DICK’S — The Contenders
Most U.S. Olympic Contenders pay their own way. Most living below the poverty line.
That’s going to be news to a lot of people. And that’s why we helped Dick’s Sporting Goods create The Contenders program.
They’ve hired hundreds of athletes who are training for the Olympics. And given them the flexible schedules and extra income they need to complete their training, pay for tournaments and get to Rio where they can achieve their Olympic dream. It also helps because it gets experts in training as employees.
We zig zagged the country documenting just a few of these Contenders on their journey.
Directed by Daniel and Katina Mercadante
Edited by Jeff Ferruzzo and Daniel Mercadante
Created with Jeremy Straight & Andrew Loevenguth
And we captured them at the Olympic training facility in Colorado Springs, where they live and train for periods of time. A place where sacrifice and dedication were on display. The images were used in social, in-store, print and digital.
Photography by Marcus Smith
