Final Four boosts Butler Licensing
Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 3:28PM Congratulations are in order for the Butler Bulldogs, who advanced to the NCAA National Championship game and took ACC-power Duke to the wire Monday night. The No. 1 seed Blue Devils prevailed, 61-59, but not until Butler's Gordon Hayward last-second halfcourt heave just missed - it bounced off the backboad and front of the rim.
It was the first Final Four appearance in school history for No. 5 seed Butler (33-5), which knocked off No. 5 seed Michigan State to reach the National Championship game. It also marked the first Final Four for a team from the Horizon League.
The March (and early-April) run to the championship game introduced the world to The Butler Way, and put Butler University on the national stage, in a way morphing them into America's team. The trip to the Final Four also sparked merchandise sales for Butler University, which saw a boost from this tournament like it's never seen before.
Several articles documented the impact Butler's appearance in the Final Four had on merchandise sales and the University's licensing program. Darren Rovell of CNBC wrote about "Big Money on Butler Merchandise." Anthony Schoettle of Indianapolis Business Journal reported that a "Butler victory would mean big payday for school."
Go Bulldogs!
The SMA Team
