Baltimore Orioles see a spike in retail sales on the back of a strong 2012 performance- MLB News
The Baltimore Orioles on field success in 2012 was a bit unexpected and a breath of fresh air for fans at the same time. They went on to the post-season for the first time and lost the Game 5 of a ferociously fought American League Division Series (ALDS)
to the New York Yankees.
The sales of the birds’ merchandise are up this off-season which is a welcome trend for the birds. Greg Bader, the spokesperson for the Baltimore ball club explained that all has been going well by the way of sales of tickets and memorabilia.
"Things continue to be very strong," Bader said. "We're very pleased with what the response has been and really was, starting with the postseason sales."
He was reluctant to predict but expects that the ticket sales are likely going to be on the rise once the tickets for single games are available on January 19.
The ball club saw over two million people walking through the gates in 2012, a significant improvement in attendance for a team that has shown a significant improvement on the field. The numbers are also encouraging and sales since Black Friday have been
136% in comparison with the last year and 300% from 2010.
The Orioles’ sales as a part of the total sales for the MLB are also on the rise. 33% of the market share is held by the New York Yankees alone. The O’s have had a 2.89% of the retail sales share in the MLB between August and October, grabbing the eighth
spot.
The numbers improved even more for November when the team’s share rose up to 3.38%, taking them to the sixth in all MLB for the period. The sales last year during the same periods were significantly less.
Robbie’s First Base owner Davis tells that the sales are unusually high and to the point where the sales of the Baltimore’s NFL team, the Ravens have taken a back seat. Considering this is an off-season for the birds and Ravens have just secured the AFC
North Title, this is a big show of support by the fans. The store has had carried Baltimore’s sports merchandise since 1989.
"It totally has," said Davis. "To the point where Ravens stuff has taken a back seat to it."
Matt Powell, an analyst for the Sports One Source suggested that the upsurge in sales is associated with the success the ball club enjoyed during the 2012 season, encouraging fans to show their support.
"Typically the most important catalyst is a team winning or making the playoffs after years of failure," Matt said.
The matters seem to be going rather well for the Baltimore Orioles whose resurgence has created a new wave of hope and optimism amongst the fans. One hopes that they will continue the good work and give an even better performance in 2013.
Tags: