As your resident fashionista, I felt it necessary to inform you of a new way to get all your Boston College athletics gear. I've already critiqued the BC football and hockey uniforms so when Old Navy announced they have reached a partnership with the NFL and NCAA to distribute their gear I had to jump on it:
Today, Old Navy announced 'Superfan Nation' a new in-store destination housing fan gear for the entire family. The move is an expansion of the brand's already successful licensing product strategy. In collaboration with the NFL and the Collegiate Licensing Company, a division of IMG worldwide, Old Navy will now offer apparel and accessories for all professional football and select collegiate sports teams in the U.S.
By "select collegiate sports teams" I assume they mean Division I schools and not local schools like Brandeis, Bentley or M.I.T. This might not be a bad thing for the casual BC fan. Old Navy carries inexpensive clothing and many local families might get their kids some Boston College gear as they are doing their back-to-school shopping. For poor bloggers like myself, the opportunity to buy a BC T-shirt that doesn't cost $30 is a win-win. It appears from the Wall Street Journal article that Old Navy will carry a wide variety of BC gear which is great too, so maybe this winter I can pick up a BC hoodie and not drop $75.
This is a huge money deal for Old Navy, who will be getting a taste of the college licensed apparel gear pot:
"Collegiate licensing is already a lucrative business. It brings in $4.3 billion in annual retail sales-less than Major League Baseball's estimated $5 billion in licensing revenue, but more than the National Basketball Association's estimated $3 billion and the National Football League's estimated $3.25 billion, according to License Global Magazine."
I am all in favor of any deal that puts more BC on shelves and accessible to more kids and adults. Too many times I go to Logan Airport and see Boston U. and Harvard gear, but no Eagles shirts anywhere. Nothing gets me more revved up than walking into a store or a mall and seeing Eagles gear everywhere. So parents, get to Old Navy, stock up on those BC shirts so your kids can show it off for their friends on the first day of school. And for the rest of us, maybe we have another inexpensive option to paying those outrageous prices for BC gear at Alumni Stadium and the BC Bookstore.