Dick’s House Of Sport: Is It Worth The Hype?
Sometimes in life, you have to pivot and adjust the game plan just like you do on the field. This is how I ended a visit to the new Dick’s House of Sport in Boston recently.
What was supposed to be our belated family Father’s Day outing to the beach, suddenly became a day completely opposite from beach vibes. A day (and commute) into the city.
We had one weekend date circled on the calendar. With four kids in sports, camps, and performing arts, it’s increasingly hard to find a day where we all have nothing scheduled. This past weekend was that rare occasion. Father’s Day this year fell on a lacrosse tournament requiring a lot of travel, so we couldn’t all be together. No problem, we’ll just postpone our few hours together and make it our day.
Well, our circled day decided to get all New England on us and it was a cool, windy, high of 70, and cloudy day. Not exactly “a day at the beach” for kids or adults, any way you slice it.
Enter Dick’s House Of Sport
My kids have been asking to go to this new mega sports store since they learned of it. My oldest suggested going there since instead of the beach, and we did not have a reason to say no. Given it would require the bulk of the day to get in and out of the city, an entire free day was needed.
In Boston, the Dick’s House of Sport is perfectly placed among the hustle and bustle of Boylston Street, right in a heavy traffic route by the Copley Mall. You can’t miss this stadium-looking structure that seems jammed into the middle of the block.
We spent two hours there, and did not buy one thing. Still, everyone had a blast. We immediately saw the rock climbing wall upon entering. Then, upstairs was the batting cage, hockey net, golf simulator.
Although I admit each of these attractions was much smaller than I thought, they still served a purpose. In order for them to maximize the sporting experience, the attractions needed to be placed within their appropriate sports section. Meaning that the batting cage is obviously where the bats and gloves are.
The point of Dick’s House of Sport is not to make a Dave and Buster’s style arcade. If that were the case all of these interactive spots would be together on the floor or designated area. Instead, they are meant to help the serious athlete.
You’re not sure what bat to buy? Well, try them all and figure out which one feels best.
Although those activities were cool, my favorite elements were the little touches. For example, in the hockey section, a full hockey locker is set up for fans to sit on and try on the gear they need. As a sneakerhead consistently amazed by the footwear options available to youth athletes, I found the House of Cleats section incredible. It’s a full dome-shaped area filled with every flashy cleat available for all sports.
Then, unlike every typical Dick’s Sporting Goods store, House of Sport has a full inventory of equipment, like football helmets of different varieties.
Upon exiting, we discussed the experience and quickly realized it was unique. We didn’t go there to play video games, and we didn’t go there seeking a out piece of gear. We just went for the love of sports, and that seemed perfectly okay.