Retailers, "big and small, online and on the corner, were ready to quench fans’ thirst for merchandise celebrating the Royals" after the team won the AL pennant on Wednesday, according to a front-page piece by Davis, Smith & Rosen of the K.C. STAR. The "We Own the Pennant" shirts worn by the players after the victory "hit store shelves within minutes." At some stores, the goods "had to wait in back rooms and boxes until the game ended." Dick's Sporting Goods K.C. Community Marketing Manager Eric Marshall said, "We had a rush within a few minutes of the final pitch." Royals gear has been Fanatics' "top selling" MLB gear since Oct. 1. But Fanatics President of Merchandising Jack Boyle said that Wednesday's ALCS victory "caused a more than 1,000 percent spike in sales over Tuesday." An Academy Sports + Outdoors store in Belton, Mo., also "stayed open late Wednesday." Store Dir Andrea Bell said of the demand for Royals gear, "We actually wrapped around the building at one point." A Sports Authority location in Lenexa, Mo., by Thursday afternoon "rang up more sales of Royals apparel than it normally sells of all merchandise on a mid-week day." Suppliers "have been scrambling to deliver the goods," including even the local newspaper. K.C. Star President & Publisher Mi-Ai Parrish said that the paper "printed twice as many copies for street sales as usual, expecting that to keep up with demand," but "it didn’t" (K.C. STAR, 10/17).
