Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation

What Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation does

Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation is a traditional omnichannel sporting goods retailer founded in 1955 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company operates 414 retail stores concentrated in the western United States, complemented by an e-commerce storefront at big5sportinggoods.com. Its merchandising spans approximately a dozen categories — footwear, apparel, fitness equipment, outdoors/camping, water sports, cycling, airguns, fishing, hunting, knives, team sports (baseball, basketball, soccer, football, racquet sports), golf, archery, and games/toys — carrying name-brand product across athletic, outdoor recreation, and team sports use cases. Customers are individual general consumers seeking convenience, broad selection, and promotional pricing; the company supports them with weekly print and digital ads, an E-Team email loyalty program, and a separate in-store League Loyalty program for team sports purchasers.

The business model is straightforward unit-based retail: revenue is generated one-time at point of sale across both physical stores and the e-commerce site, with pricing ranging from roughly $10 for basic apparel up to $200+ for premium footwear and outdoor equipment. Free shipping is offered on e-commerce orders over $50. The company uses a multi-channel marketing approach including weekly ads, email, social media (Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube), and its own e-commerce platform. There is no disclosed proprietary technology, no AI/ML capability, no app, and no API — it is a classic buy-and-resell name-brand retailer whose competitive positioning rests on store density, breadth of assortment, and promotional pricing rather than on technology differentiation. Distribution is limited to domestic U.S. shipping, with explicit exclusion of international, APO, and FPO addresses.

Following a multi-year revenue decline from approximately $1.16B in 2021 to roughly $795M in 2024 and a swing to negative EBITDA (approximately –$37M) and operating loss (approximately –$56M) in 2024, Big 5 was acquired on October 2, 2025 by a partnership of Worldwide Golf and Capitol Hill Group for $112.7M in an all-cash take-private transaction. Shareholders received $1.45 per share, the company was delisted from Nasdaq, and it now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary within the Capitol Hill Group portfolio. The acquirers stated intent is to provide long-term capital and strategic support to re-energize growth, framing the transaction as a defensive restructuring response to financial underperformance. Post-transaction, the company has 1,001–5,000 employees and continues to operate its full 414-store western-US footprint alongside the e-commerce site.

Name

Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation

Legal name

Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation

Website

https://big5sportinggoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Big 5 Sporting Goods is a 414-store western U.S. sporting goods retailer (founded 1955, El Segundo, CA) selling name-brand footwear, apparel, fitness, outdoor, hunting, fishing, and team sports products to general consumers via physical stores and e-commerce, and since October 2025 operating as a private subsidiary of Capitol Hill Group following a $112.7M take-private acquisition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sporting Goods Retail

NAICS

Sporting Goods Retailers (45911)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Line Sporting Goods Superstores (CRAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Team Sports Equipment & Uniforms Retail (CRAMABAE)

Keywords

• Sporting goods retail
• Athletic footwear sales
• Outdoor recreation equipment
• Team sports gear
• Fitness equipment retail

Headquarters

HQ city

El Segundo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales: Revenue generated through the sale of sporting goods, footwear, apparel, outdoor equipment, and related products across physical retail stores and e-commerce platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Big 5 Sporting Goods is a traditional omnichannel sporting goods retailer that sells name-brand athletic footwear, apparel, fitness equipment, outdoor and camping gear, water sports equipment, bicycles, fishing and hunting gear, team sports equipment, golf, and games/toys. The company distributes through 414 physical retail stores across the western United States and an e-commerce website (big5sportinggoods.com), supported by loyalty programs (E-Team email and League Loyalty in-store) and gift cards.

