DICK’S Sporting Goods recently launched its “Sports Matter” program and engaged customers via Twitter to raise awareness and funds for youth sports across the country.
For posting tweets about the program, customers have a chance to receive one of the many gift cards set aside to thank people for helping to spread the message. People can tweet about personal anecdotes about their experiences playing sports as a youth if they wish.
DICK’S Sporting Goods and The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation announced a $25 million multi-year commitment to support youth athletic programs, including donations to local sports teams and the launch of the DICK’S Foundation’s “Sports Matter” initiative.
The Sports Matter program aims to address the growing issue of underfunded youth athletics nationwide through an extensive public awareness campaign and a new proprietary crowd-funding platform in which the DICK’S Foundation will match community donations to award up to $2 million in grants to disbanded or financially challenged youth sports teams.
Ryan Eckel, Vice President of Brand Marketing at DICK’S Sporting Goods, told Loyalty360 why DICK’S developed the “Sports Matter” program.
“The data is alarming: billions have been cut from youth sports programs in recent years and many kids can’t afford to play,” Eckel explained. “A recent study says if the trend continues, 27% of U.S. public schools will not offer interscholastic sports programs by 2020. Youth sports are nearly perfect as a strategy to create a better world. Kids love to play and participation teaches them essential lifelong values−teamwork, setting and reaching goals, perseverance, managing adversity, budgeting time, building confidence, and giving back. This is why supporting youth sports should be a bedrock of American community life.”
Youth sports, Eckel added, teach essential lifelong values that reach well beyond the court or playing field. He said the company is accepting applications now and encourage participation from teams K-12 affiliated with a school, non-profit or league with 501(c)3 status that have been eliminated, at risk of elimination, or never able to form because of financial limitations.
Applications are due by March 21. Teams accepted in the program will be given guidance and resources to help them raise half the money to keep them in operation for one year. Once their goal is reached, The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation will match the funds dollar for dollar.
To maximize awareness of this issue, the Sports Matter campaign includes national brand spots, print and digital creative, large scale grass roots efforts, a social media push, SXSW launch event and the documentary ‘We Could Be King’, produced in partnership with Tribeca Digital Studios that will premiere in April during the Tribeca Film Festival and then make its TV debut on April 26 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
“DICK’S is tackling this issue with a widespread awareness campaign to encourage people to rally around youth sports in their communities,” Eckel said. “We want people to be aware of the issue, spread the word and be compelled to do something about it. As a large national brand, we are active in communities throughout the country and see first-hand the effects this issue is having on children and teams. This campaign is a natural fit for our brand and is an issue our company genuinely feels good about tackling.”
Eckel said this campaign is just the beginning.
“We want to raise awareness and promote a national conversation about this issue,” he explained. “Ultimately, we want to help as many kids play sports as we can have the opportunity to because of the valuable life lessons it teaches.”