In addition to building influencer relationships, DICK’S Sporting Goods has developed its Varsity Team program into a full-scale brand marketing channel for connecting with sports creators. Moreover, the program helps with storytelling and brand partners.
Developed by Nicole Marcus, Manager of Influencer Strategy at DICK’S Sporting Goods, the Varsity Team program was inspired by the realization that some of the best social content emerges when creators are allowed to say things in their way.
As reported by Net Influencer, the idea came from Marcus’ personal experience running a TikTok account prior to developing her brand’s influencer strategy.
From Employee Social Media Content to Creator Marketing Infrastructure
Before launching the Varsity Team program as part of the public creator program, DICK’S invested many years into creating infrastructure that would allow it to scale creator content.
Some of that work included aligning with the brand’s legal team, HR department, retail stores’ managers, developing creator contracts, payment infrastructure, and content management process.
After internal testing, the DICK’S Varsity Team was officially unveiled in 2023 and opened to outside candidates in 2025. As a result, the roster expanded almost by 11,000 applications, and the orientation week event increased to 4 days in 2026.
What Does Not Make the Cut When Selecting DICK’S Varsity Team Members?
One lesson the Varsity Team has learned from running the creator program is that influence is not equal to content creation capability.
While a popular athlete can generate massive reach, not every popular athlete is going to be able to tell stories about training and talk about specific sports gear. In addition, not all can overcome challenges and create a personality in their videos.
Additionally, popularity is only part of the equation when choosing Varsity Team members. The selection criteria include people with under 10k followers with some of them being DICK’S employees with under 5k followers.
“Let Creators Create” Has Become the Program’s Core Principle
In order not to ruin the natural style of Varsity Team members, DICK’S allows its creators to create content with minimal restrictions. As Nicole Marcus reportedly shared with Net Influencer, she never exceeds 3 bullet points when briefing a creator on content development.
Because too much briefing often results in generic influencer content looking too much like an advertisement, the program makes it possible for the creators to come up with new content ideas inspired by something that they themselves are interested in. For example, they may focus on marathon training, product drops, sporting events, or personal achievements.
How Varsity Team Benefits Brand Partners
By opening DICK’S Varsity Team program to external candidates and partnering with several high-profile companies, DICK’S brand partners now benefit from the brand’s marketing initiative. This initiative has been tested for years.
Thanks to DICK’S Media Network and the DICK’S Operating System (DOS), DICK’S brand partners including adidas, New Balance, On, and HOKA now have access to the sports-based network of creators. Through this network, they can launch campaigns and create brand content.
According to Net Influencer, the Varsity Team generated over 40 million impressions and over 2500 pieces of content during its first year of opening to external candidates.
Orientation Becomes a Content Engine
Another way DICK’S promotes and generates content via the Varsity Team program is through organizing regular events with the participants. In 2026, Varsity Team Orientation took place in Tampa and lasted for four days.
The participants received an opportunity to interact directly with the brand and other brand partners in the context of brand activations. They could also learn from experts on topics relevant to the creators in the context of sports. Furthermore, they communicated directly with Team Captains, Olympic and Paralympic athletes Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall, Savannah Bananas player RobertAnthony Cruz, and former collegiate soccer player Emily Harrigan.
As a result, the creators have numerous opportunities to generate content related to brand experience in their own unique ways. Consequently, DICK’S and its partners receive a lot of content for distribution.
Why This Case Study Is Important for Brands
The example of the DICK’S Varsity Team highlights the current trend in social media marketing. This trend implies turning creator programs into marketing channels rather than just content production for a particular campaign.
Some key takeaways for brands include:
- Building marketing infrastructure before scaling.
- Choosing storytellers among creators, not popular social media influencers.
- Limiting briefs to keep creators inspired and independent.
- Allowing creators to choose topics they care about.
- Focusing on community development as a part of the process.
- Using performance data to prove value of investment.
Conclusion
The story of DICK’S Varsity Team demonstrates how modern sports-based creator marketing evolves. Additionally, it shows what benefits brands can gain from it when done properly.