Dakonomics: Prescott's effect on Starkville businesses

STARKVILLE — Angela Watt can predict the topic of most phone calls these days.

In her three years working at Sports Center, a sporting goods store in Starkville, the phone has never rung as much as it has since the Dallas Cowboys selected Dak Prescott in May's NFL draft.

It's only continued as Prescott has become a rookie sensation, threatening to unseat Tony Romo as the Cowboys' starting quarterback. An average day draws 30 calls — Watt can remember receiving as many as 40 — from people inquiring about the navy Cowboys jersey with the white No. 4. The most important part, though, is "Prescott" on the back.

“When he got drafted into the NFL we could not keep the Cowboys jersey in,” Watt said. “Anytime we get them, the same with the -Tshirts, they sell well.”

Prescott created a buzz nationally once Romo suffered a back injury in his first series of the preseason in August. It forced Prescott, a fourth-round pick in May, to take the reigns of the Cowboys' offense.

All he’s done is led Dallas to a first-place 5-1 start atop the NFC East. He owns the second-best quarterback rating (QBR) in the NFL. And he broke Tom Brady’s record for most pass attempts to start a career without throwing an interception. The streak ended last week against Green Bay at 176

Prescott continues to dominate the league’s headlines even as Dallas is off this week. In Starkville, though, the spotlight never left the greatest player in the history of Mississippi State football.

“It feels like somebody you knew all your life. Somebody you watched grow,” said Samantha Perkins, a manager at Starkville’s Buffalo Wild Wings. “It’s very special to have somebody from your hometown that you watched thrive all these years to succeed.”

Perkins began working at Buffalo Wild Wings four years ago. Nothing prepared her for the Prescott phenomenon.

“The first game was kind of a trial and error. We knew Dak Prescott. But honestly, we as a management staff underestimated his fan base. I will completely say that. It blew my mind,” Perkins said. “After that first game, I’m not going to lie, we got our butts handed to us. OK, Dak Prescott’s fanbase is outrageous. We’re definitely going to have to double up.”

The local NFL game in Mississippi is usually the New Orleans Saints. It leaves many Prescott fans without a means of watching their favorite player.

So in a weekly pilgrimage, they trek to the black and yellow cathedral in the shadows of Davis Wade Stadium.

Calls begin flowing in at 9 a.m. ensuring the Cowboys game will be shown — it always is and on every big screen.

Prescott nation all arrives — from Louisville, West Point, Columbus, Macon and Tupelo about an hour prior to the game.

“They literally come at all the same time, so they sit down at the same time,” Perkins said. “They all order at the same time and then they all expect their food to come at the same time. That’s getting your butts handed to you.”

Those arriving during the game can be met with a wait time of an hour.

“And people wait,” Perkins said. “People wait! They’re like, 'Yeah, it’s fine.'”

Perkins has doubled her staff during Cowboys games. The contests, whether it be on Sunday, Monday or Thursday, generate anywhere from $500-$800 more revenue per hour than a non-Cowboys game.

The Cowboys bye on Sunday  could cost the local Buffalo Wild Wings as much as $3,000.

“We always overshoot our projections for Cowboys games and we raise them weekly,” Perkins said.

Nearly all the fans that make the trek don No. 4 Prescott jerseys.

Sports Center can’t keep them stocked. Watt eagerly awaited another shipment when she spoke to The Clarion-Ledger on Thursday.

Wal-Mart receives Prescott gear daily. All of the No. 4 merchandise sits at the front of the store.

“He’s impacted us in a very big way,” assistant store manager Deanna Mack said. “We’re happy to be able to sell his jerseys and stuff in here. We’ve been having a lot of floor traffic looking for the jerseys with his numbers on it.”

The calls and requests at Wal-Mart rival that of Sports Center.

In her two years at the Starkville store, Mack can’t remember another product, including Christmas season's must-have toys, generating the buzz the No. 4 Prescott jersey has.

The only product that even rivaled the demand also belongs to Prescott. His No. 15 Mississippi State jersey created waiting lists in 2014.

“Basically we haven’t had anybody coming in looking for things like they’ve been requesting these shirts,” Mack said.

In his final two seasons at Mississippi State, Prescott accomplished feats never seen before in Starkville. In his first year away from his surrogate home, nothing has changed.

“He," Mack said, "kind of stands by himself."

Contact Michael Bonner at mbonner@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @MikeBBonner on Twitter. Like Michael Bonner Clarion-Ledger on Facebook.