College football’s economic impact on Alabama

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – College football is back and while the stadiums are filling up and people are tuning in for their favorite teams, businesses are also benefiting from the start of the season.

It’s not just a game, it’s a culture.

During football season, a lot of money is spent to cheer on teams across the state.

“Whether you’re buying food to tailgate or you’re buying clothes to wear to game day,” said Nancy Dennis, Director of Public Relations at the Alabama Retail Association.

Game day season piggybacks off of back-to-school shopping, continuing sales into the holiday season.

One of EastChase’s newest stores, South, is a southern boutique in most college towns.

Here in Montgomery, they are still getting customers looking for the perfect outfit to wear during a game.

“We just have those customers, whether it’s college, high school, or all the way up to 70s and 80s, we truly have something for everyone,” said Area Manager Sarah White. “We have girls at Alabama and Auburn that want to dress up and go all out for game days.”

With the boom of social media, businesses are getting even more exposure, and competing against each other for the best look.

“The outfit of the days, all of the fun social media, try-ons, TikToks, everything has just blown up for us,” said White.

Even during the slowest buying season during January after the holidays, if an Alabama team wins a national championship, jewelry stores do exceptionally well.

Many people buy items such as crystal footballs to remember the win.

The Alabama Department of Tourism has estimated in the past that the overall economic impact of college football in Alabama exceeds $200 million.

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