are Actually Closing
While most of the "closing" talk is about the subsidiaries, a handful of flagship Dick's Sporting Goods locations have also locked their doors. As of late 2025, about nine core stores had been closed.
It’s not because people stopped buying baseball bats. It's because the stores were too small or in the wrong place.
Think about it. A 50,000-square-foot store used to be huge. Now? It’s barely enough to hold the pickleball section. Dick's is moving toward a "bigger is better" philosophy. They’d rather close three old, cramped stores and open one massive "House of Sport" that looks more like a theme park than a retail outlet.
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The Rise of the House of Sport
If you haven't been in a House of Sport yet, it’s wild. We’re talking 100,000+ square feet.
They’ve got:
- Rock climbing walls that actually require a harness.
- Batting cages with real-time tracking data.
- Golf bays powered by TrackMan.
- Outdoor turf fields for soccer and lacrosse clinics.
They had about 35 of these open by the end of 2025. The plan? Between 75 and 100 locations by 2027. This is the "secret" behind the closures. They aren't retreating; they're evolving. They realized that if you just want a bag of socks, you’ll buy it on Amazon. If you want to try out a $500 driver or see how a glove feels while catching a real pop-fly, you go to the House of Sport.
The Competition is Real
It’s not all sunshine and rock climbing, though. The sporting goods industry is a meat grinder right now.
Look at what happened to the 70-year-old chain Big 5 Sporting Goods. They’ve been quietly shrinking for a while, and by early 2026, they announced seventy closures nationwide, including five in Colorado alone. Then you have Moosejaw—acquired by Dick's in 2023, only to have all physical stores closed by August 2024.
The middle ground is disappearing. You’re either a giant destination like Dick’s or a niche online player. If you’re a mid-sized store with average prices and no "experience," you’re basically toast.
What Should You Do?
If you're a regular shopper, don't panic. But you should probably change how you shop.
- Watch for Liquidation Sales: If a Foot Locker or Champs in your area is on the hit list, the markdowns will be brutal. We’re talking 50-70% off as they "clean the garage" for 2026.
- Check the "House of Sport" Map: If a legacy Dick’s store near you closes, check to see if a House of Sport is opening nearby. Often, they close the old one just to move into a bigger, better space a few miles away.
- Use the App: Dick's has been pouring money into their tech. They now use RFID to track every single item in the store. If the app says it's in stock, it's actually there. No more driving 20 minutes for a "maybe."
The Bottom Line
Dick's Sporting Goods isn't going anywhere. They're just getting rid of the dead weight. They missed some earnings targets in late 2025—EPS was $2.07 against a $2.71 forecast—mostly because of the costs of buying and fixing Foot Locker. But their core sales are still growing.
So, next time you hear about Dick's Sporting Goods closing, ask which one. If it’s an old mall store, it’s probably gone for good. If it’s the brand as a whole? They're just getting started.
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Your Next Steps:
Keep an eye on local mall announcements specifically for Foot Locker and Champs Sports locations, as these will be the primary sites for closures throughout early 2026. If you have gift cards for those stores, now is the time to use them or trade them in. Check the Dick’s Sporting Goods website for the nearest "House of Sport" conversion to see if your local store is slated for a massive upgrade rather than a permanent shutdown.