On Monday, North Alabama minor league baseball team the Rocket City Trash Pandas announced the team passed the $2 million mark in merchandise sales Friday.
The soon-to-be Los Angeles Angels AA affiliate accomplished the feat in just over 13 months, and nearly four months before playing any baseball.
According to a release, the team began selling merchandise in October 2018 immediately after unveiling the team’s logo.
Through December 22, the Rocket City Trash Pandas sold a total of $2,031,660.25 in licensed Trash Pandas merchandise, including nearly $500,000 in online sales and over $1.5 million at its store in Huntsville at the Bridge Street Town Centre.
“This surpasses even our wildest expectations,” Trash Pandas President and CEO Ralph Nelson said in a statement. “We are grateful to our fans throughout North Alabama and the entire Tennessee Valley, as well as those around the world, for support that is simply unprecedented in Minor League Baseball. As I’ve said repeatedly, I do not believe any fan base has ever embraced a new team like ours has.”
“We are truly humbled by this,” he added. “And it is only the beginning.”
The Trash Pandas make their Toyota Field debut April 15, 2020, against the Mississippi Braves.
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University, the editor of Breitbart TV and host of “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN in Huntsville.