The San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs will be facing off on February 2, and according to merchandise, memorabilia and collectibles searches and sales on eBay, NFL fans had a lot of faith these teams would dominate the season. The Niners and the Chiefs ranked among the top 5 most popular playoff teams and NFL teams overall, with only the Patriots and Green Bay Packers claiming more sales.
The Scoreboard
Fans were craving everything from trading cards to trucker hats this season, all to represent their favorite teams. Here are more shopping highlights according the football fans on eBay*:
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Shanahan’s Hat Game: Immediately after Niners’ coach, Kyle Shanahan, was spotted wearing “Shanahan’s Square Trucker” by New Era in October 2019, fans desperately searched for the sold out hat. eBay saw a huge uptick in “Shanahan Square Trucker” sales and the average price on eBay reached $93, nearly 182% more than its original retail value. One superfan paid upwards of $420.
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G.O.A.T Quarterback: Despite not being in Super Bowl LIV, Tom Brady is still G.O.A.T. Brady dominates the top 5 most expensive trading cards sold on eBay in 2019 and holds the record for the highest sum paid for a football card, with a 2000 Autographed Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket Trading Card selling for $400,100 in February 2019.
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A Record-Breaking Season: Having joined the few players to record at least 145 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in three consecutive games, the Tennessee Titans’ star has had a record-breaking season on and off the field. Henry’s sales performance on eBay saw an average 85% increase during the 2019 football season.
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Most Improved Player: Jersey sales for San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle are up nearly 12,000% compared to last season, the biggest jump of all NFL players, with Chris Jones and Lamar Jackson following in second and third place, respectively.
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Winning Jerseys - The Baltimore Ravens, who were knocked out of the playoffs by the underdog Tennessee Titans, ranked #1 in jersey sales with an average of 10 jerseys sold per hour in December 2019 alone and nearly 172 percent more jersey sales than this time last year.
Cleats for a Cause
From January 26 - February 4, eBay is also launching the charity auction of player-designed, game-worn cleats at www.ebay.com/teamocean to benefit the Ocean Conservancy, national ocean partner for the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee. Fans can bid on cleats bearing custom artwork and worn by Raheem Mostert, running back for San Francisco 49ers; Chris Conley, wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars; Jahlani Tavai, linebacker for the Detroit Lions; and Kaleb McGary, offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons.
Shop merchandise for every NFL team at www.eBay.com/GameTime.
*Data based on eBay sales during 2018 and 2019 football seasons (Sept. 2018 through Feb. 2019 and Sept. 2019 - Present).