Quote:
Originally Posted by bax
I see the reaction to this news is pretty negative. I get it, thats social media these days. Everyone needs to give their quick, eye catching response before they think something through, but as a big jersey fan there are a few reasons I’m not worried about this at all:
- They will be using the same factory that the current Adidas jerseys are produced. The Fanatics version will be “almost indiscernible” from the current Adidas jersey.
- We won’t see major design changes until 26-27. Even then they are just hoping to update materials to include better protection against skate lacerations.
- Fanatics has been producing on field MLB jerseys since 2017
- Fanatics produces authentic NFL jerseys (although sold with a nike logo)
- Fanatics was originally brought on to create a cheaper (worse) version of the authentic jerseys to give fans more options for purchasing.
I have no worries about them taking over.
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A few comments. This likely won't be positive or even status quo:
- The same factory will only be for on-ice jerseys which currently are not offered on retail. The current adidas retail 'authentic' prime green jerseys are manufactured in Indonesia. The MO for fanatics is to cheapen the crap out of their value chain in both design and materials. It's hard to imagine that the approach on the retail side will be any different for the NHL and that they will leave well enough alone here.
-Fanatics is the definition of fast fashion. Most of their hats, shirts, jerseys , etc. are designed with a quick turnaround from when teams win their championships, trade players etc., they have a product up and online very quickly for fans to buy. The time premium means a few things - they cost a lot for what they are, the designs are basic and unimaginative, and they are made very cheaply. The end product is disposable junk.
- The 'authentic' retail product is where NHL jersey buyers are most concerned and expect either lower quality vs. the current adidas prime green product or a massive price increase or a combination of both
-Customized authentic MLB jerseys are the exact same as the prior Majestic branded Flexbase jerseys and I can attest that the Nike version is the same in quality as the previous version, which is good. That said under the Nike brand they cost ~$500 Canadian for a customized authentic compared to ~$250-300 for a Majestic Flexbase authentic jersey before the switch in 2020 for literally the exact same product. If this is the NHL approach I will be pleased to see true 'made in Canada ("MIC") authentics for sale' but will obviously buy a whole lot less of them at the prices they will likely charge for a proper jersey. My worst fear is that they keep the MIC off retail shelves and force all fans to buy what will ultimately be a garbage retail product
-MLB customized replicas cost ~$150 - $250 Canadian and have glued on names and numbers that are absolute trash (That said Majestic Cool base replicas were trash before Nike too but were somewhat cheaper to reflect that lower quality). Also MLB & NFL replica and authentic jerseys are Nike branded, which means Nike has somewhat of a say on quality control at the end of the day since their name is on them. Fanatics clearly doesn't have any pride in their own name so I worry what that means for quality control.
Verdict - I'm a jersey collector and my plan is to buy adidas jerseys while they last and only buy MIC on-ice jerseys after the switchover which I hope will be made available to retail or failing that through team-issued sources. When it comes to customization I will only go through the Flames or third party customizers who use proper kits and materials (This isn't much of a difference from today because factory customization is already trash for even the adidas products).