the administration chooses not to / if they wanted to license this stuff & make $$$$ & put us 'back' on the map again, it would happen over-nite -
ever since the dp, the administration has wanted to de-emphasized sports & they've done a (*&^&** good job of it! this is just another reason how they've done it -
face it, for this & so many other reasons why are the means why we can't get into a good conference (bcs-bs stuff) along with all the wins we desperately need -
its all by design & it starts @ the top -
for all u guys that work for a company or have your own business, u guys know exactly what i'm talking about / its like pushing a rope / the company is staggering along or going down the tubes & the president does't want to know what the customers are saying or doing (& competition for that matter) -
leadership starts @ the top & smu hasn't had any in decades & probably never will & this is just another example -
de-emphasizing sports is part of the agenda & they have done a %%^%$ good job of it / so in one sense of the plan, maybe they have done a good job / nothing like losing $$$ for sure
so its no use getting in a huff b/c none of us have control or influence @ the school so its not worth burning the brain cells worrying about it
like maggie thatcher said, "concensus is the negation of leadership"
interesting article from College Athletic Clips : http://www.collegeathleticsclips.com/ar ... 00561.html
May 18, 2005
Licensed Wearables Taking Off
FROM INDIANA comes the latest success story in American fashion. No, that’s not an oxymoron.
One area of fashion in which the US actually takes the lead is in the sports / casual category. These are the stylized T-shirts, sweatshirts and warm-ups—most of them logoed with pro or college teams—that we see in the malls, schools, workplaces and on the street all across the fruited plain.
Next, Inc.—based in Wabash, Indiana—is currently on a big-time roll, and most of the company’s growth comes from licensed college apparel.
The company had $21.5 million in sales last year, up from $12.4 million just two years ago.
According to the College Licensing Company, licensed college merchandise (apparel and non-apparel) totaled $2.8 billion last year, up a healthy 10% from 2003.
All bodes well for Next:
• The company recently received a license to produce Notre Dame clothing.
• It has expanded its line to women’s and children’s clothes.
• Sales to non-traditional retail channels (example: auto dealers) have proliferated.
• It ranks 18th among all companies in licensed apparel sales. Not bad.
What’s next for Next? (Sorry, we just had to do that.)
More later . . . . .
This 197 word summary—with attendant commentary—was excerpted from a 1192 word article from the 5-15-05 issue of the Ft. Wayne (IN) Journal-Gazette.
