Cavaliers C Shaquille O'Neal Merchandise In High Demand In Ohio

Shaq Merchandise In High Demand Around Cleveland

It has been only three weeks since Shaquille O'Neal joined Cavaliers, but his No. 33 merchandise is "already flying off the shelves," according to Britt Braudo of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. Sporting goods stores carrying O'Neal's jerseys and player T-shirts are "rushing to meet Northeast Ohio's demand for merchandise." Ohio-based Cardboard Heroes Store Manager Nate Cannell indicated that the store "received its shipment of jerseys and T-shirts just in time for the July 4 weekend." Cannell: "We have since reordered many different shirts and jerseys. It's a marketing dream for us. ... I can't tell you how many people have come in and made comments about how fast we got the jerseys in." Cannell said that general team merchandise sales have "also picked up as many customers seeking O'Neal T-shirts and jerseys end up buying hats, posters or accessories." Derek Hawranko, Store Manager for the Lyndhurst, Ohio, Dick's Sporting Goods, said that his store "usually places the team's products in less visible areas during the off-season, but the trade for O'Neal ... has helped him market Cavaliers merchandise." Braudo notes some outlets were "able to get products almost immediately after O'Neal joined the Cavaliers." NBA Marketing Communications Manager Kristin Conte said that "once the trade became official June 25, new O'Neal jerseys were available on NBAStore.com within a day." The Cavaliers' team shop at Quicken Loans Arena "began presale and online ordering two days after the trade," while T-shirts and jerseys "were available in-store July 1." The team said that it has seen a 350% "increase in sales this off-season as compared with 2008, with steady traffic in the team shop and online" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 7/16).

THAT'S THE TICKET! In Cleveland, Brian Windhorst reports the Cavaliers this offseason are "showing a surge in season-ticket sales and experiencing a jump in ticket revenue." An internal league memo prepared for Tuesday's NBA BOG meeting in Las Vegas indicated that the Cavaliers "rank first in several season-ticket sales categories." The Cavaliers have sold out 36 consecutive games and "trends indicate they may threaten to sell out the entire upcoming season." Cavaliers Senior VP/Communications Tad Carper: "League policy prohibits us from releasing or confirming season-ticket numbers, but what we can say is that we are very fortunate to have the best fans in the NBA and we're very thankful for their incredible support." As of July 6, the Cavaliers had "gotten renewals from 94.5[%] of their season-ticket holders from last season, which ranks first among all NBA teams." The NBA memo also indicated that the Cavaliers have "sold 2,279 new full season-ticket plans, a more than three-fold jump from last season, and now have sold 11,385 season tickets for next season." That ranks the franchise second to the Magic in "total season tickets sold at this point." The Magic have sold 11,638 season tickets (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 7/16).