This was a topic on Sportstalk yesterday and I have also seen some follow-up ideas on Twitter. I have read on this board for years how fans are upset that they can't buy a real looking UTEP jersey. Rodney Terry was then wearing a great looking Nike Texas Western shirt yesterday, which of course the fans can not buy. So here are some ideas that I would like to suggest to UTEP in order to help them make money:
1.). Each year when they place their football/basketball jersey order, offer the fans the chance to buy their own authentic game jersey with their own name sewn on the back. Make it authentic and quality with sewn numbers and logos, not just screen printed stuff. Charge $250 and if it costs the university $100 for each jersey, then they make a net of $150 on each order. Just 1,000 orders would give UTEP an extra $150,000 in net revenue. Each year change the jersey offer and offer only one color/style each year, so that people buy one each year. The first year could be the blue jersey, the second year could be the orange jersey, third year the white jersey, and by the 4th year UTEP will have probably already changed jersey styles and you can start it all over again. Plenty of people will pay for a real jersey with their name on it.
2.). This kinda builds on Kappy's idea of creating an authentic Pay Dirt Pete plush doll. Each year UTEP should create one authentic stuffed Pay Dirt Pete doll or in some years it could be Miner Teddy Bear wearing a jersey/holding a pick axe instead. Make just one design each year and release it around christmas time(one year it is a Pete, some years it is a UTEP bear, etc.) Make it a big social media event each year when you release that year's version of the stuffed animal. Get people excited. Make the stuffed animal an eye grabber, not just something plain that you can find on eBay. Target this animal towards the kids that aren't in the market yet to purchase a $250 real jersey. Charge $50 for each doll and net a profit of $20-$30 on each stuffed animal that we sell. The university could net an additional $100,000 if they can just sell a little over 3,000 each year.
3.). Just simply make the same items that the coaches wear in practice or on the sideline available for purchase. UTEP could make a ton of money just by selling that Rodney Terry Nike Dry fit Texas Western shirt alone. I would have paid top money for the retro paydirt Pete basketball practice shirt from a couple of years back or the collared Nike UTEP football shirt with the sewn logo. Make it easy for the fans to purchase, put a direct link on the utepathletics website, maybe even add pictures of the coaches wearing each item on the sideline or in practice, next to the item on the website that is available for sale.
4.). Make the authentic game used stuff available for sale on the UTEP website. It seems like every NBA team shop has game used items for sale. I was surprised to see how relatively easy it was to buy an authentic Joel Embiid certified game used item directly from the 76ers or how game used items are available at the Milwaukee Bucks team shop. The Chihuahua's sell their special jerseys for charity after the games all of the time. UTEP rarely and randomly offers items for sale through auctions but it usually is only through their once a year annual fundraising dinner, for instance I won a game used framed Johnnie Lee Higgins jersey years ago. But instead of just once a year, UTEP should make it a weekly thing where they add 10 items for purchase each week after each game. Offer game used helmets at the end of the season, jerseys, gloves, game balls, etc. Just order extra equipment and then add to the website each week, if they start selling out immediately and people start complaining, then just keep adding more and more items to the weekly release(which of course will make more and more money). Create a simple certificate of authenticity and maybe a sticker with a matching number on it to place on the item itself, then just add that COA number to a list/database that can be accessed easily on the UTEPathletics website and you are done. 10 items per week at $100 per item would add an additonal $52,000 in revenue.
Does anybody else have any other money making ideas?
utep.rivals.com
