Are MLB's New Fanatics Jerseys a Window Into the NHL's Future? 

The answer is a very emphatic, very loud “yes.” Anyone who thought Fanatics would suddenly flip a switch and start making quality merchandise once they got a big-boy deal was naive. Making cheap crap that falls apart from a slight breeze is part of their business model.

i have CCM jerseys that are still in greater shape than anything i got from fanatics. thoses CCM jerseys were demos from 1992 btw.

Wish it was more like soccer where teams can pick their own uniform suppliers. Being allowed to have an alternate uniform that didn't have to be white would be pretty great too.

$50-60 for a T-shirt? You used to be able to buy a good CCM replica jersey for $60.

Devils Stadium jerseys are $500 USD. We're all doomed.

In the future will it be easy to spot knockoffs because the quality is too good?

Fanatics has basically ruined the jersey industry, they've begun their destruction of the sportscard industry...everything they get involved in has turned to crap...why should we expect anything different from them?! Maybe if they didn't hike the prices of every single thing they get into, people maybhave a different opinion of them, but the proof is in the pricing.

I miss when Majestic was making MLB jerseys, they had quality authentic jerseys and locally made in the Lehigh Valley

I am planning on getting every jersey I want this year before Fanatics comes out.

Fanatics is infamous in NC for printing the Canes logo upside down.

thank you for talking about this Shannon, nothing good happens when an industry monopolizes!

On the topic of chain-stitching, the Cardinals logo is chain-stitched. One of the changes that Fanatics did was to chain-stitch onto a patch (technically two, one for each side) and then just sew the patch on the jersey, where previous manufacturers would stitch directly onto the jersey. Definitely has a different effect. One of the other big changes in MLB was to shrink the player names, which obviously the players don't like and is one of the big things making them feel like replicas or knockoffs.

Just got a brand new red wings Koho jersey off eBay. It’s great quality, also convenient since Detroit’s uniform hasn’t changed since then.

This feels familiar to me. It's almost as if many companies are blatantly degrading the products and properties they own.

Imagine being a major league baseball player making $35 million a year and not be able to get your pants customized. LOL

Adidas is going to get a payday in these last few months from customers wanting to stock up on Adidas before they’re gone, I feel.

My dad won an authentic Chicago Blackhawks Reebok jersey off a scratch-and-win lottery ticket back in the day, and it is absolutely gorgeous. The only Fanatics jersey I had was of the Golden Knights from their inaugural year. I rarely wore it until recently when I changed it out for an Adidas one.

Just make the jerseys digital like the ads lmao

As a European mostly watching sport there I think the problem is that there is only one supplier per league. In Europe each team makes an agreement with an manufacturer. So there is real competition. We get annual new creative jerseys here. And it not like 250US because thats nuts. But ik it's a completely different market over there. So I wish you guys the best.

In all honesty, what the NHL needs to do is bring the manufacture of the jersey in house, integrate it and streamline it within the league. Go get/lease a couple of factories in Canada and/or Mexico, control production and sell them to get 100% of the profits from jersey sales without the limitations of the third party supplier. Have adidas or Nike design them if they’d like or better yet the teams themselves and problem solved. I have an early Adidas Lightning sweater and a newer Adidas and the older one feels of better quality than the newer one albeit both are great quality. Fanatics is going to teach a lesson to leagues that, as we say in Spanish translated, “what is cheap in costs now, will be more expensive than you ever bargained for later.”

“Fanatics Sports betting while you’re wearing your Fanatics jersey”💀😂

To me this is on the league owners. It’s all about money. The jerseys I have ordered on Alibaba that are knock offs are better. Still stitched. That is so weird to me but I am guessing the leagues end up with more money. To me it’s the same argument that most people detest Bettman. He is an extension of the ownes. Do you think there will ever be a league commissioner for the fans?

Cue the Ralph Wiggum “I’m in danger”

I am gonna miss the New Era Hats.

