What we heard was consistent with what I've assumed for years. Retailers are in the business of making money, not promoting external enterprises. All the complaints we've heard over the years about CFL merchandise not being in stores seemed to be based on the premise that the league was inept at marketing, and ignore the premise that the retailers didn't want that merchandise because they didn't expect to make money from it. The National Sports experience in 2006-07 demonstrated the point. They stocked a lot of CFL merch, including in this market name-plated jerseys for Ricky Williams, Michael Bishop, John Avery and Jason Maas. Within six to 12 months, they were blowing that stock out the door at huge discounts. I got Bishop and Avery jerseys for $20 and Ricky's (which was a nicer product very similar to what the team actually wore, with sewn-on name plate, correct font, etc.) for $50. National Sports would not have given that stuff away so cheaply if it had sold at the original prices.
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