There is no doubt that sports generate big bucks in the U.S. One needs only to look at the salaries of top professional players or the attendance at major sporting events to realize there's lots and lots of money changing hands.
The NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB bring in about $11 billion in annual revenue, and that's after expenses that include paying their average players anywhere from $1.25 million (on the low end in the National Football League) to nearly $5 million for the average player in the National Basketball Association.
Add to that the $52 billion spent each year in the U.S. on sports equipment and the $57 billion on sports apparel and shoes, and the money just keeps piling up. No matter what resource you use to define the overall sports marketplace, the numbers are staggering. A reasonable estimate for the money brought in by sports to our U.S. economy is $425 billion a year.
So it should be no surprise to learn that, when it comes to sports memorabilia and sports collectibles, there's also money to be made. From sports franchises and giant retailers to individuals selling on line, there are people making money with sports collectibles every single day.
The great thing about sports collectibles is that their popularity crosses the line from professional to amateur and collegiate sports. Fans buy miniature Oklahoma Sooners football helmets, autographed hockey pucks by pro stars, and virtually anything with the logo of their favorite football or baseball team. Tiger Woods is a pro athlete without a team, but on any given day you'll find over 3000 items on eBay related to him, and his personal line of golf apparel, the Tiger Woods Collection, makes hundreds of millions every year.
Since there are no hard and fast numbers associated specifically with sports collectibles, one can only assume that individuals, online and retail stores, large corporations, and sports franchises in the sports memorabilia business are all making money. You can also assume that the numbers just keep on growing.
The NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB bring in about $11 billion in annual revenue, and that's after expenses that include paying their average players anywhere from $1.25 million (on the low end in the National Football League) to nearly $5 million for the average player in the National Basketball Association.
Add to that the $52 billion spent each year in the U.S. on sports equipment and the $57 billion on sports apparel and shoes, and the money just keeps piling up. No matter what resource you use to define the overall sports marketplace, the numbers are staggering. A reasonable estimate for the money brought in by sports to our U.S. economy is $425 billion a year.
So it should be no surprise to learn that, when it comes to sports memorabilia and sports collectibles, there's also money to be made. From sports franchises and giant retailers to individuals selling on line, there are people making money with sports collectibles every single day.
The great thing about sports collectibles is that their popularity crosses the line from professional to amateur and collegiate sports. Fans buy miniature Oklahoma Sooners football helmets, autographed hockey pucks by pro stars, and virtually anything with the logo of their favorite football or baseball team. Tiger Woods is a pro athlete without a team, but on any given day you'll find over 3000 items on eBay related to him, and his personal line of golf apparel, the Tiger Woods Collection, makes hundreds of millions every year.
Since there are no hard and fast numbers associated specifically with sports collectibles, one can only assume that individuals, online and retail stores, large corporations, and sports franchises in the sports memorabilia business are all making money. You can also assume that the numbers just keep on growing.
