Post by The President on Aug 23, 2006 15:31:15 GMT -5
www.washtimes.com/sports/20060823-122247-7442r.htm
Jerseys enjoy short shelf life
By Tim Lemke
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published August 23, 2006
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It happens all the time: A fan saves for weeks to buy the jersey of his favorite athlete, only to see that player traded, cut or disgraced by season's end.
The Terrell Owens Eagles jersey? Unwearable. That Kwame Brown shirt you picked up after he was drafted by the Wizards but before he was traded to the Lakers? Hanging in the closet, for good.
"These things are expensive, and you can just get burned by these guys," said Jeff Bergin, an Arlington resident who has unintentionally built a modest collection of outdated jerseys over the years.
Mr. Bergin's most recent addition came last year with the purchase of an authentic Washington Nationals jersey bearing the name and number of popular -- but now departed -- outfielder Brad Wilkerson.
"I saw it, and I said, 'I've just got to be able to support him,' " said Mr. Bergin, recalling his feelings before the trade that sent Wilkerson to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Alfonso Soriano. "Now, I'm just furious."
Team jerseys retail from $50 to more than $250, depending on the sport and whether the garment is an authentic version or a replica. They are popular because they allow fans to express a bond with a player, retailers said.
But deadline trades, poor play or even trouble with the law has filled bedroom closets with jerseys that may never again see the light of day.
The biggest dud item of the past year is likely the jersey of Owens, the former wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles. Once the top-selling jersey nationwide, it's now undesirable in Philadelphia because of Owens' much-publicized split with the team, made worse by his signing with the rival Dallas Cowboys.
In the D.C. area, once-popular items such as a Laveranues Coles Redskins jersey, a Jaromir Jagr Capitals sweater or a Larry Hughes Wizards jersey are now about as useful as the videotape player that you bought just before DVDs hit the market.
And retailers who purchased thousands of these jerseys in anticipation of big sales are stuck selling them at deep discounts.
"You try to be careful. ... You look for guys that are going to be on the same team for a while," said Jason Scheets, chief operating officer of StarStruck/ProTeam, a Bethel, Conn., company that is one of the biggest retailers of licensed apparel. "Some of the stuff is so old it's almost retro. But there's nothing we can do. It's just a fact of life."
Mr. Bergin said he'd like to buy another Nationals jersey, but he fears that whichever player he selects will be no longer on the struggling team in the next few months.
"I want to buy one, but it's like, who do I get?" Mr. Bergin said. "It's been really hard for the Nationals to sell the authentic merchandise because no one knows what direction the team is going to go."
Nationals spokesman Chartese Burnett said sales of team jerseys dipped this year, in part because of uncertainty over the future of many players.
Of course, there are ways to avoid spending too much for a potentially obsolete jersey. Miss Burnett suggested that fans buy custom jerseys bearing their own last names.
Buying lower-cost replicas, or even T-shirts with names and numbers, can save the buyer money. National Basketball Association fans have taken to buying Team USA jerseys, which can be at once timeless and patriotic, and many baseball fans purchased replicas of the jerseys used in this spring's World Baseball Classic.
Alternatively, fans can buy the jersey of a universally popular veteran or a retired player to shield themselves from ridicule.
Mitchell & Ness, a Philadelphia-based manufacturer of authentic "retro-style" jerseys, has seen business boom in the past five years. Top National Football League sellers include retired stars such as Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White and Dan Marino, while Ted Williams, Carlton Fisk and Willie Mays are big sellers on the baseball side.
"It is true that the processes in place in the pro leagues today ... in terms of contract negotiations, free agency, and less team loyalty do contribute to many of our customers' decisions to purchase a vintage jersey as opposed to a current one," Mitchell & Ness spokeswoman Erin Ritter said. "We say here that our jerseys have a built in 'no trade clause' and that wearing one of our jerseys takes the risk out of being a fan because these players are locked in to the team's permanent roster."
Copyright © 2006 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
Jerseys enjoy short shelf life
By Tim Lemke
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published August 23, 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Advertisement
It happens all the time: A fan saves for weeks to buy the jersey of his favorite athlete, only to see that player traded, cut or disgraced by season's end.
The Terrell Owens Eagles jersey? Unwearable. That Kwame Brown shirt you picked up after he was drafted by the Wizards but before he was traded to the Lakers? Hanging in the closet, for good.
"These things are expensive, and you can just get burned by these guys," said Jeff Bergin, an Arlington resident who has unintentionally built a modest collection of outdated jerseys over the years.
Mr. Bergin's most recent addition came last year with the purchase of an authentic Washington Nationals jersey bearing the name and number of popular -- but now departed -- outfielder Brad Wilkerson.
"I saw it, and I said, 'I've just got to be able to support him,' " said Mr. Bergin, recalling his feelings before the trade that sent Wilkerson to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Alfonso Soriano. "Now, I'm just furious."
Team jerseys retail from $50 to more than $250, depending on the sport and whether the garment is an authentic version or a replica. They are popular because they allow fans to express a bond with a player, retailers said.
But deadline trades, poor play or even trouble with the law has filled bedroom closets with jerseys that may never again see the light of day.
The biggest dud item of the past year is likely the jersey of Owens, the former wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles. Once the top-selling jersey nationwide, it's now undesirable in Philadelphia because of Owens' much-publicized split with the team, made worse by his signing with the rival Dallas Cowboys.
In the D.C. area, once-popular items such as a Laveranues Coles Redskins jersey, a Jaromir Jagr Capitals sweater or a Larry Hughes Wizards jersey are now about as useful as the videotape player that you bought just before DVDs hit the market.
And retailers who purchased thousands of these jerseys in anticipation of big sales are stuck selling them at deep discounts.
"You try to be careful. ... You look for guys that are going to be on the same team for a while," said Jason Scheets, chief operating officer of StarStruck/ProTeam, a Bethel, Conn., company that is one of the biggest retailers of licensed apparel. "Some of the stuff is so old it's almost retro. But there's nothing we can do. It's just a fact of life."
Mr. Bergin said he'd like to buy another Nationals jersey, but he fears that whichever player he selects will be no longer on the struggling team in the next few months.
"I want to buy one, but it's like, who do I get?" Mr. Bergin said. "It's been really hard for the Nationals to sell the authentic merchandise because no one knows what direction the team is going to go."
Nationals spokesman Chartese Burnett said sales of team jerseys dipped this year, in part because of uncertainty over the future of many players.
Of course, there are ways to avoid spending too much for a potentially obsolete jersey. Miss Burnett suggested that fans buy custom jerseys bearing their own last names.
Buying lower-cost replicas, or even T-shirts with names and numbers, can save the buyer money. National Basketball Association fans have taken to buying Team USA jerseys, which can be at once timeless and patriotic, and many baseball fans purchased replicas of the jerseys used in this spring's World Baseball Classic.
Alternatively, fans can buy the jersey of a universally popular veteran or a retired player to shield themselves from ridicule.
Mitchell & Ness, a Philadelphia-based manufacturer of authentic "retro-style" jerseys, has seen business boom in the past five years. Top National Football League sellers include retired stars such as Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White and Dan Marino, while Ted Williams, Carlton Fisk and Willie Mays are big sellers on the baseball side.
"It is true that the processes in place in the pro leagues today ... in terms of contract negotiations, free agency, and less team loyalty do contribute to many of our customers' decisions to purchase a vintage jersey as opposed to a current one," Mitchell & Ness spokeswoman Erin Ritter said. "We say here that our jerseys have a built in 'no trade clause' and that wearing one of our jerseys takes the risk out of being a fan because these players are locked in to the team's permanent roster."
Copyright © 2006 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
