Ray Lewis Is Beating Eli Manning in NFL Jersey Sales

Ray Lewis is still getting after quarterbacks. 

TMZ reports that Lewis’ jersey is currently outselling Eli Manning and a host of other active players and franchise faces. 

As it stands, Lewis’ No. 52 jersey is the 11th highest-selling jersey on NFLShop.com. Of course this is somewhat puzzling and/or ridiculous, considering the Ravens linebacker is retired and, therefore, has no business sitting on the cusp of the top 10 most in-demand athletes in the business. 

Lewis isn’t just beating Eli, either. He’s ahead of Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (18th best-selling), Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (20th best-selling) and Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy (25th best-selling).

These are all active players, all dominant at their positions. It doesn’t matter, however—people still want to rep the No. 52, it would appear. 

The players whose jerseys are outselling Lewis’ are all current superstars. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is the top-selling jersey on the site, followed by Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning.   

Other notable names in front of Lewis’ jersey include Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, whose jerseys are third and fourth best-selling, respectively.

This raises the question: To what do we owe this phenomenon?

Why are people still buying Ray Lewis jerseys? That isn’t a stab at Lewis—no deer antler syrup gags or white suit jokes are intended. It’s an honest question: Why is this jersey still selling this well?

The first thought that comes to mind is that the NFL is calculating sales by the calendar year, as opposed to the NFL season. Ray Lewis jersey sales boomed 2,000 percent after he announced his retirement last season, and it's likely that huge spike has kept him among the top overall sellers for 2013.

It’s either that, or there are a lot of closet Ray Lewis fans out there who really miss the man.

Just admit it, guys—some of you snuggle up with a Ray Lewis jersey at night and dream he’s teaching you how to dance.

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