"South Florida can get up to $10 million in BCS National Championship Game retail sales"

From the SunSentinel

Review by Alex Boecker in KIN 332

The 2013 BCS National Championship Game was held in South Florida this past Monday, and as always it came with a lot of hype. Coaches and players are interviewed, analysts pick apart the teams and choose their winner, bets are placed and people around the country tune in to see the spectacle. However, one major part of any event like this that skates somewhat under the radar is the economic impact it has on both the schools and the local area where it is held. SunSentinel.com reports that total retail sales for the game between Alabama and Notre Dame could reach as high as $40 million. South Florida could also be seeing as much as $10 million of that, which is the average 25% of total retail sales that the region gets for a BCS National Championship Game. Without the impact of sports marketing, the teams and the local features and attractions would not be known to the fans and a large chunk of these earnings would go down the drain.

The local community and the schools playing in the National Championship might see some big numbers, but they aren’t the only ones. The Highland Mint, a collectibles manufacturer and distributor, makes anywhere from 30-40% of their annual earnings off big games like this including the Super Bowl and the NBA Championship Game. Without big venues like this stores like The Highland Mint would quickly be out of business. They too not only rely on the teams marketing themselves and making their brand desirable, but stores like these must also market themselves and show the consumer that they make a quality product that is superior to knockoffs and especially competitors.

Unfortunately, when there is such a large market for sports memorabilia like this people will find any way they can to make a quick buck from it and when they do no money goes back to the local economy or to the schools. After the games is when many of the counterfeiters come out to sell and the Collegiate Licensing Committee estimates that after BCS games around 5,000 items are confiscated outside the host stadium. Even though the internet has become the main culprit in counterfeit sales and forged items, people can still be tricked on the street and it is absolutely crucial to check out items before buying them and make sure that they are CLC certified and are completely legitimate. Whether fake or real, people will try to sell their memorabilia and it can be tempting to go with a counterfeit that is much cheaper. Even though it may cost a little extra, making sure that the items that are being advertised are real not only gets the customer a higher quality product, but also ensures that money goes to the right places so the teams and locations can market themselves again in the future.