Month: February 2025

Originally published on DICK’S Sporting Goods Sideline Report

TOGETHER, WE CHANGE LIVES

The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation is proud to present the latest edition of our quarterly giving series, celebrating the 10th anniversary of our Sports Matter Program and shining a light on all of the incredible efforts in 2024 to fuel our mission of empowering young athletes and making sports accessible to all!

Read on to learn more.

Where Are They Now: Anchorage Girls Hockey

To celebrate The DICK’S Foundation’s 10th anniversary, we returned with Sports Matter Grants to three youth sports organizations we first visited a decade ago: Harlem Lacrosse, MLK High School Football and most recently, Anchorage Girls Hockey.

After learning that the Anchorage School District in Alaska would need to drop girls’ hockey to save money in 2015, The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation arrived with a $200,000 Sports Matter Grant and new equipment to keep players on the ice. Almost a decade later, the program and its alums continue changing lives through sport, but the program was in need once again. And once again, The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation delivered.

Watch here as two Anchorage Hockey alums showed up to practice nearly 10 years later and presented the program with a $100,000 Sports Matter Grant and new gear!

Workout Room Refresh

After Sports Matter funded a new indoor turf field in the workout room, The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation returned to McKeesport Area High School, near Pittsburgh, and surprised student athletes with all new equipment donated from Sole Fitness and ETHOS.

“We have a state-of-the-art facility for our students, and we’re thrilled to have such good support from The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation,” said Head Football Coach Matt Miller.

Watch the big reveal here, and read more about The DICK’S Foundation’s partnership with McKeesport Area School District here.

Supporting the Next Generation of Champions

The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation is proud to support fellow partners with a shared belief in the power of sport and recognize the need to help youth athletes and organizations across the country. In 2024, we granted: 
 

– $2 million to support 20 infrastructure initiation projects to create safe spaces for kids to play with LISC. 
– $2 million to provide more than 73,000 pieces of equipment to over 44,000 kids with Good Sports. 
– $2.5 million to Every Kid Sports cover registration fees for youth athletes. 

Spreading Holiday Cheer & Sports Matter Grants

DICK’S Sporting Goods launched a Texas-sized holiday campaign with Texas athletes Simone Biles, Dak Prescott, Chris Paul and Quinn Ewers. The sports icons engaged in some friendly competition by decorating the DICK’S Sporting Goods stores in the Texas cities they call home to earn the title of DICK’S Holiday Decorating Officer.

As part of the campaign, The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation committed to give each athlete a $100,000 Sports Matter Grant to award to the youth sport organization(s) of their choosing*. A few organizations chosen by the athletes were:

– Benfer Elementary (Biles) 
– The Chris Paul Foundation (Paul) 
– The Dak Prescott Football ProCamps (Prescott) 
– Merging Vets & Players (Ewers)

*All organizations must meet certain qualifications to receive a Sports Matter Grant. You can read more about our eligibility criteria here.

Giving Back on Giving Tuesday

We celebrated Giving Tuesday at DICK’S Sporting Goods headquarters with sweepstakes, a 50/50 drawing and limited-edition Sports Matter t-shirts. Corporate teammates raised over $10,000 for The DICK’S Foundation! Teammates also voted on which deserving Pittsburgh organization should receive a $25,000 Sports Matter Grant – Perry Traditional Academy or Jasmine Nyree Campus – but in the spirit of giving, The Foundation granted $25,000 to BOTH organizations!

THESE MOMENTS ARE MADE POSSIBLE BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SPORTS MATTER FUND. IF YOU’D LIKE TO DONATE, VISIT WWW.SPORTSMATTER.ORG. 

International Olympic Committee news

A little over a year from now, Italy will welcome the world to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. This will be the third time that the nation hosts the Olympic Winter Games after Cortina d’Ampezzo in 1956 and Turin in 2006. As the excitement of the one-year countdown begins, Olympic Review takes a look at preparations for the first winter edition of the Games to be fully organised and delivered under Olympic Agenda 2020.

In the pages of the magazine:

In a piece entitled “Breaking new ground on ice and snow”, journalist Brian Pinelli looks at how preparations are progressing and what the world can expect to see a year from now.Cortina resident Bruno Colli, a torch bearer from 1956, reflects on his experience from 70 years ago and how the Games have changed.In “The People of Milano Cortina”, Italian academic and journalist, Mario Nicoliello, looks at how the organisers are engaging with the local communities throughout northern Italy to build excitement and ensure their involvement in what promises to be a nation-wide event.IOC Member and Chair of the Coordination Commission for the XXV Olympic Winter Games, Kristin Kloster, examines how the organisers are leaving their own stamp on the Games.Just as Paris 2024 were the first gender-equal Olympic Games on the field of play, so Milano Cortina 2026 are aiming to become the most gender balanced-edition of the Olympic Winter Games. In a piece on “Closing the Gap on Gender Equality”, Paris 2024’s Marie Barsacq passes the baton to Milano Cortina 2026’s Diana Bianchedi to explain how the organisers are promoting gender equality.

Since no publication in December 2024 would be complete without a retrospective on what has been a remarkable year, Olympic Review also looks back at Paris 2024.

