As recently as one month ago, virtually no experts would have predicted the New York Giants would be playing in Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Ariz.
And while fans of the football team are rejoicing at the Giants”™ recent play, sports memorabilia and apparel stores are also rejoicing at the increased business the Giants”™ magical run has brought.
Normally, January can be a slow month in the sports memorabilia and apparel field, especially if no local teams are playing well, said Brandon Steiner, founder and chairman of Steiner Sports Marketing in New Rochelle.
“It”™s not normally a great, great retail market, but then you get this rush for stuff, hats, jerseys,” he said. “It gets people out of the house and into the store, and then you have opportunity revenue.”
He said what makes the Giants recent play conducive to exiting the local populace is that they were not expected to go this far, and their playoff games have been thrilling, often coming down to the last play of the game.
And unlike other times in the sports season, such as the summer when the Mets and Yankees compete for the back pages and talk radio airplay, the Giants have the market all to themselves.
“There”™s not a lot else going on in New York sports, which is giving these guys the full spotlight,” he said.
Steiner”™s specializes in collectibles, and since the Giants have gone on their playoff run sales of autographed helmets, jerseys and other memorabilia have skyrocketed, especially for quarterback Eli Manning and defensive end Michael Strahan.
“Eli certainly stands out and people want his stuff, and Strahan is a potential Hall of Fame player, so people gravitate towards him,” Steiner said. “But we”™re also seeing an interest in a lot of the young kids that many people didn”™t know about before.”
Even if the Giants lose the Super Bowl against the seemingly invincible undefeated New England Patriots, Steiner believes the excitement will carry over to next season.
“It”™s not easy to win over this town, and they did it,” he said.
Steiner said since the Giants began their playoff run, he has booked about “200 percent more” promotions and appearance with Giants players.
Indeed, for many sports collectible stores “it”™s all about the Giants right now,” said Jenn McClaren, general manager of American Legends in Scarsdale.
She said football items have not been as popular in the past at the store, but right now the Giants success is most welcome.
“Anything people can get their hands on, memorabilia-wise, they are taking,” she said. “It”™s not just current Giants, but older Giants, as well.”
She said normally the interest in football memorabilia ends when the season ends, but McClaren believes the Giants unexpected success will carry interest on throughout the year.
And it”™s not just sports collectibles stores that benefit, Steiner noted, as electronic stores selling televisions and even grocery stores selling beer and food for Super Bowl parties will see increased business.
“Everybody has a pickup from this kind of stuff; it helps the economy,” he said.
