Academy Gives Back Across its Footprint this Christmas Season

KATY, TEXAS (December 22, 2021) – Academy, Ltd. d/b/a Academy Sports + Outdoors ("Academy") announces it donated over $400,000 to its local communities this holiday season. Academy activated more than 75 grassroots events in its footprint and surprised hundreds of shoppers through its “Traveling Santa” initiative at each of its 259 stores throughout December.

“The Christmas season is a unique opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to local communities in need.” said Lawrence Lobpries, SVP of Marketing, Academy Sports + Outdoors.  “We hope these events and donations remind people within our communities to have fun out there and enjoy the presence of their loved ones during the holidays.”

Through the “Traveling Santa” initiative, Academy identified individuals and families doing their holiday shopping in-store at their local Academy and surprised them by helping pay for their holiday gifts.

The grassroots events included in-store shopping sprees, bike donations and other giveback initiatives in 50 cities across Academy’s footprint. The events focused on giving back to first responders and children by donating to local chapters of the National Police Athletic League, Boys & Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters and additional non-profits which aid community members.

To amplify the holiday cheer, Academy partnered with the Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation, the San Antonio Spurs and Austin FC in addition to various Minor League Baseball teams and professional soccer clubs. Each of these groups helped Academy surprise local families and interact with the children to continue to inspire the next generation of athletes.

Academy Sports + Outdoors is excited to help make this holiday season fun and full of joy for everyone. To see store hours, keep up to date with the latest deals and learn more about Academy’s commitment to giving back to its communities, visit Academy.com. 

About Academy Sports + Outdoors
Academy is a leading full-line sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer in the United States. Originally founded in 1938 as a family business in Texas, Academy has grown to 259 stores across 16 contiguous states. Academy's mission is to provide "Fun for All" and Academy fulfills this mission with a localized merchandising strategy and value proposition that strongly connects with a broad range of consumers. Academy's product assortment focuses on key categories of outdoor, apparel, footwear and sports & recreation through both leading national brands and a portfolio of 19 private label brands, which go well beyond traditional sporting goods and apparel offerings. For more information, visit www.Academy.com.

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PRESS RELEASE
DRAFT
Allan Rojas
Communications Director
281-253-3354 (cell)
allan.rojas@academy.com