Vandal fever boosts merchandise, ticket sales for Moscow

Budget holdbacks, program cuts and a slumping national economy have taken their financial toll on the University of Idaho in recent years, but sales, along with the number of visitors to the community, have spiked this fall.

More people attending home games means more people spending money in area restaurants, hotels and retail stores, said Steven Hacker, director of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce.

"With any university and their football and athletics, when you have those wins, one kind of increase is in community spirit," he said. "People really get energized, and more importantly, people who have left the Moscow area come back."

He said he's received several phone calls this fall from people out of the area looking for places to camp or park their RVs when local hotels are full on game days.

"There's just a lot of folks coming from six to seven hours away that had not normally planned to come here," he said.

Steve Peterson of the U of I's College of Business and Economics has been studying the effects of the athletics department on the local economy for about 10 years.

Peterson examined both direct and indirect spending on athletics and found that, as of last year, the athletics department contributes $32 million and 606 jobs to the local economy each year.

This year's football success alone won't increase those numbers significantly, he said, but if the team keeps winning in future seasons, athletics' contribution to the local economy could rise to $34 million and 642 jobs.

"If we could routinely get a bowl bid, then it jumps to $37 million and 718 jobs," he added. But that's only after several years of success.

The U of I Bookstore is selling more clothing and accessories branded with Idaho logos and imagery.

Manager John Bales said general merchandise sales are up this season after being flat for several years.

"It's been a very positive impact," he said. "Any profitability we have is owned by the university, and that money is spent wisely where it is needed."

Athletic Director Rob Spear said ticket sales for the football team's home opener against San Diego State University on Sept. 19 were "way under our projections," but subsequent games drew larger crowds.

People wearing Vandals-themed merchandise are a form of advertising for the university, and so is the Western Athletic Conference's contract with ESPN, Spear said. ESPNU is broadcasting at least three games this season, including the Vandals' November faceoff against Boise State University.