Counterfeits Abound at College Football Playoffs

The climax of the 2017 College Football Playoff, the National Championship game, was an exciting one. You didn’t have to be a Clemson or Alabama fan to get excited about the game. And, as we’ve seen with other aspects of sports and pop culture, excitement and enthusiasm can lead to a lot of counterfeit merchandise.

ABC Action News reported that, during last year’s College Football Playoff, the Collegiate Licensing Company seized about 2,000 counterfeit items—a total of about $52,000 in merchandise.

Based on the attitudes of fans this year, counterfeiters had plenty of opportunities.

“As long as it says Clemson on it and it’s orange, it’s good enough for me,” one fan told ABC Action News.

“I’ve seen people selling unlicensed merchandise in this parking lot right next door,” Matthew Smith, who operated a tent for his business, Sports Mania, near the Raymond James Stadium, told ABC News. “Outside of the tent, people have been driving by and taking pictures of the product.”

Though officials haven’t disclosed the exact amount of counterfeit merchandise seized this year during the playoffs and national championship game, we’ll follow along to see how it stacks up against the “goods” officials seized before the Super Bowl and Stanley Cup Finals.