""Excuse me," a woman said to a sales associate Wednesday afternoon as she sifted through the endless round racks of Alabama Crimson Tide-branded apparel. She said her name was Mary from Montgomery and she was in town to visit her grandson before fall classes wrapped up and, well, "I was hoping to buy him one of those Coach DeBoer Black Hoodies of Death. Do y'all have any?""
"'Yeah, I've signed a few of those,' DeBoer himself said Wednesday afternoon, chuckling as he wore a crimson three-quarter zip. He saves the hoodies for game days, and this Saturday is a large one, the SEC championship game in Atlanta. 'I suppose that I created the market for the genuine article, but then I also cornered the market, didn't I?'"
Shoppers in Tuscaloosa sought the specific Coach DeBoer black hoodie and found it unavailable at Walmart, Dick's, Academy, the Alabama bookstore, and local boutiques. Many retailers still offer similar black Alabama hoodies or unlicensed online designs labeled 'BLACK HOODIE OF DEATH.' The authentic item is the matte black Nike Sideline Dri-FIT XL with a crimson rectangle, block 'ALABAMA' and centered crimson swoosh. Kalen DeBoer owns several genuine pullovers and reserves them for game days. Equipment director Kyle Smith bought the campus bookstore's entire stock after identifying DeBoer's preferred pullover, consolidating local supply.
Read at ESPN.com
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