For many years, the merchandise sold by members of the Timbers Army has given us a way to show our pride in our club while elevating what our club brings to the community. The profits earned have gone not into a person’s or corporation’s bank account but back into our community. By community, I mean both our game day operations and our charitable efforts. Merchandise pays for smoke, paint, fabric, drums, trumpets, and has also made our community outreach activities like Operation Pitch Invasion, Harper’s Playground, and the Jefferson HS Field renovation possible. All that is not possible without our merch sales
By profits, we’re talking about around a third of the sale price, or $5 from a $15 T-shirt. The rest of the $15 example goes to the cost of goods and the printing of the design. The artist who creates the design donates their work. The people stocking, selling, and tracking the merchandise all donate their time. This model is how we are able to do such amazing work in the stadium and in our community.
Think of what the TA has done over the last decade. Most of that was made possible in part by our merch sales, whether by No Pity Originals or by countless others who have designed and sold merch individually and donated those profits either to our game day activities or to a charity.
So, you have a great idea for merch to be sold to the TA? Awesome. If it’s good, it will sell. If it’s bad, you’ll learn. But please sell it while honoring the traditions that have made the TA the force that we are today. Ask yourself the following questions:
1. Does the profit ($ earned after purchase of blank and printing) go back into the Timbers Army’s game day work or charitable work? If not, please consider changing that. When you keep profits made off of the TA for yourself, you lessen the amount of good the TA $ can do in our community or for our club. You’re an artist who deserves to be paid for their work? Well, OK, but other artists donate their work to make all that we do possible. What would happen if they all took the attitude of needing to be paid? Most of the good things you see the TA doing would cease to exist. Smoke? Tifo? Soccer pitches? Yes, that all goes away. Please consider making your profits elsewhere and using your Timbers love to benefit our community and TA support. It's not personal. Truly. Yes YOU may be a great person with good intentions but for every you, there is some Merch pirate intent on making a TA mouse pad and charging $25 for it.
2. Are you violating any trademarks? The FO/MLS owns Timbers, Thorns and any and all forms of their crest starting in 1975. If you use these things, you’re putting yourself at legal risk that’s probably not worth it. It also puts stress on the rest of the TA as it provokes stricter attention from their attorneys. No Pity, Axes and Rose, No Pity Originals, TA Crest, Cascadia Cup are owned by the 107ist on behalf of the Timbers Army. The 107ist protects these so that they can be used to benefit our club and community exclusively, rather than to line the pockets of anyone who wants to make a buck off of your passion.
Creative ideas from individuals are what make the Timbers Army a vibrant and interesting place to be. They’re also what allow us to do the amazing work that we do both inside and outside of the stadium. We ask that you honor this and use your brilliant ideas to uphold the traditions we hold dear. If you want to sell merch individually and not connect it to the 107ist, no problem! Just please honor the same traditions the 107ist does. They are what has made and will make the TA possible.
