• by Sarah Mahoney , November 6, 2025

Retired quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick takes on the role of a snarky Santa Claus for Dick’s Sporting Goods this holiday season. In ads themed “Santa’s Scouting Report,” Fitzpatrick puts his famous beard to work, delivering blunt performance reviews.

He’s tossing out gifts and compliments to WNBA star Paige Bueckers, with a “Swishmas came early this year” gift. He’s commending golfer Bryson Chambeau, famous for his on-course brattiness, for keeping his cool. And despite some questionable behavior from Dallas Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb, Fitzpatrick can’t help but love the receiver’s routes. But poor Draymond Green, known for his many game ejections? Santa’s got nothin’ for the Golden State Warriors forward: “Maybe next year, Mr. Green,” Fitzpatrick tells him.

"We took a holiday classic, the naughty or nice list, and turned it into a sports moment," said Melissa Christian, Dick’s vice president of brand building, in the release. "Paige, Bryson, CeeDee and Draymond humorously captured the joy and disappointment of making or missing Santa's 'nice' list based on their standout moments that thrilled sports fans this year. As our customers, whom we call athletes, look for their own perfect gifts this year, we hope they'll reflect on what they are most proud of and what they can do next to level up their game."

Dick’s, which made the spots in partnership with Bolded, OBB Media’s branded content studio, says the effort includes a full-length spot with 15-second cutdowns, running on streaming, social and Dick’s channels, as well as local TV.

The Pittsburgh-based retailer is still in the midst of digesting Foot Locker, the $2.4 billion acquisition it completed earlier this fall -- a move that sparked plenty of skepticism when it was first announced. But some analysts continue to be encouraged by the prospect.  Brian Nagle, who follows Dick’s for Oppenheimer, thinks the merger will “prove successful, particularly amid ongoing macro challenges,” he wrote in a recent note.

Dick’s continues to top sales expectations, he adds, with “no clear signs of consumer weakness,” noting that shoppers seem to be taking tariff-driven price increases mostly in stride.

And while other retailers shrink stores and pare back real estate, Dick’s is betting big on experience and square footage. It keeps expanding its House of Sport footprint, opening sprawling stores of up to 150,000 square feet that feature experiential components like climbing walls, batting cages, golf simulators and fields that turn into winter ice rinks. In a recent interview with CNBC, executive chairman Ed Stack described House of Sport as  “wildly successful,”  with each location generating about $35 million in annual sales. The company expects to have 35 open by year end, and as many as 100 by 2027.