College Rivalries
Longhorns rule when it comes to merch but Aggies closing in
The Texas Longhorns may have struggled on the football field last season, but it hasn’t deterred fans from buying that burnt orange merch. According to rankings by the Collegiate Licensing Company, the University of Texas reeled in the most royalties from merchandise sales for the eighth year in a row.
The CLC didn’t release exact dollar amounts for each college or university, but with an estimated value of $4.62 billion in the college retail marketplace, it’s safe to assume the Longhorns are drawing in nice, big piece of that money pie. The CLC looked at royalties from June 2012 to June 2013.
Although still trailing 11 spots behind UT, those Aggies have started to make bank in their new conference. Texas A&M University came in at the rather appropriate 12th spot, a leap from its No. 19 ranking last year.
CLC credits "athletic success" — like A&M's major upset of Alabama — and "the excitement of moving to a new conference" for the Aggies' rise in the ranks. But we suspect that trouble-loving quarterback, Johnny Manziel, had a role in it.
The Heisman Trophy winner continues to make headlines for his party boy ways and allegedly selling autographs — a violation of NCAA bylaws. In fact, the NCAA recently shut down its online jersey sales after reports surfaced that student-athletes’ names were tied to memorabilia in the search function of the organization’s apparel site. One of those names was Johnny Manziel, of course.
Royalties generated from the sale of officially licensed collegiate products help support various student and campus endeavors. It should be noted, however, that even though UT can beat heavyweights like Alabama, Notre Dame and Michigan in the merchandise game, the CLC doesn’t count the likes of Ohio State or USC as clients.