Answer to the Trivia Question

While it may seem logical to think that an NHL hockey team would be the most frequently marketed sports team in Russia (after all, there are lots and lots of players from Russian and ex-Soviet countries playing in the NHL), that would, of course, be TOO logical.

So, one would probably then turn towards basketball, as it is, after all, a very international sport, and even has a Russian star, Andrei Kirilenko, of the Utah Jazz. Well, that too, would be wrong.

Now, it is between sports that are more obscure in Russia. Perhaps MLS soccer because it is, after all, the world's sport? Nope. Football, as there is the NFL Europe teams, so perhaps there is interest from Russians in that sport? Not that choice, either.

Which leaves us with baseball, the sport that is "America's pastime," but which few in this part of the world know anything about. But, surprisingly, it is a baseball team. In fact, it is the Evil Empire of baseball (unless, of course you support this team, and then that term would be resented), whose payroll far exceeds everyone elses, running over $200 million. Which of course, means that they need to market themselves, which they do very well. I am speaking, if you haven't figured it out yet, of the New York Yankees. Yes, this team's hats are the easiest to find here, much to my surprise!

The most ironic thing about it for me is that most, probably almost all, of the people who buy Yankees paraphernalia have no idea what they are wearing. I chuckled to myself a few weeks ago when I say a young blond woman, decked out in designer clothing, wearing a pink Yankees hat.