ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 21, 1996 TAG: 9607220004
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SANDY SHORE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Imagine the hit-'em-hard Colorado Avalanche's trademark letter A nestled on a knit shirt with a hint of femininity. Or an Emmitt Smith T-shirt pared to a petite size.
The NHL and the NFL plan to test-market feminine versions of team-logo apparel next season in hopes of capitalizing on the growing number of women fans.
Don't expect satin and lace, but do expect a knit sweatsuit or polar fleece jacket in a size more suitable for women, with a subtler logo on a background of heather gray or black.
``We are developing an apparel direction which will not be gender-specific, but from a size, from a fabric ... from a coloration point of view will really reach out to the women's market,'' said Bernadette Mansur, vice president of NHL corporate communications.
The NFL also is looking at jumpers, workout gear and even nightgowns, said Susan Rothman of NFL Properties Inc., the league's marketing division.
``We want women to be comfortable in our apparel,'' she said. ``We want them to know they look great and are not relegated to wear a guy's sweatsuit.''
The NBA and Major League Baseball already have some women's products in stores.
The market growth is coming from female Baby Boomers and Generation X-ers who tend to watch and participate more in sports, league representatives say. Many are mothers who became hooked on a sport after ferrying children to youth league games.
In its most recent study, Sports Marketing Group/Dallas found the NBA's popularity increased 70 percent among adult women between 1989 and 1993; the NFL, 45 percent; and MLB, 40 percent.
Among adult men during the same period, the NBA's popularity rose 10 percent; the NFL, 1 percent; and baseball, 7 percent.
``Ten years ago, you would go [to a game] because your boyfriend or husband dragged you. Today, it's the other way around,'' said Peter Land, an NBA spokesman.
The trend was evident recently as dozens of women, many with children, stood in a long line at McNichols Sports Arena to buy tickets to the Stanley Cup finals between the Avalanche and the Florida Panthers.
``There's a lot more going on for girls because they realize women can play just as good as guys,'' said Liz Overturf, 16, of Littleton.
Melodi Breinig, 28, of Arvada and her two sons - 7-year-old Justin and 2-year-old Nathan - all were wearing Colorado Avalanche T-shirts.
``It's a fun game,'' said Breinig, who became a hockey fanatic at midseason. ``It kind of helps take out your aggression.''
Where there are fans, there are dollars to spend on team merchandise - from towels and bedsheets to dog leashes, kitchen oven mitts and men's cologne.
While the new merchandise is likely to attract women, the leagues must bear in mind ``it's the unisex stuff that is really driving the business,'' said Tony Jones, managing editor of The Licensing Business, a Phoenix-based trade publication.
Jones said three of the four major sports leagues recorded merchandise sales growth in 1995, but not the triple-digit growth of the early 1990s. He blamed product saturation, the baseball strike and the hockey lockout, which turned off fans.
In 1995, U.S. retail sales of products licensed by the NHL, NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball totaled $8.2 billion, up from about $6.4 billion in 1992, according to Jones' publication.
The NFL recorded $3.1 billion in sales, compared with $2 billion in 1992; the NBA, $2.6 billion, up from $1.4 billion; NHL, $1 billion, up from $600 million; and baseball, $1.5 million, down from $2.4 million.
Top-selling items include players' and coaches' hats, jackets and uniforms, TLB said. The fastest-growing categories include home furnishings, and back-to-school, children's and women's products.
The leagues are attempting to gauge the impact of women buyers on the market. Comparison statistics on buying trends were unavailable, but most officials believe women represent a significant percentage of the buying public.
For example, the Women's Sports Federation estimates women make 89 percent of the purchases of sporting apparel and logo merchandise.
NHL research shows women who buy merchandise for themselves represent about 35 percent of the overall sales.
NFL Properties estimates 43 percent of the fan base is women, and 70 percent of those fans buy merchandise. The NBA estimates 44 percent of adults who purchase and wear licensed products are women.
The NFL plans to offer its new women's products in both discount and retail stores in test markets in the fall, Rothman said. The merchandise likely will feature the colors and logos of the Green Bay Packers, the Carolina Panthers, the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers.
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP Kelly O'Neal and her husband, David, both of Fortby CNBCollins, Colo., wear replica jerseys from their favorite players on
the Colorado Avalanche hockey team. color.