PPHSfan
09-24-2006, 05:20 PM
MTV show expands Hoover High's fan base, merchandise sales
Posted 9/22/2006 5:28 PM ET E-mail | Save | Print | Subscribe to stories like this Subscribe to stories like this
HOOVER, Ala. (AP) — A Columbus, Ga., woman stopped by Hoover High School last week wanting to buy Hoover Bucs merchandise, and not just a T-shirt, but every item for sale.
"She bought one of everything we had that was in her kids' sizes," said Susan Wilson, a parent volunteer with the Buccaneer Touchdown Club, the high school's football booster club.
Since the documentary on Hoover High football called "Two-A-Days" premiered on MTV four weeks ago, the high school's fan base has extended across the country and, along with it, demand for Bucs merchandise.
It isn't just Hoover residents anymore donning black and orange. "Two-A-Days" viewers from as far away as Providence, are catching the Hoover High spirit, Wilson said.
"We were probably generating 30 or 40 e-mails a week saying, 'How can I buy merchandise?'" said Jim Sikora, a booster club vice president. "We all realized there was a void."
To meet the nationwide demand for Bucs gear, the booster club began online sales about two weeks ago, Sikora said. So far, about 100 orders have come through, with the majority from out-of-state buyers, he said.
School officials also plan to talk to national retail chains about the possibility of selling Hoover High merchandise in their stores, athletics director Jerry Browning said.
Donna Langston, who works at the front desk at Hoover High, said about 10 to 15 people call the school each day asking for apparel and other items. Most are long-distance calls, she said.
On Thursday, after the fifth episode of "Two-A-Days" aired the night before, fans of the show called from Wisconsin and New York.
"It's just wild," Langston said. "It's just weird how people are watching the show and have really gotten into it."
People are not just calling for football gear, either. Requests include wrestling, cheerleading and basketball apparel — or anything with Hoover High athletics on it, Browning said.
"Obviously with the national ranking that Hoover High School has, and now with 'Two-A-Days,' a lot of high school kids are watching this show," he said. "It's just like Britney Spears wearing a certain cap. People see it, and if they can get it, they want it."
Retailers unaffiliated with Hoover High have picked up on that demand, too, and started selling Hoover High paraphernalia, prompting school officials to look at ways to trademark names and logos, Browning said.
School board member A.W. Bolt said he's talked with interim Superintendent Andy Craig about hiring an entertainment lawyer to advise the school system in matters related to "Two-A-Days" because entertainment law is so specialized. That could include discussions about trademarks, Bolt said.
"If someone down the road is going to make money on those logos or names, we would want to make sure the kids in our schools benefit," he said.
Buying Hoover High gear on www.hooverhighswag.com will benefit the school's booster clubs, Browning said.
The website, linked to the Buccaneer Touchdown Club's website — www.hooverbuc.com — is managed by the Dixie Marketing Co. of Georgia, which handles the online transactions, Browning said. The details are being worked out, but booster clubs will receive a portion of the profits from those sales, he said.
"It's just a service we're offering for people out of the state to buy Hoover merchandise," Browning said. "We're not thinking we're going to make millions of dollars."
New items are being added, but as of Thursday, fans could choose from 11 items online, including a $49.99 jersey, $24.99 women's black shorts with "Hoover" emblazoned across the back and a $9.99 car tag. T-shirts and hats are the most popular, Sikora said.
Hype over the team continues to keep merchandise sales high at games and at the school, too, Wilson said. A top seller in the booster club's Buc Hut is a T-shirt with the words, "Hoover: The Drive for Five," she said. That refers to the quest for a fifth straight 6A state championship.
Because of high demand, the Buc Hut is running low on stock, Wilson said. "We're down to practically nothing."
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LINK (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/football/2006-09-22-hoover-fan-base_x.htm)
Posted 9/22/2006 5:28 PM ET E-mail | Save | Print | Subscribe to stories like this Subscribe to stories like this
HOOVER, Ala. (AP) — A Columbus, Ga., woman stopped by Hoover High School last week wanting to buy Hoover Bucs merchandise, and not just a T-shirt, but every item for sale.
"She bought one of everything we had that was in her kids' sizes," said Susan Wilson, a parent volunteer with the Buccaneer Touchdown Club, the high school's football booster club.
Since the documentary on Hoover High football called "Two-A-Days" premiered on MTV four weeks ago, the high school's fan base has extended across the country and, along with it, demand for Bucs merchandise.
It isn't just Hoover residents anymore donning black and orange. "Two-A-Days" viewers from as far away as Providence, are catching the Hoover High spirit, Wilson said.
"We were probably generating 30 or 40 e-mails a week saying, 'How can I buy merchandise?'" said Jim Sikora, a booster club vice president. "We all realized there was a void."
To meet the nationwide demand for Bucs gear, the booster club began online sales about two weeks ago, Sikora said. So far, about 100 orders have come through, with the majority from out-of-state buyers, he said.
School officials also plan to talk to national retail chains about the possibility of selling Hoover High merchandise in their stores, athletics director Jerry Browning said.
Donna Langston, who works at the front desk at Hoover High, said about 10 to 15 people call the school each day asking for apparel and other items. Most are long-distance calls, she said.
On Thursday, after the fifth episode of "Two-A-Days" aired the night before, fans of the show called from Wisconsin and New York.
"It's just wild," Langston said. "It's just weird how people are watching the show and have really gotten into it."
People are not just calling for football gear, either. Requests include wrestling, cheerleading and basketball apparel — or anything with Hoover High athletics on it, Browning said.
"Obviously with the national ranking that Hoover High School has, and now with 'Two-A-Days,' a lot of high school kids are watching this show," he said. "It's just like Britney Spears wearing a certain cap. People see it, and if they can get it, they want it."
Retailers unaffiliated with Hoover High have picked up on that demand, too, and started selling Hoover High paraphernalia, prompting school officials to look at ways to trademark names and logos, Browning said.
School board member A.W. Bolt said he's talked with interim Superintendent Andy Craig about hiring an entertainment lawyer to advise the school system in matters related to "Two-A-Days" because entertainment law is so specialized. That could include discussions about trademarks, Bolt said.
"If someone down the road is going to make money on those logos or names, we would want to make sure the kids in our schools benefit," he said.
Buying Hoover High gear on www.hooverhighswag.com will benefit the school's booster clubs, Browning said.
The website, linked to the Buccaneer Touchdown Club's website — www.hooverbuc.com — is managed by the Dixie Marketing Co. of Georgia, which handles the online transactions, Browning said. The details are being worked out, but booster clubs will receive a portion of the profits from those sales, he said.
"It's just a service we're offering for people out of the state to buy Hoover merchandise," Browning said. "We're not thinking we're going to make millions of dollars."
New items are being added, but as of Thursday, fans could choose from 11 items online, including a $49.99 jersey, $24.99 women's black shorts with "Hoover" emblazoned across the back and a $9.99 car tag. T-shirts and hats are the most popular, Sikora said.
Hype over the team continues to keep merchandise sales high at games and at the school, too, Wilson said. A top seller in the booster club's Buc Hut is a T-shirt with the words, "Hoover: The Drive for Five," she said. That refers to the quest for a fifth straight 6A state championship.
Because of high demand, the Buc Hut is running low on stock, Wilson said. "We're down to practically nothing."
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LINK (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/football/2006-09-22-hoover-fan-base_x.htm)