Which American sporting goods retailer was founded in 1948 in Binghamton, New York?

Which American sporting goods retailer was founded in 1948 in Binghamton, New York? The answer is Dick's Sporting Goods.

Richard “Dick” Stack started the business as a fishing-tackle store in Binghamton in 1948. He reportedly financed the venture with a $300 loan from his grandmother, establishing the small local shop that eventually became a national sporting-goods chain.

The company remained family-controlled for decades. Stack’s son, Edward W. Stack, and his siblings bought the business in the early 1980s, when it had only two Upstate New York locations. Edward Stack then expanded the store base and led the company through its 2002 initial public offering.

A common mix-up is confusing Dick’s with Academy Sports, Modell’s, or the former Sports Authority. Dick’s began in New York as a fishing-tackle retailer, even though its modern stores sell a much broader range of equipment, apparel, footwear, and outdoor goods.