Dan Lewis made it to the 2009 World Series, when the New York Yankees beat the Philadelphia Phillies four games to two. He and his sister were ambivalent about the steep price tag for tickets this time around; the money might be better put to use on a “hell of a party” to watch the upcoming Series games between the Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.
On Thursday, the Allentown, Pennsylvania resident — formerly of Sayreville — found himself at the Dick’s Sporting Goods on Route 22 in Union, looking for a decent-sized Yankees baseball cap.
He wanted one that would fit his head, “which is hard to find,” he said. “I got a big head.”
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Lewis, who was sporting a Yankees T-shirt, was excited. One stranger spotted the shirt and asked if he was rooting for the Yankees to win the Series. He enthusiastically responded yes.
For the first time since that 2009 matchup with the Phillies, the New York Yankees are going to the World Series, and fans are scooping up Series-related merchandise. Lewis said he had to scour several stores before he could find Yankees gear.
But it has not the Yankees with the most popular merchandise item this season. The replica jersey of their Series opponent’s star player — Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers — has sold the most this season, according to a Sept. 30 announcement from Major League Baseball.
Major League Baseball reported that the jersey of the Yankees’ Aaron Judge was the third most popular of the season, followed by Mookie Betts of the Dodgers. In second place was the jersey of the Philadelphia Phillies’ Bryce Harper.
The Yankees will be facing off against the Dodgers in the 2024 World Series at 8:08 p.m. Friday. This is the 12th meeting between the two marquee franchises in the Fall Classic. The last meeting was in 1981. The Yankees have won eight of the prior 11 matchups.
This matchup is generating some of the most expensive tickets of the season, with the lowest prices at $1,245 for the first game.
A luxury experience at Yankee Stadium — complete with the best seats, top tier food and beverages, and private transportation — could set you back as much as $130,000.
Where to get official Yankees merchandise
Most of your corner sports stores typically just sell for local teams, like your town’s high school football team. Locally, you can go to a nearby Dick’s Sporting Goods for Yankees or Dodgers apparel.
The Yankees 2024 World Series merchandise went on sale at Yankee Stadium’s main store on Sunday.
Jerseys, sweatshirts, T-shirts and caps, along with other accessories and World Series-branded items are available for purchase on site.
Yankees fans can also purchase merchandise online at Fanatics, or at the Major League Baseball store in Midtown Manhattan by Rockefeller Center.
“Most of the revenue goes to MLB,” said Andrew Zimbalist, a sports economist at Smith College in Massachusetts. “Success on field leads to higher salaries, though of course it also generates stronger fandom which will help the team generate revenue next year.”
New York City’s local economy benefits from hosting the playoffs and World Series as well. Officials from New York City estimated that each Yankees home playoff game is expected to generate between $20 million and $25 million in local economic activity.
Watch out for scams
Federal authorities said that in 2023, they seized more than 180,000 pieces of counterfeit sports merchandise valued at an estimated $22.7 million.
There are key signs to look out for when trying to gauge if something is counterfeit, according to U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- Shop at an MLB-authorized retail location “rather than street vendors, flea markets or other questionable sources.”
- Authentic merchandise will have an official MLB hologram sticker or holographic hangtag and a sewn-in or screen-printed label that identifies the name of the MLB licensee
- Look for “ripped tags, irregular markings or misspellings” on merchandise
This story contains information from USA TODAY
Daniel Munoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record.
Email: munozd@northjersey.com; Twitter:@danielmunoz100 and Facebook