All of my New Jersey Devils jerseys i own are CCM and i own 2 Reebok jerseys. I love the quality of the jerseys from CCM plus the stitching and comfort ot them. Those are all still in quality shape after all these years.

im at spring training now and have seen mlb jerseys up close ... they look like a mixture between a tshirt and a real mlb jersey , they're just very thin looking , how they sit on the body and flow reminds me a little of those cuban or hawaiian shirts ... so yes i would say they look more on the cheap knock off side vs what i saw from last years spring training

CCM jerseys are by far the best, I had old CCM jerseys I bought second hand from the 80's and 90's and they're in better shape and more comfortable than a modern Fanatics jersey. Even gotten them customized they hold up really well. I suspect that Fanatics had embraced the idea of forced obsolescence in their products. It's not a problem for them that their products fall apart after a few years, it means you have to buy a new one. And if you're unhappy, well where else are you gonna go? I'm a big fan of collecting hockey jerseys, and fanatics picking up the contract probably means the end of me buying new ones. Unless they keep the on ice products in the same factories, but even those have shot through the roof. Just a couple years ago you could get a blank pro version of a jersey for $200-$300. Now they're not only not available, but even team issued unused jerseys have gone through the roof from the teams and resellers. It's a hobby that will die very quickly.

For those who don't follow baseball regularly, we've had more updates as spring training starts to approach. We've now seen the uniform pants as well, and it's ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE. The pants are _translucent!_ They're so thin you can see through them, and furthermore, they're almost universally too tight! It looks like the players are wearing uniform-colored _pantyhose_ out onto the field, and there's already a bunch of shots of players with, uh, _unfortunate elements_ on display underneath. It's completely insane.

Hey Shannon, would love to see a room tour video!

I can tell you as a Blackhawks fan, if the chain stitching goes away, it's a guarantee that I'll never buy a jersey until the end of the fanatics contract. For Christmas this year, I bought a fanatics away jersey from the Blackhawks Store to have customized as Griswold jersey. I wore it out ONCE and the shoulder patches peeled off. Luckily the store offered to pay for me to ship it back to them, then they took it to the official on-ice lettering company for the hawks and they stitched everything down. Edit to add: Jaime Faulkner, the President of Business Ops for the hawks, was on a few podcasts last summer/during the start of the season talking about seeing the Fanatics jerseys and their equipment staff putting the samples through their tests. She seemed like they were happy with them but she's also trying to get fans to still buy the jersey (Hence the return of the 90s black thirds)

I bought a Knock-off Kershaw jersey about six years ago and it's outlasted every Fanatics jersey since. Best 40 bucks I've spent. I'm holding on to my Adidas Ducks jersey like gold.

Michael Rubin, what did you do?!

Ive ordered a few jerseys off of DHgate. The quality is streets ahead of anything ive ever seen fanatics produce, and its a 1/4 of the price.

I have one Detroit Tigers fanatics shirt and haven’t bought anything from them since. All my Red Wings stuff is from 47 or American Needle. I have an old CCM jersey, 1997 Sergei Fedorov and a Nike Fedorov, two relatives had the same idea! I’ve never washed em and only worn to games couple cause worries about messing em up. Got as a kid, was giant then so still fit!

Fanatics to me, is like the time I bought a "Blinks182" shirt outside a venue once.

I quite like that Jets jersey from a looks standpoint at least.

At least my Adidas and CCM jerseys will go up in value.

Was waiting to hear you discuss this :o

Shannon, thank you. I’ve been shouting your original fanatics video to a bunch of my friends and left it in a few you tube comments.

That’s why I’m getting the jerseys I want now

Oh, I got a preview of how low quality they can go. Last night, I went to the Blues game, and they had a new product - a Mitchell & Ness (but really Fanatics) “vintage” clown Brett Hull clown jersey, selling for $200. I wouldn’t wear the thing if it was free. The blue was closer to the unfortunate choice in the 90s than the new adidas ones, but the shoulder AND the main logo both were the cheap screen printed iron on looking ones. The stripes were also wrong, and had someone been walking around wearing that jersey, I would have assumed it was a knockoff or a particularly poorly made giveaway.

Had no idea no one else made a bid. That's crazy. Yes affirmed concern about fanatics. Have no plans to get at this point. I was bummed Adidas didn't want to again

I'm getting all the Adidas jerseys I can before Fanatics takes over. I've got no faith in Fanatics quality.

