Giants rookie RB Saquon Barkley has the NFL's No. 1 individual player-identified item since Aug. 1FANATICS
NFL retailers are stocking their shelves as the '18 season starts tonight. Fanatics, which administers NFLShop.com and most other league sales, reports that sales of NFL-licensed merchandise since Aug. 1 have increased 30% versus the same period in '17. That includes sales on the official NFL shop as well as Fanatics.com and other Fanatics sites. The top-selling NFL team since Aug. 1 on those sites has been the Eagles, who are coming off their first Super Bowl win. The No. 1 individual player-identified item during that time was Giants rookie RB Saquon Barkley's No. 26 jersey. Players Inc., the NFLPA's business entity, reports that the top-selling player from March 1-May 31 was Eagles QB and Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles, followed by Patriots QB Tom Brady, Eagles QB Carson Wentz, Barkley and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. Four other rookies appear in that top 50 list in addition to Barkley -- Jets QB Sam Darnold (No. 20), Browns QB Baker Mayfield (No. 30), Bills QB Josh Allen (No. 38) and Seahawks LB Shaquem Griffin (No. 43). Meanwhile, NFL Senior VP/Consumer Products Michelle Micone said domestics and “homegating” licensed products remain one of the most buoyant product categories, offering a large buy and displays of those across 1,500 Target stores from licensees including Boelter, Imperial, Logo Brands, and Sports Licensing Solutions as evidence. A new tagline for the marketing behind NFL consumer products this season is “This is How You Fan.”
STRONG START: Barkley led all NFL player jersey sales during the preseason, according to data from Fanatics. Last season, Prescott led the preseason. 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo, who was traded to the team at the deadline last season, was No. 2 in jersey sales this preseason. Rounding out the top five were Wentz, Tom Brady and Bears LB Khalil Mack, who was traded to the team a couple of weeks ago. There was no defensive player in the top five in the '17 preseason. Brady is the only player to repeat in the top five.
FANATICS
