Embarrassed fans who once covered their heads with paper bags now proudly sport black and gold while chants of “Who Dat?” echo across Louisiana.
The New Orleans Saints are one game, Sunday’s NFC Championship game against the Minnesota Vikings, from the franchise’s first Super Bowl.
But the team has already finished in the top 10 in the NFL in merchandising sales in 2009 for the first time since the league began recording sales in 1979.
The Saints ranked No. 10 in NFL merchandise sales beginning in April, but through December the Saints leaped to the No. 6 spot, according to Reebok, who sells official NFL merchandise.
Saints sales increased more than 60 percent since last season, according to Reebok.Quarterback Drew Brees’ No. 9 jersey ranks fourth in sales on NFLShop.com’s top selling jerseys. He trails Minnesota Viking quarterback Brett Favre, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, according to the Jan. 8 NFL report.
With a historic season like 2009, many retailers struggle to keep Saints merchandise on the shelves.
Chad Rachal, sales associate at Nawlins Sports in the Mall of Louisiana, said it’s hard to keep a deep wall of Saints clothing four rows high and 30 rows long stocked.”Since they [started] 13-0, sales were really good,” he said. “As soon as we’d put stuff out, we’d sell out.”
Rachal said more LSU merchandise was sold as the LSU and Saints seasons began, but Saints sales became the biggest profit when LSU lost to Florida and the Saints continued on a winning streak.
Rachal said the number of fans purchasing Saints gear increased steadily, but the two biggest milestones came after the Monday night games against the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots.
“After those two days, [the sales] were just ridiculous,” he said. “The Falcons are the biggest rival in the division — like an LSU and Auburn thing. It helped seal the division championship by beating them, and us dominating the Patriots really showed how good of a team the Saints are.”
The Nawlins Sports store sells everything from Saints window decals, magnets and coffee mugs to nutcrackers, floor mats and wigs resembling cornerback Mike McKenzie’s dreadlocks.
“If it’s black and gold and has a fleur-de-lis on it, we’ve got it,” Rachel said.But fans won’t find any T-shirts with unique phrases like “Breesus Saves” or “Who Dat?” at the shop.
“‘Who Dat?’ is not licensed by the Saints,” he said. “It’s not an official NFL product, and NFL won’t buy the phrase.”
Brees, tight end Jeremy Shockey and wide receiver Marques Colston rank as the top-selling Saints jerseys, Rachal said. Adult jerseys cost between $79.99 and $279.99.Heather Battles, sales associate at Nawlins Sports, said jersey prices saw an increase from last season.
“They went up because it was harder to get them,” Battles said. “There was this great demand for New Orleans Saints stuff.”
But Rachal said if the Saints lose, it could affect the number of sales.
“It will probably be dead in here,” he said. “We’ll probably have a good bit of returns.”Sarah Cobb, education junior and longtime Saints fan, said she bought a Reggie Bush jersey last year and a Saints T-shirt this season.
“The people who are just fair-weather fans will stop buying the merchandise [if the Saints lose], and the people who have always loved them will keep buying no matter what,” she said.
Jill Jeskin, Saints Hall of Fame Museum design consultant in the Louisiana Superdome, said the museum staff is fascinated by the abundance of Saints merchandise that has appeared.
“Now there is just an overflowing giant bear hug of excitement,” she said. “All the fans feel excited about having our own team, and now the roster and coaches are really making it a winning team.”
But Saints fans haven’t always been this proud. In 1980, the Saints didn’t win their first game until the next to last game of the season — finishing with the worst record in franchise history of 1-15.
Bernard “Buddy” Diliberto, New Orleans sports commentator, encouraged Saints fans to wear paper bags over their heads and root for “The Aints” as a clever way to keep the spirit of support alive, Jeskin said.
“It was total desperation,” Jeskin said. “People got discouraged before, but the ownership has never been deserted, and now the celebration is official.”
Jeskin said while the team’s record and roster may change, some die-hard fans have supported their Saints since the beginning.
“[The Saints] weren’t a winning team before,” she said. “So now this is a reward for people who have stuck with it for so long.”
Jeskin said the spirit of “We’re going to make it” has always been in the fans, and now the Saints have entered the “dream come true phase.”
“People just want to have that feeling for as long as they can have it,” she said. “It’s the connection to the city and the culture of New Orleans.” 
 
——Contact Leslie Presnall at [email protected]