LeBron James hoists the Larry O'Brien Trophy while stepping off the Cavaliers plane after Cleveland returned home from winning the NBA Finals.
LeBron James hoists the Larry O’Brien Trophy while stepping off the Cavaliers plane after Cleveland returned home from winning the NBA Finals.
CLEVELAND (Diya TV) – After the Cavaliers captured Cleveland’s first professional sports championship in 52 years, fans busted out their laptops and smartphones and began ordering their commemorative championship hats, T-shirts and magazines. No doubt fans were also looking to the Ultimate LeBron James Product Guide to celebrate the player who contributed so much to this incredible win.
A lot of them.
According to Fanatics, the nation’s largest online seller of sports merchandise which also runs the NBA Store in Manhattan and the league’s official online shop, Cavaliers fans bought twice as much championship swag in the first 24 hours after the win than Warriors fans had the year previous. Moreover, officials from Fanatics said Cavaliers fans have purchased more gear less than two days after winning a title than Warriors fans did for a full week following their championship last season.
“The response to the Cavaliers winning their first NBA title, and the city taking home their first championship in 52 years, has been overwhelming, both inside of Ohio and around the entire country,” said Jack Boyle, president of merchandising for Fanatics. “When you combine the global star power of LeBron and what he has meant to his city with the thrilling 3-1 [series] comeback, the nation was glued to this series and they are responding by purchasing more championship gear than any other NBA Finals in history.”
Cleveland-based T-shirt company Fresh Brewed Tees set an all-time sales record for all vendors at Cleveland Hopkins Airport, according to the company’s founder, Tony Madalone.
“We’ve done six figures in sales since the game ended,” Madalone said. “We saw similar demand to when LeBron came home. But this will be much longer and sustainable.”
Some of Madalone’s most popular shirts have been his “God Loves Cleveland” and “Two Won Six,” which refers to the city’s area code.
“I’ve been in Cleveland my whole life and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Madalone said. “Grown men crying, strangers hugging and high-fiving and every person in Cavs gear. It’s incredible.”
Sales of Cavaliers gear was “trending towards this being the largest [NBA] championship event in company history,” according to a Dick’s Sporting Goods company official.
