Ohio State scores big with shoppers

Winning teams help their school financially when royalties come flooding in.
PERRYSBURG, Ohio (AP) -- Lonnie Phillips isn't picky about what his wife buys him for Christmas as long it comes in scarlet and gray.
"Whatever she gets is fine," said the Ohio State fan, whose basement is decorated with helmets, flags and pictures of his favorite team.
Luckily for both of them, there is plenty to choose from -- whether it be Ohio State chewing gum or Buckeyes barstools.
Winning on the field translates into big money for universities. A year ago, Texas won a national championship in football and raked in a record 8.2 million in merchandise royalties.
Ohio State and Florida play in the BCS National Championship on Jan. 8, and both have had banner seasons in merchandise sales. Ohio State's royalties are ahead of last year, when the school collected a record 5.7 million.
"Face it, some fans are fans of you because you win," said Rick Van Brimmer, Ohio State's licensing director.
Sales of all licensed products are up overall, he said.
"We are a society that pays a lot of attention to logos and brands," Van Brimmer said. "We're in that business as well, and if you love Ohio State, you have many ways of showing that affinity to us."
Top sellers
Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Georgia and North Carolina perennially are tops in selling merchandise, according to SportsOneSource, which tracks sales at major sporting goods stores.
Winning always helps, but it's usually a bigger factor in the sales of pro sports paraphernalia when a team makes it into the World Series or Super Bowl, said Matt Powell, an analyst for the company based in Charlotte, N.C.
"Steelers sales went way up, and the Tigers went way up last year," he said.
It's difficult to rank the schools, though, because each gets a different cut of the revenue. Ohio State, like most colleges, gets 8 percent.
Ohio State spreads the money evenly among scholarships, libraries, student programs and athletics. If sales go up, athletics gets a bigger share, Van Brimmer said. Royalties more than doubled to 5 million during its last national championship year in 2002.
New products
Though hats and shirts are still the best-sellers for colleges, new products such as outdoor thermometers, wind chimes and tailgate supplies have helped increase sales.
Fans can now shoot pool with Ohio State cue sticks and scarlet and gray billiard balls. And there's the Buckeyes dartboard.
"All of that stuff is fairly new," Van Brimmer said. "We're seeing growth in categories that didn't exist 10 years ago."
Tim Kralovic, manager of the Buckeye & amp; Wolverine Shop in suburban Toledo, said he's always amazed by what some fans will buy. His store stocks team floor mats, shower curtains and bath rugs.
"We get some of the most hideous, gaudy things in, and people buy it up," he said. "Everybody's got their sweat shirts. They want weird things like Ohio State chewing gum."