The 49ers’ national appeal is always apparent when San Francisco plays on the road. Even in the most hostile environments there’s a visible amount of red and gold dotted in the crowd.
Quantifying a team’s popularity is tough, but one way we can do so is via merchandise and jersey sales. If those are key indicators, the 49ers are perhaps the most popular football team in the country.
Sports business reporter Joe Pompliano had some eye-popping numbers about San Francisco’s merch sales over the last month or so. He reported on Twitter that the club has done $25 million in merchandise sales in the last two weeks.
The San Francisco 49ers have done $25 million in merchandise sales over the last two weeks, including 100,000 jerseys sold since the end of the regular season — an NFL record. That's wild. pic.twitter.com/bexHeooPRz
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) February 9, 2024
This is pretty wild!
It makes a lot of sense though. Fans may have been waiting to buy Brock Purdy or Christian McCaffrey jerseys and used the Super Bowl trip as an excuse to do so.
The Super Bowl’s proximity to the 49ers might also be playing a role. Fans heading to Las Vegas for the game may have wanted to gear up in support of their club if they were going to go through the process of actually getting to the host city.
49ers fan support in Vegas during the week-long leadup to the game has been loud, and now it appears fans are cheering with their wallets as well.
