Hats, jerseys and jackets, oh my! How the World Series is an MLB merch bonanza.

The 2024 World Series showdown could be epic and set records − in stores and in the stands.

As the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers prepare to face off in this year's World Series, fans of the storied MLB franchises are lining up to buy new jerseys, shirts, hats, bobbleheads − or even a team WWE Legacy Title Belt for $550.

The period leading up to the World Series is "sort of like our holiday time," Noah Garden, Major League Baseball's deputy commissioner of business and media, told USA TODAY. "When you get to the World Series, the first thing the players do is put on that championship cap or that championship T-shirt."

Fans are prepared to pay often eye-popping prices for the chance to wear similar garb, cheer on their favorites from the stands or celebrate with fellow fans at a watch party.

Access has a high price tag

Merchandise and game prices are all over the map, from the comparatively affordable World Series T-shirts ($35 to $45) to a game day seat, which could cost as much as a down payment for a car.

Ahead of the series start, one resale ticket on Ticketmaster for Game 1 in Los Angeles runs more than $900, not including taxes and fees, and the most expensive tickets cost more than $3,000. Tickets listed on Stub Hub for Game 3 in New York range from $1,100 to nearly $8,000.

More: 2024 World Series tickets: Prices and how to buy Dodgers vs. Yankees tickets

The price climbs as the games advance. The cheapest tickets for Game 6 in Los Angeles (if necessary) are priced at just over $1,200 on Ticketmaster.

How the World Series affects merch sales

The excitement created around a team advancing in a championship makes related apparel feel exclusive and attractive to fans, said Jim Andrews, a sports marketing expert and lecturer at Northwestern University. It's an opportunity for teams and retailers to "sell more products, other than the merchandise they've been selling all season."

There can also be an urgency for fans to buy.

"You don't know if your team is going to make it back next year or in the next few years," Andrews said. "If you want a World Series sweatshirt or whatever it might be, now is the time to grab it."

MLB does not disclose financial information or how much teams generate from merchandise sales, but it did share that the increase of merch sales in postseason and during the World Series can range from 10% to more than 90%, depending on the teams and players.

The popularity of some of the players in this year's matchup, such as Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani, can broaden domestic and international interest in that merch, Garden said.

The World Series player jersey for Ohtani costs $195 in the MLB Shop, compared with the already pricey $135 non-championship Ohtani jersey. The price is similar for World Series jerseys for popular Yankees Aaron Judge ($195) and Juan Soto ($165).

MLB payrolls 2024: Dodgers-Yankees World Series a showcase for highest paid stars

Fandoms around certain teams also aren't limited to where the team plays, especially in the past few years, but the bigger a market is, the more it can affect sales.

Sales from this year's World Series could be "huge," Garden said. "You're talking about two of the biggest cities in the country."

MLB has had "some really big years over the last 10 years," but 2024 has "a shot at being a record year" for sales, Garden said.

Though fans may flock to gear during the World Series, the bump in sales can last beyond the postseason championship period.

"You get the big spike now, but this goes right through the holidays," Garden said. "In December, every kid wants to have that championship cap. Whoever didn't get it (during the World Series) wants to celebrate their fandom. It makes for an amazing gift around that time."

Even the losing team's merch may continue to sell more than one might think. Many fans will still want to grab a piece of merchandise for their collections.

"They might lose the World Series, but they've won everything up until then," Garden said.

Merch and the connection to community

Fans are drawn to merch, especially apparel and especially during a championship period, because it not only allows them to express their fandom, but it also fills other social influences.

"It's a way for a fan to showcase pride," eMarketer analyst Suzy Davidkhanian told USA TODAY. "It's like an emotional connection. And I think retailers or the sports teams that are selling these merch really use that to their benefit."

In sports fandom, fans "are almost part of the team," said Michael Lewis, a professor of marketing at Emory University. "You hear this all the time: 'We won the World Series,' 'We won the national championship' or 'We lost.'"

Another influence is people who want to be associated with a team because "it's popular or they want to fit in," Lewis said. "One's an internal dimension, one's a social dimension."

Fandoms are built by great moments over time, and championships are the biggest of those great moments.

"it is a great way to build a sense of community and a belonging and pride," Davidkhanian said. "Even if you can't be there at the game, you're still wearing the sports merch, and you're going to the bar to watch the games."

Most popular World Series merch

What merch has been most popular with baseball fans this postseason?

"Far and away, it's what we call the 'locker room collection,'" Garden said. Once a team makes the championship series and the players don the related caps and shirts, the similar merch items are usually the bestsellers.

According to MLB, the World Series merch that is already popular with fans are the Yankees and Dodgers on-field World Series caps ($44), Yankees and Dodgers World Series hoodies ($85), Yankees American League Champion T-shirts ($40) and caps ($38), and the Dodgers National League Champion T-shirt ($40) and cap ($38).

What the players are wearing when they actually win often are the initial bestsellers, Garden said, and different types of products or commemorative items, such as an authentic baseball signed by Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, now listed for almost $1,700, may start to pick up closer to the holidays.

Merch sales can also extend beyond apparel, Davidkhanian said. "If you're hosting a championship party, you might get merch, like the paper plates, and that's a licensing deal. The tide rises for everybody when a team is in one of these big events."

When your team makes a World Series, Davidkhanian said, it gives fans "another reason to go buy more merch."

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Series homerun derby: It's Dodgers v Yankees in merch wars