⛓️‍💥 The Business Behind Sports’ Loudest Trend

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Happy Wednesday,

Sports merchandise used to be simple: jerseys, hats, maybe a foam finger if you were feeling bold.

Now? Teams are strapping huge chains with comically large logos around fans’ necks.

This week, Jake and I sat down with James Helms, founder of PopChains — a Houston-based company building oversized, customizable “statement chains” for sports teams, brands, and events. What started as a novelty has quickly turned into a serious B2B merchandise business.

James launched PopChains in 2024. In 2025, one client alone — the Savannah Bananas — ordered roughly 30,000 chains across their teams.

But this “trend” didn’t come out of nowhere.

🎧 [Listen to the full episode with James Helms]

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5 Takeaways From Our Conversation With James Helms

1. The chain trend didn’t start yesterday

When we asked James where this all came from, he pointed to Miami’s turnover chain era as a major inflection point.

“I think that is, yes, the foundation,” he said, referencing the Hurricanes’ viral celebration chain in 2017 that helped normalize oversized jewelry in sports culture.

From there, the concept spread — college football, pro teams, sponsored chains (like Snickers), and now full-scale merch programs.

James didn’t invent the trend; he just productized it.

2. This is a B2B merchandise company, not a DTC “hype” brand

PopChains doesn’t sell direct-to-consumer. They sell to teams and brands.

“We sell B2B,” James explained. “They’ll send us an order… we produce, ship to their warehouse… and then they do all the distribution.”

The biggest proof point so far: the Savannah Bananas.

“In the case of the Savannah Bananas, last year we did about 30,000 chains just for their organization.”

That kind of volume moves PopChains out of the novelty category and into real merchandise economics.

3. The product had to evolve beyond ‘big and gaudy’

One of the biggest risks here is fad fatigue. Oversized hats have come and gone. Foam trends spike and disappear.

And James knows that.

Traditional chains, he said, were “very large and almost gaudy.” They were bulky. Some were made of styrofoam. They broke easily.

@poppchains.com

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PopChains took a different approach:

• Smaller, wearable sizing

• Lightweight materials

• U.S.-based manufacturing

• Interchangeable parts

They’ve even iterated individual designs dozens of times. The Bananas chain, he told us, went through about 65 iterations before final production.

This isn’t some garage Etsy operation; it’s a full-scale industrial manufacturing process.

4. The real moat might be tech

Every PopChain includes an embedded NFC chip.

Consumers can scan the back of the pendant, register it in the PopChains app, and eventually connect directly with the brand.

James described the goal as creating “a brand-to-fan engagement” layer — rewarding loyalty, offering giveaways, or unlocking experiences.

Instead of focusing solely on the merchandise category, James believes his chains are a wearable, serialized fan asset.

If that layer works, it moves PopChains out of the “cheese head” category and into something closer to digital ticketing meets collectibles.

5. Brands love chains for one simple reason: exposure

When we asked why brands would choose a chain over a t-shirt or hat, James didn’t overcomplicate it.

“It’s like a walking billboard around your neck.”

Chains are three-dimensional. They move. They sit at eye level. They’re loud.

And unlike jerseys, they’re one-size-fits-all. A fan doesn’t outgrow them. A team doesn’t have to manage sizing inventory.

In a crowded merch table, that matters.

Why It Matters

In my opinion, PopChains is less about jewelry and more about category expansion.

Sports merchandise has been relatively static for decades: apparel, headwear, and collectibles. Occasionally, something spikes (foam fingers, oversized hats), but very few new categories actually stick.

PopChains is trying to build one.

James didn’t just capitalize on a viral trend, instead he layered in:

• Domestic manufacturing

• Modular customization

• Limited drops and scarcity

• NFC technology

• A B2B distribution model

That combination makes this more defensible than a simple novelty product.

Will chains replace jerseys? Of course not.

But could they become a standardized accessory category — like cheese heads in Green Bay or foam fingers at basketball games? That’s realistic.

And the bigger takeaway is this: in modern sports, brands are constantly searching for new physical surfaces to own. If it’s visible, wearable, and photogenic — someone will try to monetize it.

PopChains is betting that surface might be your neck.

🎧 [Listen to the full episode with James Helms]

📩 And don’t forget: Bottom of the Ninth is back this Friday with the top three stories in sports and business from the week.

See you then,
Tyler & Jake