Baltimore Ravens' wins sell souvenirs

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Dec 28, 2006 by Louis Llovio

Victory on the gridiron for the Baltimore Ravens is translating into victory at the cash register for retailers as fans flock to stores to commemorate the team's AFC North division championship with black and purple merchandise.

"We did a million times better this year than last," Jeffrey Katzen, owner of Baltimore Sports & Novelty in Owings Mills, said yesterday.

The big difference between this holiday season and last, he said, is simple: this year, the Ravens are winning.

Katzen said that last year, when the team was not in contention for a playoff spot, business was slow and the merchandise wasn't moving.

This year, things are vastly different.

"Things are flying off the shelves," he said. The big sales spike is from fans who are "on the bandwagon" and getting into the team solely because of its success, he added.

That fickleness has him purchasing merchandise conservatively. "How well business is going to be is going to depend on how far they go in the playoffs," he said,

Katzen's prediction matches up with the National Football League's appraisal.

"Based on history, it's no surprise that's there a correlation between what happens on the field and merchandise sales," said NFL spokesman Matt Hill.

The league annually ranks the top 10 teams in merchandise sales. While teams like the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys are perennially on the list, the Ravens have only made it once: 2000-2001 - the year the team won the Super Bowl.

Overall, the NFL had more than $3.2 billion in sales for the 2005- 2006 season Hill did not have figures for sales of Ravens merchandise this year, and calls to the Baltimore Ravens were not returned yesterday.

But with the team headed for the playoffs, demand for merchandise is so high that retailers are struggling to keep up.

"We sell out of everything within the hour," said Bryan Edwards, manager of Shenk & Tittle Sporting Goods in Westminster. "People are standing in line waiting for the merchandise to arrive."

He believes that if the team continues its success on the field, sales will improve through the playoffs and surpass Christmas sales.

Edwards said that while the most popular items are the championship shirts and hats, all of the merchandise is selling well.

"We're selling a lot of blankets, flags, pennants, anything with a Ravens logo," he said.

The most popular jersey at his store - and at Katzen's - is Todd Heap's No. 86.

At the Modell's Sporting Goods in Annapolis, store manager Margaret Oliver is having orders sent overnight just to keep up with the demand.

"We're still trying to get more merchandise," she said. "They [customers] went nuts for the Ravens right before Christmas."

And that enthusiasm hasn't dimmed after Christmas. "There is still a rush on the stuff," she said.

While returns are a large part of the post-holiday shopping season, Oliver said she has not seen much Ravens gear brought back.

But she has seen a change in demand for Washington Redskins merchandise.

"At first I thought this would be more of a Redskins town," she said. "Then I thought that maybe it was split between the two. This year, at least, it's all about the Ravens."