Other than playing football, Miami Dolphins football team also offers a range of licensed products. The products include footwear, hats, fleece, jerseys, accessories, bath, blankets, DVDs, books, shots, mugs, cups, collectibles, banners, flags, jackets, rompers, polos, pet supplies, sport bags, luggage bags, sleepwear, tailgating gear, underwear, T-Shirts (Ruvo, 2018) among other merchandise.
There are various reasons why a supporter of a given team might prefer to buy a licensed product over an unlicensed product which, at first glance, appears to be precisely the same. Most supporters have a personal attachment with their teams or a specific player. These supporters have a feeling of entitlement and thus buy the licensed products to express their unwavering loyalty as well as support to their teams or players. It also gives the supporters an opportunity to show off their allegiance in a fashion-forward way.
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Innovation, as well as the development of more stylish and attractive sports apparel, is the chief drivers of licensed sports merchandise market (Research, 2016). Improved economic conditions of nations such as China and India also influence the market because sports lovers from these economies spend lavishly on sporting products. Owing to the colossal growing market as well as consumer base potential, the market of licensed sports merchandise is expected to grow tremendously. However, this growth is threatened by unlicensed products. These products have a high potential of reducing the sale of the licensed products. The unlicensed products are likely to be cheaper than licensed products. According to Khan (2004), whereas some people may buy cheaper sports merchandise unknowing whether they are unlicensed, others may purposely buy knowing that the merchandise is not licensed for the sake of paying less.
References
Hadley, L., Poitras, M., Ruggiero, J., & Knowles, S. (2000). Performance evaluation of national football league teams. Managerial and Decision Economics , 21 (2), 63-70.
Research, T. (2016). Licensed Sports Merchandise Market to reach US$48.17 Billion by 2024 - A New Research Report by Transparency Market Research. Retrieved 15 October 2019, from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/licensed-sports-merchandise-market- to-reach-us4817-billion-by-2024---a-new-research-report-by-transparency-market- research-597749011.html
Khan, M. (2004). May the Best Merchandise Win: The Law of Non- Trademark Uses of Sports Logos. Marquette Sports Law Review , 14 (2), 285.
Ruvo, C. (2018). T-Shirts Commemorate Miami Dolphins’ ‘Miami Miracle’. Retrieved 15 October 2019, from https://www.asicentral.com/news/web-exclusive/december-2018/t- shirts-commemorate-miami-dolphins-miami-miracle/