NEWSLETTER
Time was, you could not look at a top X list of merchandise sales from around MLB and not find the Chicago Cubs. No, they may not be near the top if they weren’t having one of the rare great years, but as a national brand with some iconic gear, the Cubs usually did quite well.
On the heels of a second straight down year, and with many of the most recognizable stars shipped out, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised to see the Cubs wholly absent from these:
It stings the pride a little bit, for whatever stupid reason. I still got plenty of Cubs gear this season, but maybe that just makes me the mark.
I will say one thing: OK, maybe you can offer up an explanation for why the White Sox outsold the Cubs in Illinois this year, and were so high on the overall list (a lot of their gear is really popular). But the PIRATES ahead of the Cubs? Seriously? How on earth does that happen? Is it just because Lids skews heavily toward caps, and Pirates caps are really popular?
Maybe it’s just another sign that the Cubs need to step the competitiveness back up if they want to be back in the (lucrative) spotlight.
