Selection

Dick’s- Dick’s has a plentiful selection for every sport. From golf to hunting to football, you can find it here. One thing that stands out at Dick’s is the quality of products that are offered. The top of the line from name brands (Nike, Under Armor, etc.) can be found here. The best part about Dick’s is that when football, basketball or baseball season comes around they expand their inventory on those products to give you everything you could need for those three sports. Another glaring difference is that Dick’s has the largest and nicest selection of shoes and cleats.

Sports Authority- Sports Authority has equipment for each sport in their store, but don’t have as many options as Dick’s. They have all the name brands too, but once again they don’t have quite as many options. Also, Sports Authority lacks a seasonal rotation of their sports selections. Sports Authority has a great selection of tennis shoes and running shoes, but is pretty far behind in the cleat department.

Academy Sports- Academy Sports is right in between the two other stores. It approaches the amount of choices that Dick’s has, but the quality is a little lower. The shoe and cleat selection here is very similar to Sports Authority. Also, similar to Sports Authority their selection for sports does not rotate with the seasons.

Winner: Dick’s wins this portion of the comparison. The biggest and highest quality selection makes it hard to argue against.

Service

Dick’s- No matter the time of year Dick’s always has plenty of help. Not only is there help at the check-out counters, but also throughout the store to help you find what you’re looking for.

Sports Authority- Sports Authority is rather light on workers. The workers that are there are very knowledgeable and helpful, but during the holiday season  when there is a large influx of shoppers it can be very tough to find help here.

Academy Sports- Since Academy Sports opened in August they have not been short on help at all. But, the store is new to the area, so it’s hard to say how they will handle the holiday season. If the past four months are a sign of what is to come Academy Sports should do just fine.

Winner- It is a tie between Academy Sports and Dick’s. There is always help at either store, so they have a clear advantage over Sports Authority.

Price

Dick’s- You can find the top of line products at Dick’s, so with that comes the the highest prices. In addition to that, the normal coupons for Dick’s are not always very helpful. Many of the most expensive products (Nike Pro Combat and North Face are the most notable) can’t be bought with a coupon.

Sports Authority- Sports Authority has fairly cheap prices, and this is especially true for their shoe and cleat department. Sports Authority also has great coupons. In the Sunday ads you can find coupons for $10 off of a $50 purchase and $25 off a $100 purchase . These coupons also come with very few restrictions.

Academy Sports- Similar to how Academy Sports is in between Dick’s and Sports Authority with their selection, they are also in between with their prices. Academy Sports does not offer as many coupons as either of the two other stores.

Winner- Sports Authority is the clear winner in this category. Their low prices combined with the amount of coupons they give out put them very far ahead.

Overall

Dick’s is the winner. Their selection is the greatest, and their prices, though higher, match the quality of the products. Sports Authority is the runner-up. They have a smaller selection, but the lower prices and coupons make it a great second choice. Academy Sports falls into last place because they their selection is not as large as Dick’s and Sports Authority has lower prices and more coupons.