Chicago Cubs Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta was recently spotted wearing South Bend Cubs merchandise. The South Bend Cubs were tabbed as one of the top-selling merchandise franchises in America. (Photo courtesy of the South Bend Cubs Twitter account)

SOUTH BEND –  Minor League Baseball (MiLB) announced today that the South Bend Cubs of the Midwest League have entered the Top 10 in merchandise sales among all 160 professional minor league teams in the nation. Top 10 status is considered one of the strongest symbols of fan affinity and strength of the overall brand for any professional team.

“When we announced the Chicago affiliation in September of 2014, I talked about the Cubs as one of the most recognized and valuable brands in the world,” said Andrew T. Berlin, owner of the South Bend Cubs. “We knew fans in Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan had a historic bond with Chicago. But even we were surprised at the level of enthusiasm witnessed for this South Bend team all across the country. Not only can you feel the enthusiasm at Four Winds Field, you can see it in all 50 states where fans are increasingly wearing South Bend Cubs merchandise in record numbers.”

South Bend Cubs merchandise is marketed to fans across the country and around the globe 24 hours a day at SouthBendCubs.com. International sales to-date include Canada, New Zealand, Saint Croix and Sweden.

Photos from Twitter have even surfaced with Chicago Cubs players wearing South Bend Cubs hats and shirts as part of their daily routines.

“It’s an exciting barometer of success,” added Joe Hart, President of the South Bend Cubs. “When you see someone in Niles, Fort Wayne, Minnesota, Alaska or one of the four nations around the globe where our logo-wear is being purchased, you realize our South Bend team is now part of a global brand.”

As a Cubs affiliate, the team sold more merchandise during its first month of sales in December 2014 than all merchandise sales combined for the previous two years. Team store hours have been expanded since that time.

“It’s also exciting to see staff and players for the Cubs organization in Chicago wearing some of our South Bend logo-wear,” added Hart. “Obviously, it’s a choice. And I think their choice has a lot to do with preserving the legendary Cubs logo while adding a distinctive South Bend flair at the same time.  So many of our logo variations, like our leaping Cubby bear, project attitude and athleticism.  That blend of Chicago and South Bend seems to be something that everyone loves.”

“This is also another financial success story for the city,” added Berlin. “South Bend keeps all of the state income tax on merchandise sales from the team because the South Bend Cubs are a professional team. Normally, that tax money goes directly to Indianapolis for the general fund. But the city benefits from something called the Professional Sports Development Fund and is allowed to keep all of the sales tax income. So, the more merchandise sold here and around the world, the more the city of South Bend earns.”