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Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on July 19, 2009 11:31 AM ET
Clothing companies looking for an NFL endorser to move their product should stop throwing cash at traditional choices like star quarterbacks. Instead, they should set their sights on Bill Belichick.
It turns out the man known for his lack of fashion sense actually sells. According to Reebok officials, roughly 50 percent of all grey hoodies sold in the NFL have a Patriots logo on it. (No word how many consumers promptly cut off the bottoms of the sleeves.)
A Reebok executive explains to Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe they were actually annoyed when Belichick first wore his famous sweatshirt during games. It turns out Belichick was wearing gear that was meant for players, and the hoodie was not approved coaching gear.
When the company saw sweatshirts flying off the racks, they decided not to fight it.
A similar trend emerged this offseason, when Belichick was photographed locally wearing a blue throwback Boston Patriots sweatshirt. He wasn't supposed to wear it because the item wasn't yet in production. Demand for the item shot through the roof.
The story is reminiscent of Belichick's decision to bring the Patriots out as a team during introductions before Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans.
The league told him not to, the Patriots did it anyway, and now it's a time-honored tradition at the big game that represents team play. (And yeah, this story is begging for some angry commenters to mention certain other actual and/or alleged rule breaking activities.)
Clothing companies looking for an NFL endorser to move their product should stop throwing cash at traditional choices like star quarterbacks. Instead, they should set their sights on Bill Belichick.
It turns out the man known for his lack of fashion sense actually sells. According to Reebok officials, roughly 50 percent of all grey hoodies sold in the NFL have a Patriots logo on it. (No word how many consumers promptly cut off the bottoms of the sleeves.)
A Reebok executive explains to Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe they were actually annoyed when Belichick first wore his famous sweatshirt during games. It turns out Belichick was wearing gear that was meant for players, and the hoodie was not approved coaching gear.
When the company saw sweatshirts flying off the racks, they decided not to fight it.
A similar trend emerged this offseason, when Belichick was photographed locally wearing a blue throwback Boston Patriots sweatshirt. He wasn't supposed to wear it because the item wasn't yet in production. Demand for the item shot through the roof.
The story is reminiscent of Belichick's decision to bring the Patriots out as a team during introductions before Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans.
The league told him not to, the Patriots did it anyway, and now it's a time-honored tradition at the big game that represents team play. (And yeah, this story is begging for some angry commenters to mention certain other actual and/or alleged rule breaking activities.)
