Oklahoma Thunder gives away 18,000 T-shirts to build community with the team

Aside from music concert T-shirts, sport team T-shirts are a MASSIVE portion of the T-shirt sector.  Right now, the NBA playoffs are occurring and the Oklahoma Thunder in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma are using T-shirts to establish a connection with fans and community.

The Thunder team operates under three primary principles; Team Work, Community and Selflessness.  To engage the fan base and establish a sense of community, the Thunder organization has been printing and putting 18,000 T-shirts on seats in the area - each playoff game.  As seen by the pictures below, the slogan is the same "Rise Together", but each section of the arena is outfitted with either blue or white T-shirts, alternating between sections.  The results is an eye-catching visual treat for those in the arena and the estimate 4 million viewers on the cable network channel TNT.  (KJRH)

As estimated and noted in the story, there are a potential of 27 playoff games that could be played in Thunder's arena.  At 18,000 T-shirts per game, that's a total of 490,000 T-shirts.  Staggering numbers.  Staggering dollars too.  Considering each T-shirt is printed for maybe $5 each, that's an estimated $90,000 a game going to some lucky screen printer, with a full deal of all 27 playoff games of equating to $2,450,000.  Again, these are my estimates.  Even at $1 per T-shirt, some screen printer is making $18,000 a game.  Nice coin.

Getting away from the glitter of the money, the visual presentation, the offering of free T-shirts to the fans, the building and maintaining of community with the team is a very powerful action and step taken by the Oklahoma Thunder organization.  This is an excellent example of how T-shirts, given away in great quantities can have a positive reflection and reaction by those physically wearing the T-shirts, and those who see the T-shirts and know the story behind it.  It certainly helps when you have 4 million views on TV, when they're watching the game.

Here's an interesting note.  As of May 15, 2013 the 500,000th free T-shirt was given away.  That's half a million T-shirts given away since 2010.