Detroit's basketball team is putting up numbers in an off-court category as more partisans wear Pistons pride.
Even with a lukewarm record so far, the local NBA franchise is selling a larger number of jerseys, jackets, caps and shirts, Bill Shea reports at Crain's.
Fans are buying Pistons logo merchandise at a 70 percent higher rate over last season from the official team stores at the Palace of Auburn Hills and Great Lakes Crossing Outlets, and to a lesser degree from the team's online store. ...
"We're seeing a really nice uptick in our merchandise sales," said Charlie Metzger, Palace Sports and Entertainment executive vice president and chief marketing officer. Palace Sports is the umbrella management company for the Pistons.
Transactions at the team retail stores are up 15 percent compared with 2012. ...
The team said sales are up because more fans are coming to games. . . . The Pistons (14-19 going into Sunday's game) have averaged 14,377 fans per game over 17 games at the Palace this season.
At they host the Memphis Grizzlies at The Palace this afternoon, Detroit players will wear a blue uniform with "Motor City" replacing the team name atop the front.
Twenty percent of this year's merchandise sales are of the 80 "Motor City" items introduced in August to celebrate the franchise's Detroit and automotive heritage. The team this season is wearing . . . the jersey for 10 Sunday games.
