The NFL's licensing business is "experiencing its softest market in years," according to Terry Lefton in this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. For the first time since the '08-09 recession, there were "widespread reports at a recent licensing show of declining sales of NFL-licensed products." Some licensees "reported sales dips" of 20% or more. Others "shared tales of retailers being told by their customers that they would not shop in stores selling NFL-logoed products." The "No. 1 scapegoat for licensees is the controversy generated" by the protests during the national anthem. The president of one longtime hard-goods licensee said, "That's the only reason I see for declining NFL sales." Lefton notes hard-goods company WinCraft was "one of the few licensees reporting an uptick in NFL sales." WinCraft President & CEO John Killen said, "It is impacting sales, but we've been fortunate." Team ProMark President Bill Skinner said of declining sales, "I'd be crazy to blame it on one thing: Brick-and-mortar retail is a mess, and the third parties that used to sell our products online have been largely eliminated by the league. It makes you nervous; for most of the guys here, the NFL is their most important license." Lefton notes while holiday sales will be the "big test, licensees seemed offended that the NFL was not taking action." One longtime licensee said, "The fact that the league hasn't taken a stronger stance is upsetting by itself" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 11/27 issue).
LEFT OUT IN THE COLD: Denver-based KUSA-NBC's Jacob Rodriguez reported a Broncos team blanket being sold at various outlets, including NFLShop.com, features the "wrong skyline." Instead of depicting Denver, the Mormon Tabernacle is "in the middle of the skyline, a dead giveaway" for Salt Lake City. The blanket, which was made by The Northwest Company, appeared on sale Thursday night on HSN. Rodriguez: "You have to wonder how many people had their eyes on this product who've clearly never been to Denver" (9NEWS.com, 11/26). ABC's Dan Harris said, "Sounds like a Google image search that went awry" (“GMA,” ABC, 11/26).
