Licensed Apparel and Souvenirs at Sports Fan Stores

By Sara Karnish

Wearing apparel and displaying treasured souvenirs are just two of the many ways sports fans show unwavering devotion to “their” team. Mike Luciano , director, merchandise, for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs minor league baseball team in Allentown, Pa., said apparel and souvenirs are an important way for fans to extend a treasured moment by taking a bit of it home with them.

“You’re trying to give fans the best experience possible. You want to give them the best time they’ve had in maybe a long time. It’s kind of our duty to give them the best experience, and enjoy their time out and time together with their family. Apparel and souvenirs give them something to take home. A fan can easily come into the store and get a shirt, hat, or baseball and look fondly on that [experience],” he said.

Luciano said they are having great success with standard baseball caps. “Baseball hats are very ‘in’— especially the fitted hats with the straight brim. We have a big community of hat collectors, and I think it speaks to why a lot of people like our brand. We reinvent ourselves all the time. We’ll do five specialty caps for five different theme nights—fans want to get the ‘new look’ or ‘new thing.’”

Retailers said replica jerseys and basic tees are the strongest sellers at fan stores. “I think one of the reasons the jerseys sell so well is because at the beginning of the season, we’re always going to sell the higher-ticket items for the whole season,” said Sara Shumar , director of merchandise and purchasing for the Milwaukee Admirals minor-league hockey team in Milwaukee, Wis. “We sell a fair amount of T-shirts [all season]. Season ticket holders will come to

20 or 30 games—they’re investing in that piece they’ll wear all season.”

Isaac Berg , manager of the Pro Shop for the Florida Everblades minor league hockey team in Estero, Fla., said they sell a wide array of replica jerseys. “We have an incredibly unique set of logos with a sawtooth pattern accent on many of the jerseys that make them visually appealing for the customer. We also sell quite a few price point sweatshirts and hoodies. Because we are in Florida, many of our fans, especially newer to the team, show up to the rink in beach outfits and quickly figure out that they are not dressed warm enough for the game,” he pointed out.

Carie Hannawalt , director of Sales and Marketing for Destroyer. Rocks, retail vendor for the Grand Rapids Griffins minor league hockey team in Grand Rapids, Mich., said she feels the jerseys, hats, basic tees, and pucks sell well because “they’re traditional. It’s the one thing, even if you are coming to your first game, you will get a memento from your first professional hockey game. That’s what I find most people are looking for—something a little more traditional, and non-dated. Nothing theme-related.” She said team apparel and souvenirs are a big part of sports fans’ lives in Grand

Continued on page 30