Johnny Manziel Jerseys Are Coming, So the School Can Begin to Profit Off the Texas A&M QB
By Jason McIntyre
Even the Aggies are shocked at his instant success. Earlier this year, when Adidas talked to the school about which jerseys to produce, Texas A&M went with 1 (SOP for schools with no stars) and 12 (for the 12th man). Manziel wears No. 2.
But now that Manziel has hit the big-time – he’s 3rd in the SEC in completion percentage, 2nd in passing yards and 1st in rushing yards – the school is rushing to get his jersey on the racks so they can profit off the 19-year-old.
(As Manziel started to blow up weeks ago, the school quickly began selling t-shirts, which of course sold well.)
From ESPN:
"Hinckley says he isn’t concerned about Manziel’s jersey number hitting stores so late in the season, because he’s young and has plenty of years left. There’s also another factor that very few fans realize: Jersey sales make up about only one percent of total athletic department merchandise royalties, Hinckley said. “Jerseys are still very important to us because it’s the product that stands out the most,” Hinckley said. “It’s great branding for us.”"
If you read deep down enough in the story, you can see the next Manziel story: the Trademark battle over “Johnny Football.” Oh, it’s coming. [ESPN]