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The Best Sporting Goods Stores

Where Can You Find the Best Sporting Goods?

Regardless of the sport you're into, all of them require some sort of gear in order to participate. You're into running? You need good shoes. You like football? You'll have to get a good helmet. Your friends invited you to play pickleball? Go find some good paddles! Trying yoga? Buy a good mat. You want to be a tennis player? You get the idea.

Some sports are more common and easy to find equipment for - like soccer, football, and baseball. As newly-created sports like spike ball or pickleball become popular, it might be harder to find what you need to play. Ideally you'll want to know what sporting goods store will keep up with the latest trends in sporting equipment function and design.

Thursday, September 28th

2023 Sporting Goods Store Reviews

Scheels Review Top Consumer Reviews Best-In-Class Blue Ribbon Award 5 Star Rating

Scheels

5 Star Rating Top Consumer Reviews Best-In-Class Blue Ribbon Award

Scheels is not only known for their wide range of sporting goods that cater to every age group, but also their arcade games, ferris wheels, and aquariums found in their brick-and-mortar stores. Scheels is dedicated to making shopping fun, easy, and affordable, which is why they have earned our highest rating for sporting goods stores.

Anthem Sports Review 4.5 Star Rating

Anthem Sports

4.5 Star Rating

Anthem Sports is a family-owned sporting goods store based out of Connecticut. They sell just about every type of accessory you would need for commonly-played sports like baseball, football, and soccer. They carry name-brand items, but have a variety of options in a big price range to meet all budgets. Not only do they cater to athletes, but also to coaches, families, and large sports entities.

Dick's Sporting Goods Review 3.5 Star Rating

Dick's Sporting Goods

3.5 Star Rating

From climbing to hunting to football to yard games, Dick's Sporting Goods takes the cake as far as having all the sporting gear you can imagine. They don't just carry equipment that you'd think of for traditional sporting needs: they basically carry everything to do with any physical indoor or outdoor hobbies. We wanted to give DICK'S Sporting Goods one of our highest ratings for these reasons, but we're a little concerned by the amount of customer complaints.

Paragon Sports Review 3 Star Rating

Paragon Sports

3 Star Rating

Paragon Sports caters to customers who want to look good while playing their sport. Their inventory is more about high-end apparel than gear. For example, if you're looking for fancy cleats, warm-up sweats, and a nice gym bag to play football, Paragon Sports will have it. If you are just wanting to buy a specific football, your best bet is to look somewhere else.

E Sports Online Review 3 Star Rating

E Sports Online

3 Star Rating

eSports Online has a seemingly endless number of sports categories, but a slim selection of products within each category. From the products available, it is obvious that this online sporting goods store caters primarily to the needs of children and young teenagers. Although some adult sports gear is available here, it would probably not be most people's first choice due to the limited selection.

Dunham's Sports Review 2.5 Star Rating

Dunham's Sports

2.5 Star Rating

Dunham's Sports is a sporting goods retail chain with over 240 brick-and-mortar locations as well as an online store. Although they carry many products that relate to a wide variety of hobbies, their selection of accessories within each sports category is more limited than their competitors.

Online Sports Review 2 Star Rating

Online Sports

2 Star Rating

Online Sports proudly advertises that they supply over 150,000 sports products. Their focus is more on team sports than individual outdoor hobbies like climbing, camping, biking, or yoga. Some of their selection is very random and their photos appear outdated. Sorting through the random product makes it a bit harder to find exactly what you're looking for, putting this sporting goods retailer at the bottom of our rankings.

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Continued from above...

Equipment isn't the only thing you might be looking for to participate in your sport. A store's selection of apparel, accessories, and even energy-boosting foods should be taken into consideration. When you're looking for high quality gear, it can be frustrating if you can't find everything you're looking for at one store. Finding a store that has "thought of everything" when it comes to equipment for a wide range of sports is important.

Before jumping online or heading out to make a sports-related purchase, we suggest you keep the following criteria in mind when choosing a sporting goods retailer:

  • Cost/Value. You'll want gear that can take a beating and maintain both quality and safety. This means you might be spending a bit more for a good product, but don't get ripped off by thinking you need to pay sky-high prices. There is almost always an affordable product that is functional and long-lasting, even if it isn't the flashiest product or made with extra special materials.
  • Return Policy. What if your baseball bat breaks? Or the soles of your new running shoes come unglued? Not cool. Make sure you understand if the retailer allows you to return any products whether they are defective or you change your mind about your purchase.
  • Selection. Find a store that is thorough with their inventory for the sports you're interested in. You should be able to buy your gear there, as well as apparel and any accessories you might need. There are also lots of designs for all sporting equipment, so you'll want to have a lot to choose from!

TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed and ranked the best Sporting Goods Stores available today. We hope this information helps you find all the gear you need to be at the top of your game!

The Best Sporting Goods Stores Compare Sporting Goods Stores Compare Sporting Goods Store Reviews What are the best Sporting Goods Stores Best Sporting Goods Store Reviews

Sporting Goods Store FAQ

That's easy: if you need it to play or practice a sport, it's considered "sporting goods" ! Think of it as all the equipment involved in activities like baseball, lacrosse, or even yoga, from bats and balls to protective gear and uniforms.
Selection, availability and pricing. You'll have a hard time finding a local retailer that can beat online stores in all three of those aspects. Especially at the peak of the season, when inventory near you is at an all-time low, shopping online makes it easy to get what you need.
Choose a store that has what you need in stock and that has a great reputation for quality and customer service. You can also look for customer-friendly perks like a rewards program, free shipping, or frequent promotions and discounts. You may want to consider buying from a retailer that has a brick-and-mortar store near you, for simple returns and the ability to order online and get same-day pickup.
Many stores will give you free shipping on orders that meet a minimum amount (like $50). Given how spendy sporting goods can be, you should be able to qualify with most purchases.
If you're in a rush, you might have the option of paying for expedited shipping to get next-day or 2-day delivery. Otherwise, expect your order to take about a week to arrive.
Most online sporting goods stores offer a 30-day return policy on new, unused items. Some retailers go the extra mile and let you return your purchase with no time limit, as long as you have the receipt. Be aware that returns may incur a restocking fee and/or shipping fees to send the items back to the store.
Yes! Some sporting goods stores will give you a generous discount if you're buying equipment for a team. Look for that information in the links at the bottom of the retailers' websites, or reach out to their customer service team before placing an order.
Sometimes. You can usually see those options after you add an item to your cart (e.g. monogramming), or you may need to work with a customer service rep to place a manual order (e.g. putting team logos on shirts).
The Best Reviews of Sporting Goods Stores