Does Academy Sports + Outdoors pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Academy Sports + Outdoors employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.0 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Academy Sports + Outdoors. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Academy Sports + Outdoors?

50% of Academy Sports + Outdoors employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Academy Sports + Outdoors 3.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.1 for culture and values and 2.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Academy Sports + Outdoors?

Sales Associate (469) , Cashier (278) , Footwear Sales Associate (158) , Team Lead (154) , Apparel Sales Associate (120) , Retail Sales Associate (116) , Sales Associate/Cashier (97) , Team Sports Sales Associate (85) , Cashier Team Lead (75) , Manager (58) , Asset Protection Associate (55) , Customer Service Representative (52) , Associate (47) , Hunting/Fishing Associate (47) , Customer Service Cashier (46)

What are the pros of working at Academy Sports + Outdoors according to real employee reviews?

"Great people and Co" ((in 280 reviews)); "Great coworkers and somewhat relaxing job." ((in 181 reviews)); "flexible hours and great for college students" ((in 165 reviews)); "Good benefits and company discounts." ((in 161 reviews)); "Flexible Scheduling...usually okay with anything as long as you can work on the weekends." ((in 104 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Academy Sports + Outdoors according to real employee reviews?

"Poor management that is power hungry and more worried about control over their employees than achieving goals." ((in 458 reviews)); "Low pay and company should consider providing job rotation for whoever wants to take the challenge for career growth/talent acquisition" ((in 336 reviews)); "not too many hours public business now some managers are bad" ((in 217 reviews)); "favoritism is rampant and awful" ((in 76 reviews)); "No training at all or enough associates" ((in 53 reviews))

What are employees saying about Academy Sports + Outdoors layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Academy Sports + Outdoors layoffs and their outlook for job security at Academy Sports + Outdoors in 2026.

Academy Sports + Outdoors reviews

3.3

50% would recommend to a friend

(5,058 total reviews)

Steven P. Lawrence

49% approve of CEO

38% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Academy Sports + Outdoors has an employee rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars, based on 5,058 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Academy Sports + Outdoors employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Ventas al mayoreo y al menudeo industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

5K reviews

4.0

Jun 4, 2014

So far so good

Associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Friendly and relaxed working environment. Always someone willing to go out of their way to help you learn how to perform your job to the highest standard. You get back what you put in, if you go to work everyday and give 100% effort you will move up the chain of command quickly and will be more respected by Management. 20% employee discount. Access to the 3.5 website with unbelievable discounts. Pays Tuition. Everyone is held to the same standard and everyone has the same opportunity to grow.

Cons

From what I hear the pay is below what competitors pay similar positions. Are expected to stay after scheduled hours commonly. Basically impossible to get off to get off between October and end of December (even if you have vacation hours).

3.0

Jun 4, 2014

Associate

Sales associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Starting pay was a little above average

Cons

Supervisors behaved as if they'd never seen the inside of a high school

3.0

Jun 1, 2014

8 years of my life and im exhausted

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Life long friends, 20% discount(which needs to go back to 25% or even 30%). The knowledge you learn from being around all the departments.

Cons

The company does not care about their employees. Only money. When you close at 10pm and then clean up till after midnight then having to come back the next day at 7 am is ridiculous. The hours need to go back to the way they were when I first started working there. Sun 10-7 and Mon-Sat 9-9. I basically eat, sleep, and go everywhere in my academy uniform and never have time for anything else. Our customers will understand if we cut the hours back because the only ones that come in the store from 9pm-10pm are thieves anyways.

Viewing 4735 - 4737 of 5,058 Reviews

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