I bought one bills jersey from them never ever again. Same price or even more than what i paid for authentic good jerseys and its crap. Nothing is stitched, everything was heated or glued. Terrible product terrible company

Needed to stay with Reebok, man even the Reebok edge hockey socks were good

I'm just glad I already have enough Sabres jerseys to satisfy my wants. I have a Buffaslug (Reebok), Goathead (CCM), Winter Classic (Fanatics), and the 50th anniversary, Navy Blue home, and Royal Blue home all from Adidas.

Shannon, thanks for doing this video. I was interested in your take on this subject, and you did not disappoint.

Excellent choice of jersey for an important video!

I'm not a Jets fan, but that indigenous jersey is nice!

I look on the NHL website over here in the UK and it is very noticeable that there is very limited Adidas stock left. As a result an Adidas Kochina is £250/300 for example. But even though they are pretty expensive you know they are a Quality product. Even the unpoplular Grey Jets Reverse Retro is around £200. Then you have the Fanatics jerseys.......£150 for something that will fall apart in a few weeks which is already very hard to replace just is not worth it. This is why I am glad i have my Reebok Jets Authentic and my Jagr CCM Capitals Authentic. For those saying that they wish the NHL was like European Football/Soccer where the teams have agreements with different manafacturers sadly Fanatics has also got agreements to make merchandise under licence just like MLB.

I have a KOHO and a bunch of CMM jerseys, they’re just incredible, they hold up so well. Even the Reeboks

Had a habs caps for a summer washed it maybe twice and yet even after only that I had the metal wiring sticking into my head when I was wearing it.

Nice Jason Mendoza reference!

I know neighbors who go to Pittsburgh Penguin games, who (for 2 people) spend $500 for game tickets, pay $50-60 to park their car for 3 hours, wear team jerseys that cost $250 per, spend $50-100 for "snacks and beer" at the game... then tell me the economy sucks and they're living paycheck-to-paycheck. Such is our world. I watch the game on TV. BUT... I can see the day coming when we'll be in a pay-per-view situation for ALL sports, ALL games, not just the big games. (Peacock + and the NFL / Steelers this season)

I bought Hockey Jerseys from Fanatics, but My Adidas Jerseys are way Better. Now they are Authentic, but The Price $$$$ is only like a $60.00 difference!!!! I'm very Worried about the Quality for The Fans & Especially for The Players On The Ice!!!!!?????

Fanatics will be the official betting sportsbook for my canes. *sigh*

Sadly I think we're going to "accept it" since it will be the only ones available to us, apart from knock-off sites.. Unless MLB/NHL/ steps up to Fanatics to demand better quality but since they were the only bidders for NHL there's not much to do here....

I just went to see my local ECHL team last Saturday, “Indy Fuel” and I picked up a jersey. They might be the minors, but even they have better quality jerseys than the NHL is going to have in the fall. How could Gary Bettman let this happen? A 10 year contract? Seriously? Looks like I’m going to be getting my jerseys off of eBay, or only buy jerseys from the AHL/ECHL

Nice to see you in a jets jersey! Although I'm worried about tomorrow's game vs the Canucks

The quality of my knock-off Colorado "Nordiques" Reverse Retro I got shipped from China is miles ahead of my Fanatics Sabres jersey. The Sabres jersey I wore maybe twice and is already a bubbly mess.

Just finished the good place this morning, great show, great ending.

I love that jets jersey, love the Metis inspiration

They also have a deal with WWE. I have a Ducks jersey that's the old CCM, A few Rangers Rebooks and a few Fanatics. Most of them have been fine, but my Coyotes jersey they got the wrong color and letting on the back nameplate and number, despite the fact they got it right on the sleeves and as a UK fan, jerseys are ridiculously expensive as it is. For me part of the interesting this is there was Adidas which was the offical on ice product and Fanatics were the cheaper replica option, with Fanatics taking over as the on ice manufacturer as well, will they just stop doing the cheaper version entirely? Cos No way I'm playing 500+ for a jersey, I'll just stick to getting older jersey's. Especially none named ones, the Rangers haven't really changed their home and away design in forever nor have the Bruins, at least not over the last few years. Of course if other people have the same idea then you can bet the price of those to also start going up as well.

