Dick’s expands Varsity Team creator ambassador program to largest roster yet

Dick’s Sporting Goods is expanding its Varsity Team creator ambassador program to its largest membership in the program’s five-year history, with roughly 60 spots available for the 2026 cycle – up from 50 last year. Interest has surged: 10,800 people applied for a place, nearly doubling the 5,300 who entered in 2025, according to reporting by Modern Retail.

The program officially launched in 2023, though the idea originated in 2021 as an internal employee initiative after staff began posting viral videos on social media. It opened to outside applicants two years ago. That shift unlocked a fundamentally different talent pool: the 2025 cohort generated 2,500 pieces of content with 40 million organic views and was deployed across more than 20 campaigns for Dick’s and partner brands including adidas, New Balance, On and Hoka.

From store staff to Paralympians: the talent mix driving conversions

Dick’s is not hunting for household names. Eligible applicants range from store associates and coaches to NIL athletes, Paralympians and athletes’ family members. NIL – Name, Image and Likeness – refers to the right of college athletes in the US to earn commercial income from their personal brand, a practice that became legally permissible following a landmark 2021 Supreme Court ruling.

The decision effectively created a new tier of commercially accessible amateur talent, and programs like Varsity Team sit squarely at the intersection of that shift: structured, paid partnerships with athletes who have genuine audience relationships but limited access to traditional endorsement infrastructure. Geographic diversity is an explicit selection criterion, and candidates must be comfortable filming and editing their own content. 

Captains and programming upgrades

Four athletes have been appointed as Team Captains for 2026, a role that is evolving from a short-term mentorship into a longer-term partnership. Returning captains Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall – Olympic long jump champion and Paralympic sprinter, respectively – are joined by RobertAnthony Cruz, a player for the entertainment baseball team Savannah Bananas and a 2025 Varsity Team member, and Emily Harrigan, a former collegiate soccer player and sports reporter.

Beyond roster size, Dick’s is enhancing programming for 2026 by increasing in-person collaboration opportunities and creator access to events. Members receive a paid content contract, quarterly product “Trend Boxes” from partner brands, early access to product launches, mentorship through the retailer’s influencer agency Fohr, and an all-expenses-paid orientation in Tampa, Florida. In 2026, Dick’s is also targeting more footwear-, soccer- and running-focused content to match category demand.

Authenticity as competitive strategy

Dick’s is betting that first-person storytelling from niche athletes can outperform traditional influencer campaigns. Mark Rooks, Vice President of Creative, Sponsorship & Entertainment at Dick’s, described the program as an authenticity play: “Today’s creator economy is driven by authenticity, and the DICK’S Varsity Team has quickly become a defining space for athletes and creators to bring their passion for sport to life through real, first-person storytelling.”

Dick’s maintains a parallel, broader influencer program – working with hundreds of creators for seasonal campaigns and local store events – but Varsity Team serves as the retailer’s primary and most consistent creator resource. The program is also the first to be activated for cultural moment marketing, including WNBA Live and the Chicago Marathon.