It's still football season in Tuscaloosa. Alabama plays Florida in Atlanta tomorrow for the SEC Championship. And we keep selling those Alabama Football cookies, especially the Saban Straw Hat cookie. Last year, we made our last football themed cookie in mid-November. It's already December 5, and sales are still going strong. Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox calls this 'Sabanomics'.
'Sabanomics' describes the uptick in the local economy resulting from the success of the University of Alabama football team, due to Coach Nick Saban. More fans come to home games and spend money. Not just on Alabama merchandise, but on hotels, gas, food, drinks and other "stuff." Happy fans spend more money. And the fans are particularly happy right now. We know because they are buying lots of cookies.
I'm sure Tuscaloosa experienced a similar boost in the economy in the days of Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, but there was no Mary's Cakes back then. I'm also sure it was profitable for everyone involved. And Coach Bryant had his own successful brand of economics; his son founded Tuscaloosa based Bryant Bank in 2005. We have a cookie in Coach Bear Bryant's honor too, the Houndstooth Hat.
We won't know until after the showdown tomorrow afternoon whether the impact of Sabanomics will last until January 1 or beyond, but we are loving every minute.
Roll Tide!
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