Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. predicted on Twitter that his new teammate, Saquon Barkley, would have the best-selling jersey in the NFL this year. Barkley already has the best-selling jersey among all rookies.
Via Darren Rovell of ESPN.com, the company that operates the NFL’s online sales says that Barkley not only has the highest-selling jersey for all rookies this year but that he moved the most jerseys of any rookie on draft night. As Rovell notes, the fact that Barkley was the second pick gave him maximum time to sell. Still, Barkley instantly has become a merchandising star, and it surely will continue -- especially after he starts playing for the Giants.
And while football teams will officially say that football players are acquired only for how they play football, there’s a very real business component to the sport/business of football. The Giants now have two of the biggest stars in the NFL, and Beckham/Barkley gives them a strong answer to other potent marketing duos, like Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott in Dallas.
