A new precendent was set today, as Ezekiel Elliott became the first rookie to finish the year atop the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) Top 50 Player Sales List at the end of the 2016-17 season. The list is based on total sales of officially licensed NFL player merchandise, tracking year-end results from March 1, 2016 through February 28, 2017.
The Dallas Cowboys running back made the leap from the No. 6 spot on the NFLPA’s predictive 2016 Rising 50 list – which seeks to identify the next crop of NFL marketing stars – to the top spot on the year-end Top 50 sales chart.
“It’s pretty humbling,” Elliott said. “When you’re a rookie, you’re just looking to put your head down, help the team, and learn the ropes. To accomplish this level of success off the field shows just how passionate football fans are in Dallas, Ohio, my home state of Missouri and all around the world. And to be up there with Dak and Dez, alongside great players like Tom Brady and Odell Beckham, is very special to me.”
Elliott wasn’t alone in his quick rise to the top of the year-end player sales list. His quarterback, Dak Prescott, finished the year-end list in the No. 2 spot, moving up six spots at the end of the third fiscal quarter.
Tom Brady of the New England Patriots checked in at No. 3 on the list, after holding the top spot through the end of the third quarter, with another Cowboy – Dez Bryant – ranking fourth, and the New York Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. rounding out the top five.
Quarterbacks again were well-represented on the year-end NFLPA Top 50 Player Sales List, with a total of 19 represented – including six in the top 10. Following Prescott and Brady, Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks (No. 6), Philadelphia Eagles rookie Carson Wentz (No. 7), Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers (No. 8), and Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers (No. 10).
Wide receivers were the next most represented position, with 17 players. Defensive players (9), running backs (3), and tight ends (2) rounded out the list of the fiscal year’s best-selling players.
In addition to Elliott, nine other players made the jump from the 2016 Rising 50 list to the Top 50 Player Sales List: Todd Gurley, Kirk Cousins, Jared Goff, DeAndre Hopkins, Carson Wentz, Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Jarvis Landry, and Stefon Diggs. The 2017 edition of the Rising 50 List will be announced in May.
Once again, Seahawks players were strongly represented, with five players in the Top 50, a feat they accomplished the entire fiscal year. The Cowboys also put five players on the list – and did so for the third straight quarter – all of them landing inside the top 15, with Jason Witten and Tony Romo joining Elliott, Prescott and Bryant. Five teams saw three players land on the list: the Patriots, Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings.
The Top 50 Player Sales List is released quarterly by the NFLPA, via its licensing and marketing arm NFL Players Inc., and is based on overall sales of all NFL player licensed products via online and traditional retail outlets as reported by more than 80 NFLPA licensees, including Fanatics, Nike, VF Imagewear, Outerstuff, Forever Collectibles, Funko, Fathead, Hallmark, McFarlane Toys, OYO Sports, FBF Originals, Wincraft and more. Licensed product categories include men’s, women’s and youth game jerseys and T-shirts, wall decals, figurines, toys, matted and framed photos, vinyl collectibles, bobbleheads, ugly sweaters, plush dolls, drinkware, socks, mobile gaming, virtual goods, holiday ornaments and novelties, among others.
Powered by officially licensed player-identified products sold through online and traditional retail outlets, NFLPA licensees generated retail sales exceeding $1.6 billion during the year. The NFLPA currently ranks as the 37th largest global licensor according to License! Global.
NFL Players Inc. - Ezekiel Elliott Surges To Top of Year-end NFLPA Top 50 Player Sales List
The Dallas Cowboys running back made the leap from the No. 6 spot on the NFLPA’s predictive 2016 Rising 50 list – which seeks to identify the next crop of NFL marketing stars – to the top spot on the year-end Top 50 sales chart.
“It’s pretty humbling,” Elliott said. “When you’re a rookie, you’re just looking to put your head down, help the team, and learn the ropes. To accomplish this level of success off the field shows just how passionate football fans are in Dallas, Ohio, my home state of Missouri and all around the world. And to be up there with Dak and Dez, alongside great players like Tom Brady and Odell Beckham, is very special to me.”
Elliott wasn’t alone in his quick rise to the top of the year-end player sales list. His quarterback, Dak Prescott, finished the year-end list in the No. 2 spot, moving up six spots at the end of the third fiscal quarter.
Tom Brady of the New England Patriots checked in at No. 3 on the list, after holding the top spot through the end of the third quarter, with another Cowboy – Dez Bryant – ranking fourth, and the New York Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. rounding out the top five.
Quarterbacks again were well-represented on the year-end NFLPA Top 50 Player Sales List, with a total of 19 represented – including six in the top 10. Following Prescott and Brady, Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks (No. 6), Philadelphia Eagles rookie Carson Wentz (No. 7), Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers (No. 8), and Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers (No. 10).
Wide receivers were the next most represented position, with 17 players. Defensive players (9), running backs (3), and tight ends (2) rounded out the list of the fiscal year’s best-selling players.
In addition to Elliott, nine other players made the jump from the 2016 Rising 50 list to the Top 50 Player Sales List: Todd Gurley, Kirk Cousins, Jared Goff, DeAndre Hopkins, Carson Wentz, Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Jarvis Landry, and Stefon Diggs. The 2017 edition of the Rising 50 List will be announced in May.
Once again, Seahawks players were strongly represented, with five players in the Top 50, a feat they accomplished the entire fiscal year. The Cowboys also put five players on the list – and did so for the third straight quarter – all of them landing inside the top 15, with Jason Witten and Tony Romo joining Elliott, Prescott and Bryant. Five teams saw three players land on the list: the Patriots, Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings.
The Top 50 Player Sales List is released quarterly by the NFLPA, via its licensing and marketing arm NFL Players Inc., and is based on overall sales of all NFL player licensed products via online and traditional retail outlets as reported by more than 80 NFLPA licensees, including Fanatics, Nike, VF Imagewear, Outerstuff, Forever Collectibles, Funko, Fathead, Hallmark, McFarlane Toys, OYO Sports, FBF Originals, Wincraft and more. Licensed product categories include men’s, women’s and youth game jerseys and T-shirts, wall decals, figurines, toys, matted and framed photos, vinyl collectibles, bobbleheads, ugly sweaters, plush dolls, drinkware, socks, mobile gaming, virtual goods, holiday ornaments and novelties, among others.
Powered by officially licensed player-identified products sold through online and traditional retail outlets, NFLPA licensees generated retail sales exceeding $1.6 billion during the year. The NFLPA currently ranks as the 37th largest global licensor according to License! Global.
NFL Players Inc. - Ezekiel Elliott Surges To Top of Year-end NFLPA Top 50 Player Sales List
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