The IOC photographers select their favourite images from the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and explain why they mean so much.Finally, Olympic Review reflects on the role played by the sponsors in delivering the Games and why their partnerships are so important to the success of the event.

These and other articles appear in edition 123 of Olympic Review, which you can find here.

Olympic Review is the IOC’s oldest publication and the official magazine of the Olympic Movement. It is published twice a year in English, French and Spanish. Its content is a mix of opinion pieces and in-depth articles on subjects of interest to the sports movement. To access all the previous editions of the Olympic Review, go to the Olympic World Library website.

Authored by Adrienne Larmett, John A. Rogula

Colleges and universities today face an unprecedented wave of disruptions. Political shifts, executive orders, regulatory changes and evolving federal funding priorities have upended the higher education landscape. The rapid pace of these changes shows no signs of slowing, leaving institutions in a constant state of adaptation. Leaders must grapple with a host of challenges, from changes in immigration policies affecting international student enrollment to funding uncertainties and shifting societal expectations.

Yet, while the challenges are great, so are the opportunities. Institutions that embrace a proactive approach to risk management will be best positioned to navigate uncertainty and emerge stronger. This is where Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) plays a crucial role, providing a framework that not only helps colleges respond to current disruptions but also prepares them for future challenges and opportunities. ERM empowers institutions to shift from reactive to proactive crisis management and to strategic resilience, ensuring that they can adapt to change while staying true to their academic mission.

What is ERM?

Enterprise Risk Management is an organization-wide approach to identifying, assessing, managing, and monitoring risks that could impact or escalate an institution’s ability to achieve its goals. Unlike traditional risk management, which often focuses on specific areas like finance or compliance, ERM takes a holistic view, addressing risks across all facets of the institutional enterprise. This includes financial stability, regulatory compliance, strategic direction, operational excellence, reputational concerns and the broader external environment. ERM fosters a proactive, adaptable culture that anticipates risks, manages them effectively and turns challenges into opportunities.

Higher education at a crossroads

The current higher education landscape is defined by volatility. Consider some of the major disruptions institutions are navigating today:

Federal and State policy shifts: Changes in funding priorities, evolving Title IX regulations and new compliance mandates require institutions to remain constantly vigilant.Campus free speech and Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) debates: Institutions are caught in political and ideological battles over DEI initiatives, campus protests and academic freedom.International student enrollment challenges: Visa policy changes and geopolitical tensions affect the recruitment and retention of international students.Financial pressures: Rising costs, demographic shifts and unpredictable funding streams require institutions to rethink their financial models.Technological and AI disruptions: The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping everything from classroom instruction to administrative processes.

These incidents are not isolated but part of a broader pattern of continuous change. Institutions that prepare for uncertainty through ERM will be better equipped to maintain stability and focus on their core mission of education and research.

How ERM helps colleges and universities navigate disruptions

Recent challenges have shown that colleges and universities need a plan for navigating the unknown. By integrating ERM into their operations, institutions can take a proactive stance in managing risks, ensuring that they’re prepared for future uncertainties. Here’s how ERM can help:

Anticipating emerging risks: Rather than waiting for the next crisis, ERM encourages institutions to regularly assess external trends, whether political, economic or technological—to anticipate risks before they become critical. Institutions can apply ERM to support decision making by assessing risks and the alternative strategic options available in response. Institutions can prepare for funding shifts, new regulations and other emerging challenges with foresight rather than panic by conducting ongoing risk assessments.Building flexible response strategies: ERM is not just about identifying risks, it’s about crafting actionable plans to address and capitalize on them. Institutions need contingency strategies for various scenarios, such as sudden changes in federal research funding or student visa policies. With ERM, leadership teams can create structured response plans that ensure agility, minimize disruption and maximize opportunity.Strengthening campus communication and transparency: Amid upheaval, clear communication with faculty, students and stakeholders is essential. ERM supports the development of crisis communication plans, ensuring that institutional leadership can quickly and transparently address concerns, maintain trust and prevent misinformation from spreading.Ensuring financial stability: With ERM institutions can identify financial vulnerabilities and diversify revenue streams to withstand economic fluctuations. Whether through alternative funding sources, strategic partnerships or smarter budgeting, institutions that implement ERM can better secure their financial future.Fostering a culture of resilience and adaptability: Change is inevitable, but institutions that embrace ERM create a culture that is resilient, proactive and open to innovation. By embedding risk management into daily operations, institutions can strengthen their ability to evolve with confidence and purpose and bring the lens of risk to long-term strategic decisions.

A call to action for institutional leadership

The future environment of higher education is uncertain, but uncertainty does not have to mean instability. Institutions that invest in ERM will not only weather today’s challenges but will also position themselves as leaders in a rapidly changing world. By fostering strategic foresight, proactive risk management and a culture of adaptability, institutions can continue to fulfill their mission of education, research and service—no matter what disruptions arise.

Now is the time for leaders to embrace ERM, ensuring their institutions are not just reactive to change, but prepared for whatever comes next. An ERM health assessment is something you can do now, quickly and at a relatively low cost to get a sense of your exposure going forward. 

With ERM in place, colleges and institutions can face the future with confidence, resilience and a commitment to excellence.

Interested in learning more? Connect with a Baker Tilly specialist.