MLB.com had a press release today stating that as a whole merchandise sales were at an all-time high in 2010, spiking an impressive 6%. You would think that a team like the San Francisco Giants would have produced a lot of that extra revenue with their exciting season and eventual World Championship, but according to the numbers, the Giants didn't even crack the top 10 in team merchandise sales. Are the Giants really that of a 'small market team' or are all the other clubs simply that more popular?
According to the press release the Giants did make it into the top 20 for individual jersey sales with Tim Lincecum and Buster Posey ranking 10th and 19th respectively, which isn't too bad, but it kind of surprises me that with a 56 year championship drought fans wouldn't go out to get some fresh gear sporting their team's accomplishment, which I feel people did in droves all over the West Coast. Out of the 11 teams that had a player with top 20 jersey sales, seven of those teams made it to the playoffs, while 12 of the 20 players are under the age of 30. Cliff Lee ranked 5th on the list, but his sales consisted of jerseys from the three teams he wore a uniform for in 2010, the Mariners, Rangers, and Phillies.
As for the highest selling teams, here's the list of the top 10 sellers:
- New York Yankees
- Boston Red Sox
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Chicago Cubs
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Chicago White Sox
- Atlanta Braves
- Minnesota Twins
- Detroit Tigers
I'd have to assume the Giants merchandising has gone through the roof since last October, and will maybe be able to take out the Tigers at the bottom of this list next year. But you really can't compete with markets like New York or Boston in sales. All I know is that I've got my San Francisco Giants gear and that's good enough for me.