Pros
Academy has grown tremendously in the past few years, so it's clearly doing many things correctly. The company has a fiercely loyal customer base in the South, and it stands to do well as it expands north and into some Midwestern states. Academy treats its employees well in most regards. The pay is pretty good, the benefits are probably about average, and good work is rewarded. The workplace is fairly casual and easygoing, and work-life balance is good. However, don't expect any above-and-beyond perks like gym memberships, catered food, etc. It's not a bad place to work, with friendly people and humble executives, especially if you're the type who likes hunting, fishing, outdoors, and the like. And let's be honest, you'll be right at home here if you lean right on the political spectrum.
Cons
As you can probably deduce from the Pros, you won't love it here if you are progressively minded. And that doesn't just apply to political sensibilities. Academy has a good-ol'-boy mentality that, although not overwhelming, pervades its culture and business practices. I mean, we're talking about a multibillion-dollar company that didn't fully embrace the power of the internet until about 2013. Since Academy was so late to the game, particularly when it comes to e-commerce and omnichannel, its growing pains have been quite pronounced. As the company has grown, so too have its bureaucratic inefficiencies. If you want to get anything done, you have to go through a frustrating array of approvals and revisions. Long story short: Academy is growing, yes, but if it can't break out of its traditional ways, it will never catch up with the competition in either customer or employee satisfaction.