Vintage jerseys from eBay all the way!

I'm a store manager at Lids. Fanatics is the worst quality product I have ever seen being sold on a retail level. We have product that has only spent time on shelves look like they've been worn for years. The new NHL Blue Line jerseys from Mitchel and Ness feel cheap and will rip like paper. A few weeks ago we recieved the new MLB jerseys and they looked and felt like a fanatics jersey. the quality is worse than the ones from previous seasons and are $50 more expensive. We are selling blank MLB jerseys for the same price as a blank Adidas NHL jerseys. Fanatics is the worst thing to happen to sports merchandise and I'm not exaggerating. I feel guilty selling Fanatics products to customers but I have to because it's my job.

Buying my next Jersey on DH for sure

The Fanatics partnership is the perfect summary of our current market trend: all products are expensive to buy and are cheaply made. We used to have tiered products where depending on your budget you could go for better quality for a higher price and vice versa. That doesn’t exist anymore.

(1) The Nike Vapor Elite i.e. the "on-field authentics" do still have tackle twill wordmarks, names and numbers that are stitched onto the jersey. The only change for this year is that patches that were once embroidered (like the Mets skyline sleeve patch and the Dodgers "LA" sleeve patch) are now printed instead of embroidered, although the outer layer is still stitched onto the jersey. (2) It's 50/50 as to whether the Blackhawks' logo will be chain-stitched; the St. Louis Cardinals' front wordmark is still chain-stitched, although unlike pre-2024 when it was directly chain-stitched onto the JERSEY, it is now chain-stitched onto a separate PATCH which is then stitched onto the jersey. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Phillies, who pre-2024 also had a chain-stitched wordmark on their jerseys, now have a plain tackle twill logo stitched on the front. So if the Blackhawks DO continue with chain-stitched logos, it will most likely be on a separate patch and sewn onto the jersey, which obviously is not as nice as stitching it directly onto the jersey.

The Devils stadium jerseys are sold out in Adidas and only women and youth Fanatics are available on the NHL shop. But, other teams aren't sold out, figures 🙄. The Fanatics women's jerseys bother me. I don't like them. I'm a woman, but I don't want a lower cut jersey with what they think us a woman's fit. I want jersey just like the players wear. So, I'm not buying one of those women's. I am also concerned about the color and quality. I hope if things get bad the NHL does something, but I won't hold my breath.

This is the inevitable result of the original fanatics contract. There was never going to be any other outcome with Fanatics owning the rights to the more profitable replica jerseys. That's why Adidas released "pro" replicas instead of the on-ice jerseys. They were trying to compete in the replica market, and it only worked because Fanatics' jerseys are terrible quality. People were happy to pay more to avoid fanatics. Needless to say, Fanatics weren't too happy with that. They had to unify the replicas and on-ice jerseys under one brand... it's just upsetting that Fanatics ended up being that brand. It is a bush-league company, and I will never support them. I will be picking up an Adidas Stutzle away jersey. I bought a used CCM Alfredsson jersey and managed to find a new pro Reebok Karlsson jersey for like 40$.

One that you didn’t mention was that Fanatics is the supplier for all WWE merchandise too.

I was stocking up on adidas last year, i might have to get back to it this year.

Wish teams had individual deals with manufacturers, like when Detroit had Nike in the 90’s.

I’ve seen a couple Fanatics x Adidas in Calgary & Edmonton. They seem decent. Getting rid of the chain stitching on the Chicago ones are absolutely sacrilegious. The MLB Fanatics jerseys look like the ones that Great Britain got in the World Baseball Classic

I just ordered a Neighbours adidas jersey and really had to hunt through the web to find adidas, even the St Louis store didnt have one available in my size, so finding adidas is already becoming an issue in my size, thanks coolhockey Canada for having what I wanted

I'm a rangers fan. I go to kohl's one day and lo and behold, there's a kid's XL Henrik Lundqvist on clearance for 30 dollars. It fit and I was able to buy it for the price, even though someone had mispriced it. It'll be even more prized now.

