Local retailers are experiencing disappointment with the Indianapolis Colts' 3-10 record, which affects jersey and memorabilia sales. A small number of customers are buying jerseys, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Matt Hamlon, a general manager with Collector's Den in Circle Centre mall, told IndyStar that customers are interested in buying the jerseys of former players, including Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Edgerrin James, and Reggie Wayne. Apparently, amid the disappointing 2017 season, not a lot of customers are interested in buying the jerseys of current players.

Thus far, one Andrew Luck jersey has been sold by the Indianapolis-based retailer this season. Dick's Sporting Goods Jersey Report, which tracks the ranking of jersey sales, indicates that the rank of Luck jersey sales has dipped to 37th from 16th this season. Luck, the quarterback who signed a new six-year, $140 million contract last year, is unable to play this season due to a shoulder injury.

Ticket sales fall

In addition to the decline of jersey sales, the ticket sales sunk. According to the report, the Colts' upsetting record for the 2017 season makes their home-game tickets less attractive to fans. As of Monday (Dec. 11), StubHub, the largest secondary-market ticket broker in the nation, offered the cheapest ticket price for the Thursday (Dec.

14) game against the Denver Broncos game at $6.

Several people were attempting to sell tickets to their friends and co-workers for the Colts-Broncos game, but they were not interested in acquiring them. Mike Peduto, an owner of Circle City Tickets, a ticket brokerage based in Indianapolis, told IndyStar last week that fans "are just throwing the tickets in the trash."

According to Peduto, the last time the value of Colts tickets began to go south dramatically was six years ago, following the signing of Kerry Collins, who took the place of an injured Peyton Manning as the starting quarterback.

Eventually, fans' interest for the Colts began to diminish after Collins suffered an injury from a concussion and was replaced by a third-string quarterback during the 2011 season.

"Ticket prices plummeted the very next day," Peduto acknowledged. "So, it's been this bad before. And it's never been fun."

Impact on sales from player protests

As people have speculated since last year that professional football players protesting over the police mistreatment of black individuals during the national anthem played a leading role in the decline of the National Football League ratings, several sponsors placed some blame on the league for hurting sales.

Earlier this month, Genesco Inc., a Nashville-based specialty retailer, which owns headwear and athletic apparel brand Lids, reportedly noted that the same-store sales for Lids dropped by six percent compared to last year. Last month, pizza chain Papa John's, the major sponsor of the NFL, criticized the league over player protests, which caused a drop in sales.

Although the decline in sales has caused the pain that restauranteurs have been feeling, Adam Petty, the general manager of Dick's Last Resort Downtown, does not target the struggling Colts as the main reasons for company's sales failure. Petty pointed out that visiting teams such as the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, and Jacksonville Jaguars have not played as well as the past few years.
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