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 278 reviews)); "Great coworkers and somewhat relaxing job." ((in 195 reviews)); "Good benefits and advantages for employees." ((in 164 reviews)); "flexible hours and great for college students" ((in 152 reviews)); "Flexible Scheduling...usually okay with anything as long as you can work on the weekends." ((in 99 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 469 reviews)); "Low pay and company should consider providing job rotation for whoever wants to take the challenge for career growth/talent acquisition" ((in 332 reviews)); "not too many hours public business now some managers are bad" ((in 212 reviews)); "favoritism is rampant and awful" ((in 78 reviews)); "No training at all or enough associates" ((in 48 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

51% approve of CEO

39% 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

Apr 9, 2014

Great Company to work for

Sales associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Treats employees fair and take their best interest in account

Cons

Not tough enough on crime internal or external

3.0

Apr 9, 2014

Great job for students...not so great for a career.

Senior team lead

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Most managers will work around your school schedule. Laid back working environment. Academy is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Paid vacation hours increase with employment longevity. Academy promotes from within frequently until they hire for management positions.

Cons

Academy is not competitive in pay; every position within the store and most within the corporate office are severely underpaid. It is difficult to be promoted from within once you reach management level; Academy would much rather hire someone from outside the company with previous management experience. They also expect you to sacrifice your quality of life to prove your allegiance to the company in pursuit of any leadership role. In my experience with two different stores, coaching and discipline is avoided due to fear of Human Resources involvement, therefore associates just about get away with murder, providing for a poorly ran store. Academy is based out of Texas and those stores are tended to, whereas stores in Eastern U.S. are neglected.

1.0

Apr 8, 2014

For a store that promotes health and wellness they sure don't care about the well-being of their employees.

Cashier

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible schedule. You can trade labor for money.

Cons

Breaks are too few and far between. It's not uncommon to have to work 6 hours without a break to eat or drink anything. Not healthy! You are not even allowed water at your register to stay properly hydrated. Their excuse is that you can excuse yourself to the restroom when they aren't busy, yet if you walk away from your register they get upset with you.

Viewing 4768 - 4770 of 5,058 Reviews

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