Remember CCM/KOHO Semi Pro jerseys? For us old enough who collected PRO Made in Canada jerseys we used to think they were crap. NO? I look at some of my "semi-Pro" jerseys and besides the logo ironed on, they feel like Pro jerseys in comparative to Adidas and Fanatics jersey.

Does Nike not care about their reputation?

I’m still hanging on to my New Era NHL hats. Fingers crossed they get the league license again one day.

I agree

My youngest daughter wears my Leaf jersey that I got gifted in ....1974.

hahahahaha……. Love the Bortles reference. I have a ton of Fanatics hats from NHL, NFL, NCAA and NBA and they are all built cheap. They have taken over and it seems like we constantly are seeing advertising for their brand. Its only a matter of time before the Take Off is full effect. They seem very generic and seems to me that some thought they would change once they got a big time deal in a professional sport but that could not be any further from reality. Always let your Jersey’s or uniforms air Dry and do not stick in a Dryer. Unless you do not want it to last and stay crisp

Fanatics makes all my college merch too… absolutely wild

I have a Team Italy hockey jersey from the Turin olympics in '06 and it was made by Nike

No doubt I'm deeply worried, Shannon.

Time to get my adidas jersey list together when those go on discount like when Reebok went out

You pretty much nailed every point on the head. I have never liked the garbage products they make. Cheap, I'll fitting knock grade garbage. You are absolutely right about not caring about buying from Chinese knock off sites. It's also an issue where they can't deliver for special events like the Super Bowl or the Stadium Series. Don't even get me started on the design of the Isles SS jersey. I'm not sure who is exactly involved, but I will spare you my expletive laden opinion on laziness and the ridiculous "plimsole" explanation. They worked harder on contriving an excuse than on design. All in all, I'm done with fan swag as long as Fanatics is involved. My only Fanatics hat is ill fitting and cheap as you describe. Won't waste another dime on it. Vintage swag is really the only way to go anymore. And as an Isles fan, there has not been a decent third jersey since the SS14. The MLB jerseys look awful but I'll never buy one anyway. I'm sure they will make their money hand over fist from all the lemmings who have no concept of value or money.

I haven't bought a hat I liked ever since Old Time Hockey was bought out. They made the best flexfit hats around and now most companies only release hats with straps. I'm still rocking a mid-2000s Oilers hat and a 2011 Bruins hat made by OTH.

Hopefully they make the ads on the jerseys look nice, especially since there will likely be more added in the future.

I remember when Nike did the jerseys for the Red Wings. They were excellent and high quality, and I still see many Red Wings fans wear their old Nike jerseys. I’m not a fan of Adidas’ designs however. I remember when they did the uniforms for Michigan Athletics and Michigan fans hated them. Now Michigan uses a mix of Nike/Jordan brand uniforms. I think the NHL should go back to Nike/Jordan for jerseys.

I have never bought merch from Fanatics and had it consistently sized. Typically, if the clothing is from a secondary brand it fits fine, but their own products are either a size too small or a size too big

Read somewhere that they will be using the same factory adidas used to make the jerseys

Also I'll say that I generally like Fanatics quality when it comes to hoodies or shirts (a little less so). I have the Stanley Cup Final jersey of Dallas with the nice chrome patch and I actually really like it

Once I started buying from DHgate, I never went back. Why should I fork over $200 for a jersey when I can get five knock off jerseys of similar quality for less money.

Saw some pens winter classic colored Fanatics merch at local stores, NEITHER shade of blue is right at all. I absolutely won't buy any fanatics products. Wanted a new pens jersey, just bought an old Koho on on ebay instead.

IIRC did the NHL say that the game worn jerseys would still be manufactured at the current factory in Quebec. Of course Fanatics can still just get the factory to make it with substandard material and methods.

DH is the best. Chinese replica sweaters that are better made than fanatics and 80% less expensive.

Adidas did the 2016 World Cup jerseys. They were the “soft launch” for the nhl ones

The chain hand stitching is the only reason i purchased an authentic sweater a a Hawk fan

I wish CCM or O’Neills (in Ireland) had taken over, their quality is at least there and they’re still somewhat affordable