The news cycle this week continues to mention Colin Kaepernick having the top selling jersey, according to NFLShop.com. The second and third most popular jerseys are Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.
This points out an important fact - looking at short term jersey sales isn't a good sample size for the most "popular" athlete. Kaepernick is a popular news story because of his refusal to stand for the National Anthem during 49ers preseason games. Elliot and Wentz are both rookies, meaning this is the first opportunity fans have to purchase their jerseys and show support for them.
Now, when it comes to having a jersey framed, I believe that is a much better indicator of popularity. The decision for a fan to invest their money in a jersey, plus framing a jersey, and dedicating space in their home or office is a major one! The framed jersey is a long-term investment in that player or athlete.
At the end of August, we analyzed all of the jerseys we had framed and found the legends led the way: Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Tom Brady and Larry Bird were the Top 5 most popular jerseys to frame.
This week SportsDisplays crunched the numbers and have our first trend report for framed jerseys. For the summer (June, July, August), the most popular jerseys to frame were:
1. Kobe Bryant - No surprise, given the future Hall of Famer's retirement
2. Steph Curry - This is a great indication of Curry's rapid rise in popularity the last couple years!
3. Peyton Manning - Similar to Kobe Bryant, future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning recently announced his retirement
4. Russell Wilson - The Seattle Seahawks quarterback, and Super Bowl XLVIII champion, is very popular with fans!
5. Michael Jordan - No surprise, considering Jordan was the most popular jersey over the lifetime of framed jerseys at SportsDisplays!
