Dick’s Sporting Goods is tapping former NFL star J.J. Watt to help launch a new virtual concept.

The retailer is debuting a virtual version of its House of Sport (HOS) concept store on Dicks.com. Through this venture, consumers will be able to experience the store online while an avatar of Watt serves as their tour guide.

Watt, who has been a HOS brand ambassador since March 2024, guides consumers through the virtual store, while highlighting all of the unique elements of the shop including the climbing wall, the golf pro shop with TrackMan simulators, the HitTrax multi-sport cages that can be used for baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse and hockey, the Field and more.

Watt said in a statement that he loves that consumers can now experience the retail concept without stepping into the physical store. “Imagine being able to explore every facet of the ultimate destination for sports from anywhere,” Watt said. It’s a real game changer and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”

To bring this experience to life, Dick’s Sporting Goods’ e-commerce, visual and marketing teams partnered with Napster to bring a 100,000-square-foot brick-and-mortar store into an online experience.

Denise Karkos, senior vice president and chief e-commerce officer at Dick’s Sporting Goods, added the idea for virtual HOS came about two years ago to build awareness to the HOS concept. Now, it’s grown into a true extension of the physical store.

“By featuring our elevated product assortment, showcasing our in-store experiences and incorporating elements like J.J.’s presence, we’re creating a consistent and engaging brand experience that extends beyond our physical locations,” Karkos said.

This launch comes one day after Dick’s Sporting Goods announced it had completed the $2.4 billion acquisition of Foot Locker. As a combined company, Dick’s will now operate more than 3,200 stores plus e-commerce and digital businesses across 20 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, plus a licensed store presence in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

The transaction is expected to deliver between $100 million to $125 million in cost synergies in the medium term, primarily through procurement and direct sourcing efficiencies, and Dick’s anticipates the transaction to be accretive to earnings per share in fiscal year 2026.