With the Yankees and Phillies in the World Series, baseball fans from all around are flooding to the Northeast. Unfortunately for some out-of-towners, the cold weather can be a bit shocking. Which is why I’m such a big fan of these 2009 World Series Track jackets. They’re much better looking than most of the sweatshirts and pullovers you can buy on the streets of New York. Plus, they’ll keep you toasty when the wind starts blowing.

On a side note-I just like this guy:

Go Yankees!

Posted: October 29th, 2009 under General.
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Lebron has everything. Millions of dollars in endorsement contracts, a potential championship team, really awesome shoes…. and a pumpkin stencil of his face.

Phenomenal Swag did an awesome post about these Cavaliers pumpkin stencils. You can print them out for free (yay, free!) and use them to carve any player you like into your pumpkin. If you’re on a  pumpkin carving spree you can collect the whole team! A little Cavs collection of pumpkin faces- what could be better?

Also check out these other Halloween Schwag items including pumpkin stress balls and Halloween drawstring backpacks.

Happy Halloween!

Posted: October 26th, 2009 under Basketball, General.
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Team owners and franchise execs are always looking for the next big thing. Every team wants a promotional item that becomes as much a legacy as the team itself.

Myron Cope, voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers found that product- The Terrible Towel. Everyone in Pittsburgh, and most football fans in the country, know the Terrible Towel. That little piece of yellow terrycloth has rallied the team many a time to win an important game. The power of the towel seems endless.

When Myron passed away in 2008 he had a chance to make the Terrible Towel into much more than just a fun giveaway. He gave the rights to a school for mentally disabled individuals. By giving the rights as a donation, the school gets thousands of dollars from Terrible Towel sales, allowing them to continue operating day to day.

Just another case of sports merchandise making a difference (and a big difference at that!).

So if you’re a Pittsburgh fan, don’t ever give up on the towel because every purchase is a contribution.

Posted: October 22nd, 2009 under General.
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Most fans are happy with stadium giveaways like sweat bands and water bottles.

However, no giveaway was going to pacify Buffalo Bills fans after a loss to the Cleveland Browns. After months of discontent with management and poor roster decisions, fans had enough. Unemployed Ryan Abshagen took matters into his own hands, raising over 1,000 dollars to rent a large billboard. The digital display flashed, “It’s time to clean house, RALPH” with a checklist of three names next to it (Jauron, Modrak, and Guy).

The money was all contributed by disgruntled fans via the internet. Other promotional items have included t-shirts that read “FIRE DICK NOW!” and low budget paper bags over fans’ heads. Check out firedicknow.com for premade shirts. Or get your own personalized merchandise and create your own anti-dick campaign.

Posted: October 19th, 2009 under General.
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Sports Schwag is all fun and games until someone loses a match. Which is precisely what happened last May, 2009. During the UEFA Hamburg SV vs. Werder Bremen game fans received colorful pieces paper under their seats, meant to be held up to make a large flag.

Unfortunately, fans tend to get rather passionate about soccer, quickly turning the pieces of paper into potentially game-altering objects.

When defender Michael Gravgaard went to pass the ball to a teammate, the discarded wad of paper found it’s way into the ball’s path. The ball stood no chance against the paper wad and bounced off the ground at the last minute, smacking Gravgaard in the shin, then ricocheting out of bounds.

Werder Bremen took the game with a final score of 3-1, making their way to the next round. Ecstatic Werder Bremen fans now call the catastrophe the “paper wad of God”. According to The Local, people rooting for the losing team called it the “craziest football scene of the year,” with a much less ecstatic demeanor (check out The Local for a replay of the paper scene. In German…).

I don’t know about you, but I think stadium promotions should be kept to soft objects like stress balls or pillows. Not even seat cushions should be allowed, considering these have been used as weapons during rowdy games (the seat cushion disaster of 2005 during a Trinadad & Tobago vs. Bahrain game caused military forces to disperse the scene). It seems unruly fans and promotional objects are not always a good combination.

Ah, the joy of sports.

Posted: October 15th, 2009 under General.
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To promote their performance running apparel Nike pulled out the big guns- a gender competition from coast to coast. The age old question “Can women really keep up?” is put to test on their website, Nike Plus. Women and men are encouraged to rack up running miles and record the progress as often as possible. In the end, the team with the most miles will win the gender race- burying the question for good (at least in the minds of Nike runners).

With eye catching posters like the popular, “You’re cute when you’re losing”, Nike is inspiring people to grab their running shoes and hit the pavement- hard. Check out the video at PromoVideoChannel.

Some companies are even making it a work affair. They’re printing up team t-shirts and socks, running in gender specific groups and tallying the numbers.

Support your team by signing up or sporting some personalized sweatbands.

In the meantime, the battle of the sexes rages on.

Posted: October 12th, 2009 under General.
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Every woman in the United States has a 1 in 8 chance of getting breast cancer in her lifetime. Over 40,000 women will die in 2009 alone from this terrible affliction.

The NFL pulled together over the past week to show their support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month  and will continue throughout the end of the month. Uniform violation rules have been waived to allow pink sweatbands, shoes, patches and gloves. All of the Breast Cancer memorabilia will later be auctioned off and  the proceeds will be donated to the Breast Cancer Foundation. In the meantime, teams are creating a valuable level of awareness individuals alone often can’t create.

So what can you do to boost the cause? Maybe the pink towel used in last weeks game won’t be in your price range but you can still help in a big way. Try hosting your own pink competition. Grab some breast cancer t-shirts and host a company football game. If that doesn’t work in your social circle, simply sport a personalized ribbon next time you leave the house. Every action makes a difference.

For more ideas check out how the MLB and NHL handle Breast Cancer Awareness.

Posted: October 8th, 2009 under Football, General.
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According to the ESPN College Football site, the Florida Gators are number one in the football power ratings with a record of 4-0. They currently have 368 points in week 5.

Unfortunately star quarterback Tim Tebow is still off the field with a concussion. There is no news on his recovery or status for the time being, leaving Gator fans chewing their fingernails and frantically squeezing stress balls with anxiety. The Gators are preparing to face LSU, potentially using a second-string quarterback in Baton Rouge.

With Tebow down, his merchandise sales are skyrocketing. Everywhere I look more autographed helmets and number 15 jerseys are popping up. I guess it’s time to ‘get em while they’re hot’!

Until more news is available, let’s all cross our fingers for a safe recovery while the LSU game looms ominously in the future.

Posted: October 5th, 2009 under General.
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