Big Balls: The Concession Item Of The Future

When I was growing up, the best store in all of New York City was a place called “Think Big!”

I bought a big baseball bat, a big baseball, and for some strange reason, a big “While You Were Out” pad.

I assume the store went out of business because, after a while the novelty wore off, and -– to be honest –- these items were hardly cheap.

But the idea is back in the sports world.

Look no further than the sales success of Wilson’s jumbo tennis balls at $40 a piece. When the US Open ends today, Wilson will have sold about 6,000 of those balls (it would have been closer to 8,000 had the weather cooperated).

Question: Why isn’t every major ball manufacturer doing this?

Where are Wilson’s big footballs at the Super Bowl? Spalding’s big basketballs at the NBA Finals? InGlasCo big hockey pucks for the Stanley Cup Finals? And Rawlings big baseballs at the World Series?

It’s worth producing, even though they won’t sell as well as well as the big tennis balls do at the US Open for a couple reasons.

Clijsters completes fairytale of New York

For one, there’s just more access to players at the US Open then there is at any of these other big events. Secondly, kids are willing to get autographs of anyone on their big tennis balls so the pool of talent is bigger and the chances of getting rejected are smaller. I got asked for an autograph a couple times and I guarantee you these 10-year-olds don’t watch CNBC.

On the flip side, the felt on the tennis ball doesn’t lend itself to a good signature and a nice John Hancock with a silver sharpie on a big pigskin or big baseball will likely look better down the road.

That's if it's in a jumbo plexiglass holder. Guess that's next!

Questions? Comments? SportsBiz@cnbc.com