Jason Collins' #98 Jersey: Top Seller
The Washington Wizards announced today that 100% of its online custom jersey sales in the last 48 hours have borne the name and number of Jason Collins.
Washington Wizards center Jason Collins’ jerseys got a boost in online sales after he became the first openly gay athlete on a major U.S. team sport. Team spokesman Scott Hall told ABC News that 100 percent of custom jerseys ordered from the team’s online store bore Collins’ name and number, 98, on the back, after Collins revealed his homosexuality in an article published on Sports Illustrated’s website on Monday. While Hall could not reveal how many custom Collins jerseys were sold, he said that the team’s general merchandise sales and online traffic spiked following Collins’ announcement. In a statement, the Wizards said they were proud of Collins and “his decision to live his life proudly and openly.”The parents of Matthew Shepard revealed yesterday that they were "brought to tears" by the news that Collins chose his jersey number as a secret memorial to the year that Shepard was murdered. Customize your Collins jersey here.
Labels: basketball, coming out, gay athletes, Jason Collins, Matthew Shepard, NBA, retail, sports