Polamalu, Rodgers jerseys popular among women
With more than 40 percent of NFL fans being female, jerseys tailored for women have become popular in recent years. So it's interesting to see what jerseys men buy that women don't – and vice versa.
Like the men's market, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu(notes) was the most popular women's jersey sold. Polamalu was followed by Peyton Manning(notes) and Drew Brees(notes), who rank fourth and second on the men's list, respectively, according to stats from NFLShop.com.
So what player experienced a nice jump in the women's jersey market as compared to the men's market?
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Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers(notes), who reportedly is dating "Gossip Girl" star Jessica Szohr, is fourth on the women's jersey list, one spot ahead of Tom Brady(notes). He ranks seventh on the list of men's jerseys.
And women clearly love their Dallas Cowboys. Wide receiver Miles Austin(notes) is seventh on the women's list, but 13th on the men's list. Quarterback Tony Romo(notes) is ninth on the women's list and 11th on the men's list. And the biggest jump of anyone on the list is tight end Jason Witten(notes), who is 21st on the men's list but 10th on the women's list.
Despite his off-the-field behavior, Brett Favre(notes) jerseys are the 11th best sellers among the women and he was 12th on the men's list. The biggest drop between men and women was Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick(notes), who was sixth on the men's list and 14th on the women's list.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger(notes), who finished out of the top 25 on the men's list, also didn't make the women's top 25.
Having women fans is a big boost to any player's marketing. Alex Holmes, Polamalu's brother-in-law and business partner, said that of Polamalu's more than 875,000 fans on Facebook, 49 percent of his fans are female.
"Women understand that he's married, but they still love him," Holmes said. "And I think the hair helps too."
The top five:
1. Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers: Slideshow
2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts: Slideshow
3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints: Slideshow
4. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: Slideshow
5. Tom Brady, New England Patriots: Slideshow
• See more jerseys
Slideshow: Best-selling NFL jerseys for women
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