This time around, the union is launching its merchandising efforts well in advance of the games, which begin this month, and hopes to cover all the team's expenses. It's much like America was during the Depression, so there literally is no chance of raising any financial support there for this team." "Nearly all the banks in Lithuania closed within the last six months. "This has come about as an absolute necessity if this team is to get to Atlanta," said Nelson, son of former New York Knicks coach Don Nelson. We were stunned by the response."įour years later, the economy of Lithuania is still frail, and the team is again looking to the Dead. "We seldom donate money to an effort that ends up making money for the REX Foundation," Weir said. The item generated more than $450,000 in sales in the ensuing months, raising $250,000 for children's charities in Lithuania. The T-shirts were such a hit, both among fans on the streets of Barcelona and Grateful Dead fans in the United States, that the team started selling them after the Olympics. Help from the band came in the form of a $5,000 donation and a box of T-shirts with the slam-dunking skeleton, designed by New York artist Greg Speirs. We could help them establish a national identity by helping them get to the Olympics." "He slipped one of us a piece of paper asking for funding from our REX Foundation (a charity arm of the band)," said Dead guitarist Bob Weir. Lithuanian star Sarunas Marciulionis was playing for the NBA's Golden State Warriors and approached Jerry Garcia, who died last year, and other members of the band after a concert.
Money was tight in Lithuania, which had just received its independence from the Soviet Union. The union between the Dead and the Lithuanians began before the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Further, the merchandising arm of the Dead is involved, which also could boost sales.
"We are already receiving orders and the line was just launched," she said. "We believe that this line of merchandise will generate as much revenue as a major rock tour," said Kimberly Schabot, director of licensing for Not Fade Away Graphics, a Kingston, N.Y., company that is among the businesses marketing Dead wear.
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