Tigers merchandise is "selling briskly" since the team signed 1B Prince Fielder, and SportsOneSource analyst Matt Powell said that the team's "slice of the business has grown 27 percent for the first three months of the year, compared with the same time last year," according to Serena Maria Daniels of the DETROIT NEWS. SportsOneSource noted that since signing Fielder in January, the Tigers have become MLB's "ninth best-selling team in sales this year through March 28." Detroit was "No. 11 at the same time last year." Powell: "We're hearing that the Tigers are supposed to do particularly well after signing Fielder, so you get people who are fans of him and want to have things with his name on them." Southfield, Mich.-based Fanatic U store manager Patty Croskey said that Fielder's T-shirts and No. 28 jersey "are among the hottest sellers" (DETROIT NEWS, 4/3). Meanwhile, in Detroit, Rod Beard noted Tigers tickets are "becoming a bit of a commodity, especially with last season's playoff push and the offseason signing" of Fielder. Tigers Exec VP/Business Operations Duane McLean said that season tickets have been "selling well and are expected to reach the equivalent of about 22,000 full-season packages, which combines full-season, half-season and partial-season sales." McLean said 22,000 would be the "second most in the 112-year history of the franchise" (DETROIT NEWS, 4/1).
STREAMS OF REVENUE: CRAIN'S DETROIT BUSINESS' Bill Shea noted with an estimated Opening Day payroll of $132M, the Tigers "are spending a considerable sum" on the '12 season in the "pursuit of the franchise's first World Series title" since '84. Still, plenty of "other money is coming in to offset the big contracts." The team is "in line for nearly $90 million this season from shared revenues with MLB's other teams, and from its local cable deal to air games." Smith College sports economist Andrew Zimbalist said that the Tigers get about $40M annually from baseball's "Central Fund of shared revenue generated by national broadcast rights contracts and copyright royalties." Zimbalist also said that the team gets "another estimated $40 million to $45 million annually from its 10-year deal" with FS Detroit. The Tigers receive $2.2M annually until '28 "as part of Comerica Bank's naming-rights deal for Comerica Park," and the state of Michigan is paying the team "more than $2 million over the next three seasons for the right to display the logo of its 'Pure Michigan' travel and tourism marketing campaign at Comerica Park" (CRAINSDETROIT.com, 4/1).
