Four years after Cleveland fans burned hundreds of LeBron James' No. 23 Cavaliers jersey after the superstar announced that he will be taking his talents to South Beach, his jerseys are out of stock again.
After King James announced that he will be coming back home to Cleveland, he became the most popular male athlete in the United States for the first time in his life. According to a poll revealed by Harris Interactive on July 17, 2014, James was more popular than Michael Jordan in America. Although Jordan has not played in the NBA in over 10 years, he is still at No. 2 and ranked No. 1 in 2013. The poll, which was conducted from June 11 to 16, 2014, was based on the answers of 2,241 adults.
According to Bleacher Report, one of the reasons why LeBron's jerseys also sold out very quickly was that he was constantly engaged with fans in social media networks, asking them about their opinion on the ideal number he would wear upon his return. There is also a trend where jerseys of popular NBA players sell more when they transfer to a new team. Although Cleveland fans could have simply brought out their old LeBron jerseys, many had nothing stocked since they got rid of it previously, believing that James would never return to Ohio.
In an ESPN report, Michael Jordan had been No. 1 in the list from 1993 until 2005. When James went to Miami, he did not even make the top 10. The Harris Interactive poll showed that James was very popular among those from 18 to 36 years old as well as those from 49 to 67 years old. Jordan was more popular among the Generation X or those from 37 to 48 years old. Included in the list are Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. of NASCAR, Venus and Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Among the males in the list, Jordan is the only one retired.
Cleveland fans and even the Cleveland Cavaliers owner, Dan Gilbert, have forgiven James. However, fans will have to shell out around $300 to get new jerseys. The Cavaliers are expected to garner a lot of income from merchandise sales as it continues to build its championship-winning team. Even the cost of James' official Nike sneakers are expected to sell more or higher in the upcoming NBA season.