1. this is not unusual. Zephyr didn't start this in the industry. Florida is exclusively Top of the World. Oklahoma is exclusively Top of the World. They were the first two. starting next year Georgia is exclusively 47 brand. Zephyr has Washington, UConn, Arizona, and now BYU.
the lost sales to zephyr of losing florida for example could be devastating if zephyr didn't fight back. We sold a lot more Florida hats then we did any of our exclusive schools by far when we had equal rights. if we only went 'toe to toe' we would end up losing more and more market share. you have to adjust to the industry. Why do you think NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB have monster deals with companies. I have been pushed out of places where I was killing the competition head to head and made the highest quality product. The team or league just really wanted more money. that's the way the industry is. I cant out bid New Era or Nike.

2. Zephyr prefers the open model in most cases. We go toe to toe and usually are in the top 2 companies in most of 800 schools. Zephyr outsells New Era toe to toe in college all day long when we have the same rights.

3. schools want more attention and also more money. open model doesn't allow a company to help the school in other ways. this is not a market share grab. Zephyr invests in its schools. advertising, student internships, point of purchase marketing, business programs, corporate responsibility programs, international marketing, etc. In the open model its only about product. Most schools want to be known for who they are and what they stand for now. they just don't want to be lumped in with all the other schools. They want someone to be their advocate. NO one comes close to doing for their schools what we do for ours.

Trust me I wish I could just crank out Zephyr Bronco hats. if I did I would sued out of business. The industry is just going this way and we either join in by offering more and doing a better job or we become the hat company that only has mid major schools, mid major markets, mid major profits.