ABSTRACT
Valparaiso, Indiana is the siteofOrvilleRedenbacher’s success andhometo the Valparaiso University basketball team-the Cinderella team of the Sweet 16 during the 1998 NCAA National Basketball Tournament. The team’s success did not go unnoticed in the community; most of the town’s 26,000 residents spent their time discussing the team’s amazing run and purchasing team apparel. Stores stocking the college’s merchandise could not keep the shelves filled; requests came from not only locals but also outside enthusiasts. Even staunch Kansas fans, bitter at the Rhode Island team that ousted them from the tournament, were requesting Valparaiso apparel. An association with a team strong enough to impact an entire town is not uncommon in sports.