Product overview

Big 5 Sporting Goods is a traditional omnichannel sporting goods retailer offering a broad portfolio of physical products organized into core categories: footwear (athletic shoes, boots, sandals, cleats), apparel (athletic wear, casual clothing, performance apparel, fan gear), fitness equipment (cardio machines, weights, boxing/MMA gear), outdoors/camping gear (tents, sleeping bags, coolers), water/swimming equipment, bicycles/cycling, fishing/hunting gear, knives/tools, team sports equipment, golf, and games/toys. The company operates both an e-commerce platform (big5sportinggoods.com) and physical retail stores, offering loyalty programs (E-Team email program and in-store League Loyalty) and gift cards. The company was acquired in 2025 and now operates as a privately held subsidiary of Capitol Hill Group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Footwear Athletic shoes, boots, sandals, slides, and cleats for men, women, and youth across sports including running, hiking, basketball, soccer, football, baseball, golf, wrestling, and casual wear, sold through retail stores and the e-commerce site.
• Apparel Athletic and casual clothing including shirts, pants, shorts, hoodies, jackets, swimwear, performance apparel, sport bras, fan gear, hats, socks, and sport-specific apparel for men, women, and youth.
• Fitness Equipment Cardio fitness machines, weights, benches, resistance and strength training equipment, boxing and mixed martial arts gear, yoga and massage accessories, and toning and agility training accessories.
• Outdoors & Camping Gear Camping and hiking gear including tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, stoves, grills, coolers, lanterns, flashlights, first aid supplies, canopies, shelters, tables, chairs, and outdoor electronics.
• Water/Swimming Equipment Pool toys, inflatables, swimming gear, boats, kayaks, snorkeling equipment, life jackets, wetsuits, towables, wakeboards, and water sport boards.
• Bicycles & Cycling Bicycles, bike accessories, helmets, protective gear, bike maintenance and repair tools, and cycling apparel.
• Team Sports Equipment Baseball and softball gear including bats, gloves, helmets, cleats, protective gear and training aids; soccer, basketball, and football equipment; and racquet sports gear for tennis, racquetball, badminton, and pickleball.
• Fishing Gear Fishing rods, reels, combos, tackle boxes, bait, boats, kayaks, and fishing apparel.
• Hunting Gear Ammunition, optics, hunting boots, hunting apparel, gun maintenance products, targets, decoys, and hunting accessories.
• Airguns & Archery Airguns, airsoft and paintball guns, BB and pellet guns, airgun accessories, BBs and pellets, paintball accessories, and archery equipment including bows, arrows, and accessories.
• Golf Equipment Golf equipment, apparel, and accessories.
• Games & Toys Outdoor and lawn games, table tennis, billiards, darts, toys, remote control vehicles, trampolines, flying discs, frisbees, skateboards, roller skates, inline skates, and scooters.
• Knives & Tools Folding knives, fixed blade knives, machetes, axes, throwing knives, and multi-tools for outdoor and tactical use.
• E-Team Loyalty Program Email-based loyalty program offering exclusive promotions, coupons, and weekly ads to subscribed members across both online and in-store channels.
• League Loyalty Program In-store loyalty program targeting team sports purchases such as baseball, softball, soccer, football, and basketball, available only at physical store locations.
• Big 5 Gift Cards Big 5 Sporting Goods gift cards available for purchase online and in-store, redeemable across the product catalog.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Bass Pro Shops: Largest US specialty retailer of hunting, fishing, camping, and outdoor recreation products with destination-sized stores. Highly comparable in hunting, fishing, and outdoor category overlap with Big 5 but operates at a much larger format and scale, and now owns Cabela's.
• Cabela's: National outdoor recreation retailer specializing in hunting, fishing, and camping gear, now owned by Bass Pro. Overlaps with Big 5's hunting/fishing/outdoor assortment and serves a similar customer demographic at national scale.

Emerging players

• Decathlon: Global sporting goods retailer (France-headquartered) with a vertically integrated private-label model and growing US store presence. Comparable broad multi-sport assortment at value price points; while still building US scale, it represents an emerging competitive threat to value-positioned US sporting goods retailers like Big 5.

Direct peers

• Academy Sports + Outdoors: Mid-tier US sporting goods retailer with a comparable broad assortment across hunting, fishing, fitness, apparel, footwear, and team sports. Closest like-for-like competitor to Big 5 in scale, category breadth, and target customer (value-oriented outdoor and sports consumer), though focused on the South and Southeast rather than the West.
• Sportsman's Warehouse: Specialty sporting goods retailer focused on hunting, fishing, camping, and outdoor recreation with a national store footprint. Highly comparable in store-format and category mix to Big 5's hunting/fishing/outdoor assortment, though with deeper category specialization and smaller footprint.
• Hibbett Sports: Regional sporting goods retailer (now owned by JD Sports) with stores across the central and southeastern US. Comparable in store size, category breadth, and target demographic to Big 5 — both serve as value-positioned multi-category sporting goods retailers with strong team-sports exposure.
• Modell's Sporting Goods: Former regional sporting goods chain (East Coast) that operated a comparable broad-assortment, multi-category sporting goods model before its 2020 liquidation. Conceptually one of the closest historical comparables to Big 5's full-line, value-positioned sporting goods retail format.
• Dick's Sporting Goods: Largest US sporting goods retailer with a broad multi-category assortment and national footprint. Operates its own e-commerce platform, House of Sport stores, and specialty banners (Golf Galaxy, Public Lands) — the most directly comparable competitor to Big 5's full-line sporting goods model, but at significantly larger scale.
• REI: Consumer cooperative operating a national chain of large-format outdoor and sporting goods stores plus a leading e-commerce platform. Comparable in assortment overlap (outdoors, fitness, cycling, apparel) and store-format scale, though differentiated by membership model and outdoor-recreation focus.

Regional players

• Scheels: Privately held, family-operated sporting goods chain with superstore-format stores concentrated in the Midwest and Mountain West. Comparable in large-format, broad-assortment sporting goods retail model and overlaps geographically with portions of Big 5's western US territory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/big5since55
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@big5corp
• Facebookfacebook.com/Big5SportingGoods
• Instagraminstagram.com/big5
• Pinterestpinterest.com/big5since55

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation