Dick's House of Sport to open at International Plaza in Tampa
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Oct 3, 2024

Dick's House of Sport, a new concept from Dick's Sporting Goods, will celebrate the opening of its Tampa store on Oct. 11.

The retailer, based in suburban Pittsburgh, has planned a star-studded opening weekend with guest appearances from former Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers lineman Derrick Brooks, gold medalist swimmer Caeleb Dressel and Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Dick's representatives did not respond to questions Wednesday about when its location at WestShore Plaza, a traditional Dick's Sporting Goods store, will close. Its International Plaza location was previously home to Life Time Fitness, which vacated its mall real estate to take over the former Harbour Island Athletic Club.

Dick's House of Sport will occupy over 100,000 square feet at International Plaza and brings far more to the mall than a traditional retail option. The House of Sport also offers rock climbing, golf simulation bays and multisport cages where customers can try out gear for baseball, softball, lacrosse and soccer.

Dick's departure from WestShore Plaza will be a blow to that mall, though it could be a long-term positive move for mall owner WPG, a privately held real estate investment trust. WPG has a 3.5-million-square-foot mixed-use redevelopment vision for WestShore Plaza, and Dick's vacant real estate only expands the potential redevelopment site.