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Tebow's jersey a top seller
Jan 2, 2008
South Florida Sun-SentinelTebow's jersey is a top seller
By Dave Curtis
Gainesville Bureau
Orlando -- Florida sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow has already won the Heisman Trophy, making him the nation's most outstanding college football player for 2007. A look around the Citrus Bowl today, when Tebow's Gators meet Michigan in the Capital One Bowl, shows he might rank as the most famous player, too.
Tebow's No. 15 jersey, in either blue or white, has become a must-have memento for Florida fans around the country. Its sales have helped boost UF among the top three in the country for merchandise sold. And those stakes figure to rise considerably next season, when he returns to the Gators and attempts to lead them to a championship.
"Everywhere I go, somebody has his jersey," said UF center Drew Miller, Tebow's teammate the past two years. "If I were a little kid, I'd be wearing a Tim Tebow jersey."
Yet for all Tebow's acclaim, and all the money his school will make from his success, Tebow will not see a dime. NCAA rules on amateurism prevent him from making a profit off the use of his name, number or likeness as a Florida Gator. Each school can create merchandise with a player's number, sell it and keep any revenue.
Estimating Tebow's marketing potential is an inexact science, said Scott Sanford, a senior client director for Dallas-based Davie Brown Talent. But with college football's national appeal, and Tebow's quick success, the Gator quarterback is losing some money.
"There are not too many players that would be returning next season that can compete with his level of awareness and his potential future marketability," Sanford said.
UF Athletic Director Jeremy Foley has been hesitant in trying to capitalize financially off his players' success. Until last year, he limited the numbers of retail football jerseys to 1 and 96, to signify the year UF won the national championship. After the Gators' 2006 national championship, he authorized the production of jerseys with several different numbers to recognize that team's key players.
Sales of Tebow's No. 15 have dwarfed the other jerseys, including Ray McDonald's No. 95 and Andre Caldwell's No. 5, said Mike Spiegler, a UF associate athletic director who oversees the department's licensing arm. Spiegler added that Foley has already approved another set of Tebow jerseys in honor of his Heisman win.
"One of the policies is that if someone is in a finalist for the Heisman, we have their jerseys made to honor what they did on the field," he said. "Even if Tim didn't win, we would still make his jersey."
The jerseys, which cost between $60 and $75 retail, are produced by Nike, with which the athletic department has an apparel contract. UF's athletic department earned $1.4 million from its equipment contracts, including the Nike deal, in 2006-07, according to the department budget.
The real earnings come through the licensing, an area where UF earned $5,984,768 in 2007, according to a school news release. That figure leaves Florida third in the nation, behind Texas and Notre Dame. UF could close the gap soon, though, as the athletic department budget projects a $1.339 million increase in licensing revenue for 2007-08.
Not all the increase can be traced to Tebow. Florida is the two-time defending national champion in men's basketball, and the success of other players from the 2006 football championship team have helped boost sales. But if any UF player deserves a slice of those dollars, Tebow would be the guy.
Tebow said he never thinks about the money. He said he signed off on the marketing of his jerseys (all UF players do, Spiegler said) and likes that the university is making money. And he had no real opinion on whether athletes should receive benefit from the sales.
"That's a pretty touchy subject," Tebow said. Later, he added, "But once you do something for one player, you have to do it for everybody."
There are no signs of the NCAA changing course and allowing players to profit from merchandise sales. But the association's Division I Management Council might move to allow players to be used more as marketing tools.
When Tebow turns pro the restrictions on his off-field earnings will end, and he might enter the NFL as one of its most marketable rookies of all-time.
