Wildcat fans gear up for Final Four

Chris Richards Arizona Daily Wildcat UA Associated Students Bookstore employee Melba Saldivar holds up one of many Final Four T-shirts available outside the bookstore yesterday. Wildcat fans lined up patiently and sales of shirts, pennants and pins were brisk.

Doug Day, senior merchandise manager for J.C. Penney Co. Inc. at the Tucson Mall, said J.C. Penney has about doubled its sales compared to the last time the Wildcats were in the Final Four in 1994. Day estimated his store alone is selling 250 units of various merchandise per day.

"Penney's is a real big Wildcat backer and we're quite proud of that and quite proud of the team," Day said.

Champ's Sports, also at the Tucson Mall, has seen a dramatic increase in business since Sunday's Arizona overtime win over Providence, Assistant Manager Bill Honomichl said.

Honomichl said customers are buying memorabilia quicker than his staff can keep it in stock.

"The results of the men's team has created a big economic windfall for the local community," said Frank Farias, director of UA Associated Students bookstore operations.

Derek Eilers, director of university services for the Collegiate Licensing Co., said there are at least 50 roadside booths that are selling Final Four merchandise around Tucson.

The UA Bookstore and the McKale Sports Stop have had long lines since Monday, and Farias said sales are increasing.

Farias said University of Arizona's entry into the Final Four comes as an incredible surprise to him and Wildcats fans, and that this may be a factor in the overwhelming support students and local fans have shown.

Students and fans can purchase a variety of Final Four merchandise at the university and local retail establishments, including T-shirts, caps, sweatshirts, polo shirts, embroidered T-shirts, bumper stickers, pennants and much more.

T-shirts range from about $12 to $23, depending on quality and size. Sweatshirts are typically selling for $30 to $40. Prices vary at each retail outlet.

"I bought T-shirts because I love my team and I wanted to show my school spirit," said Julie Archer, a family studies sophomore.

Archer said that win or lose on Saturday, she will be buying more UA Final Four gear for family members.

Jan Hersh, a gerontology graduate student, said that as an undergraduate in 1994, she remembers how crazy she and the town got and she is just as excited this time around. Hersh said she purchased Final Four shirts for her entire family back in New Jersey and her brother who attends Arizona State University.

"I'm going to send him one. He may or may not wear it, but he made me wear the Rose Bowl stuff, so we'll see," Hersh said.

Final Four merchandise was also featured on the Home Shopping Network for an hour Wednesday, exposing the UA to over 70 million households, according to a news release.

With each victory in the tournament, the demand for Wildcat merchandise has increased and this high demand creates a lucrative marketplace for counterfeiters and bootleggers.

The Collegiate Licensing Co., UA licensing director Mike Low and local law enforcement agencies are touring marketplaces across the state in search of bogus Wildcat gear.

Eiler said he and other representatives of his company will check every place selling UA Final Four merchandise.

The Collegiate Licensing Co., which has worked with the UA in the past in checking for counterfeiters, will be an added presence in town until well after the NCAA tournament is over.

Low said only one arrest has been made for unlicensed merchandise.

A Tucson street vendor was arrested Wednesday, Low said. He said 45 pieces of unlicensed merchandise were seized by the Tucson Police Department.

Eilers said the seller was cited for making and selling unlicensed merchandise. He said the Collegiate Licensing Co. helps make two to three arrests each year in Arizona regarding counterfeit merchandise.

Most of the people that have been arrested are out-of-state vendors and professional bootleggers, Eilers said.

The University of Arizona Police Department and TPD have received information about what to look for to spot counterfeit merchandise, Eilers said. He said the law enforcement agencies also work closely with the Collegiate Licensing Co.