Adding to the fan and merchandise-buying frenzy are the university’s nationally ranked men’s hockey team and the women’s basketball squad now undefeated in MAC play.
Friday’s game will be seen nationwide at 9 p.m. as ESPN broadcasts the latest of a series of sold-out games from the 10,000-seat Millett Hall on Miami’s main campus.
The rare national attention for the men’s team and their historic season has the downtown DuBois college bookstore in Oxford busy as customers clamor for RedHawk basketball apparel, said employees.
Sales are soaring both in the store and online as well as at Butler County Rally House sports fan clothing stores, which Thursday unveiled a special line of Miami basketball T-shirts, sweats, hoodies emblazoned with a map of America painted RedHawk red, the school’s “M” logo and touting “The Last Undefeated Team.”
Toss in all the free national publicity and Miami officials said they are reaping an extraordinary marketing bonanza thanks to its sports teams’ wins this winter season.
“This is an exciting time for the entire Miami family as the teams and coaches are being recognized on a national level,” Miami Spokeswoman Alecia Lipton told the Journal-News.
“The success of both men’s and women’s basketball, along with hockey is resulting in increased sales (though) final numbers for January will not be available until late February,” said Lipton.
“We are extremely proud of our college athletes and their success in and out of the classroom.”
Veteran DuBois store employee Avery Hayes described apparel sales as soaring RedHawk high.
“I’ve been working here for three years,” said the Miami sophomore, “and I’ve definitely seen a difference (in sales) for basketball this year.”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
“More people are talking about sports and more people are going to games. People are coming in here and alumi are coming to games and it’s really cool,” said Hayes, who added “the vibe on campus is different.”
“We do sales forecast every year and our sales have been increasing a bunch since basketball started. You can see that the more we are winning, the more people are coming in.”
One of those fans flocking in for Miami sports swag is Miami sophomore Max Baumstark, whose family lives in Celina, Ohio and he was shopping this week for a shirt for his now RedHawk basketball fan mother.
“I step into every class and the professors are talking about what it’s like to go to a Miami basketball game. This is the only undefeated team in the nation … it’s a different feeling from anything I’ve experienced in my two years here,” said Baumstark.
When he goes to basketball games at Millett, Baumstark said “you are seeing people there who are not generally sports people.”
His parents are coming to Oxford to join him in the stands for the sold-out Ohio University game.
This record-setting season for men’s squad, he said, has “been a thing that brings us all together, especially in a small college town like this where there is not much going on besides school.”
(Journal-News Photo Journalist Nick Graham contributed to this story)
About the Author