It's Super Bowl Week and fans have descended upon Santa Clara, California to enjoy the festivities and spend their hard-earned cash. Someone should have reminded the Fanatics apparel brand of that fact because the products they've made available aren't meeting consumer demands.
On Monday, Fanatics issued a public apology for failing to meet demand for jerseys. There have been complaints for days that Fanatics has not had enough jerseys available for everyone looking to buy one ahead of the Super Bowl.
In a statement, Fanatics admitted that consumer demand has skyrocketed and they have struggled to meet the "overwhelming" demand for them.
As for quality complaints, the company insisted that the ones they have available are identical to game jerseys.
"NFL fans, we've seen your jersey feedback, and we take it very seriously. We’ve let Patriots and Seahawks fans down with product availability – we own that and we are sorry. This Super Bowl matchup has created unprecedented challenges for us because of the massive surge in demand we saw from Patriots and Seahawks fans. Both teams went from missing the playoffs last season to being in the Super Bowl, an incredibly rare occurrence that led to these two fanbases buying nearly 400% more jerseys since Thanksgiving vs. last year. Even though we ordered substantially more jerseys for these teams than ever before, we’ve struggled to meet the overwhelming demand to keep team color jerseys in stock, which we know is your expectation. As sports fans, we understand your frustration and we will work tirelessly to be better," the company said in a statement on X.
"We are bringing in more team color jerseys daily and offering alternative options in the meantime. We’ve heard questions about the quality of these alternate jerseys and can assure you that, despite some unflattering photos, these jerseys are identical to the standard Nike replica “Game” jersey – one of the highest consumer-rated items we carry built on the core template that has been unchanged since Nike took over NFL jerseys in 2012. That said, if you’ve ordered any product that you’re not fully satisfied with, including one of these alternate jerseys, it can always be returned free of charge via the Fanatics app – part of our long-standing return policy. Fans who purchased online via NFL Shop or the Patriots/Seahawks team stores can do the same.
"We want you to know that we’re listening and we’re ready with a deep assortment of jerseys and fan gear for whoever wins on Sunday. There is nothing better than serving passionate sports fans and we value your feedback above all."
Doubt
Fans in the comments were not hearing any of it though. The concerns are not for the quantity but entirely about the quality - especially at the pricepoint.
"I’m a fan of neither (team) but I stopped buying any clothing from any league since fanatics took it over. The prices are sky high and the clothing quality is awful. Fanatics has single handedly ruined sports apparel for all leagues," one user replied in the comments.
"Your monopoly has destroyed all sports merchandise across all leagues. From creativity to the quality. I’m upset you guys just acquired Mitchell & Ness. One of the few standalone companies that was left," wrote another.
"Game jersey quality SUCKS. They're basically a dri fit tshirt with screen printed numbers. They shouldn't be more than $100 and that's PUSHING it at $160 it's just greed Not being prepared for demand is laughable. You're the worlds largest sports apparel company. Figure it out," a third demanded.
© Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
NFL fans want to represent their favorite teams with as much gear as they can afford. But they also want quality and affordability.
By the look of things, fans feel that they're being deprived of both.