They say the best indicator of future behavior is current behavior. If that's true, current fan behavior suggests that the attention of NFL fans is shifting to the Eagles and 49ers.
Gambling.com recently published the results of an investigation that revealed the most sought-after sports jerseys. The compiled lists were based on an extrapolation of fan search history.
Contrary to expectations, the Dallas Cowboys did not top the list.
It was the Los Angeles Dodgers that topped the list, followed by the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Dallas Cowboys actually fell out of the top five.
They sat at number seven on the list.
On the list that includes only NFL jerseys, the Cowboys are number three behind the Eagles and the 49ers.
WHAT THIS IMPLIES ABOUT COWBOYS FANS
Anyone who keeps up with things like jersey sales and trends among NFL fans might be scratching their heads at this report.
After all, it was just a couple of months ago that official sales reports showed jerseys of Cowboys players were three of the top 10 selling jerseys of 2022.
Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb, and Dak Prescott were numbers two, five, and six on the list.
Josh Allen topped the list, but the Buffalo Bills are not among the top 10 most sought-after team jerseys.
There were no 49ers players among the top 10 most-sold NFL jerseys. Jalen Hurts, the lone Eagles player whose jersey was among the top 10 sold, was at number eight.
The top 10 jerseys of 2022! (via @OfficialNFLShop) pic.twitter.com/Uw41SuGomT
— NFL (@NFL) January 13, 2023
There are a few factors that could impact the discrepancy between which jerseys are sought-after vs which are sold.
AGE AND DISPOSABLE INCOME
For any product or service, when interest/demand and revenue/sales don't seem to line up, it usually means that potential consumers are opting not to make a purchase.
In the case of jerseys, that could be due to the high price point of official NFL jerseys which is $100 on average.
That price can often go higher depending on the style, edition, and other details of a particular jersey.
Recently, a different study of how NFL fans engage on social media suggested that younger NFL fans are bigger fans of the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles than of the Cowboys.
Younger fans are likely to fall into one of two financial categories.
They might be too young to make the purchase themselves, or they might opt for a less expensive option for representing their favorite teams and players.
OTHER MERCHANDISE OPTIONS
Some of those less expensive options include NFL-licensed team and player merchandise that falls outside of the jersey category.
T-shirts and tank tops featuring a player's name and jersey number might be just as good for someone who wants to show love for their favorite player. Those items typically carry a much lower price tag.
And when it comes to team merch, there is a myriad of items one can purchase with team branding that are often cheaper and more useful than jerseys.
Personally, I have yet to purchase a single official NFL jersey. However, I do have player t-shirts, Cowboys-branded slippers, crop tops, sweaters, underwear, and a large (very cozy) blanket featuring an image of CeeDee Lamb.
Fans can also acquire licensed cookware, designer purses, cornhole setups, wireless keyboards, and more.
UNLICENSED GEAR
Another, increasingly common, alternative to licensed jerseys is unlicensed team or player-inspired gear often sold by creators with independent online shops.
These creators usually have unique designs with stylistic appeal not often found via official channels for NFL merchandise.
Although their designs are original, their use of team names and logos is usually not.
This became an issue recently when several creators selling Eagles-themed merchandise had their Instagram accounts completely shut down because of trademark violations.
FUTURE COWBOYS FANS
Regardless of the reason for the disparity between interest and purchase, it's the interest that points to the future of the fanbase.
This is similar to the implications of the social media study. It showed that younger fans were consuming sports content on the same platforms they use to consume other types of content.
It meant that the demographics watching live, full-game broadcasts weren't representative of the demographics of the entire NFL fan base as a whole.
The same can be implied from these lists of sought-after jerseys.
The interest is there, but there is a good chance purchase habits have changed to the point that jersey sales are not the only indicator of team or player popularity.
Since a good portion of the revenue for many NFL teams comes from the brand of the team, current interest in each team points to the future value of each team.
Still, it's not likely that we'll see any major shifts in the next few years, especially in terms of tangible figures.
According to Forbes, the Dallas Cowboys are the only team to see over $1 billion in annual revenue. The Patriots were the next team behind them in 2022, and they are still hundreds of millions of dollars away.
It will take a lot more than TikTok revenue and jersey sales for any other franchise to catch up with Dallas.
The Dallas Cowboys have plenty of time to figure out how to capture the attention of younger fans before the landscape of NFL enthusiasts changes significantly. The moves being made by the front office to put a strong team on the field in 2023 will definitely help.
