Detroit Eagles jersey (Photo via @hengesdad85/X)Fanatics made it an awful Christmas for sports fans as plenty of them got screwed over by the apparel supplier with botched products.
The company, founded by Michael Rubin in 2011, has become the man plug for sports jerseys, which is pretty remarkable given how often they mess up. The main complaints from fans range from annoying wait times to poor quality.
This holiday season prompted even more mediocrity from the supplier, with many fans getting some of the most ridiculous gear.
Some fans simply didn’t get what they ordered, while others got paraphernalia that was falling apart. Of course, shipping mistakes can happen anywhere, but it’s not as understandable when Fanatics is involved because of how often this happens.
As such, X user @DarkoStateNews put together a thread listing all the things Fanatics got wrong. Some of these mistakes are so shocking that one can’t help but wonder whether they were done on purpose.
Fanatics Did Everyone Dirty With Some Of The Most Botched Products You’ll Ever See
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One fan got a Josh Allen-Hines jersey with the numbers on backward, while another got a Caleb Williams with the wrong number entirely. A Puka Nacua-themed shirt had the wrong last name, with someone else getting Auburn sneakers after his wife ordered Carolina Panthers Nikes.
The NFL patch was falling off someone’s jersey. Another fan received a cap with words appearing to be faded, while someone’s Karl-Anthony Towns Knicks jersey had different numbers on the front and back.
Lions fans were particularly disappointed after one received a Detroit Eagles jersey, while another ordered an Amon-Ra St. Brown tee but got a Saquon Barkley shirt instead.
Maybe Fanatics is rooting for the Eagles to win the NFC?
Or maybe they just hate Detroit, because…
Fanatics isn’t under any pressure to get its act right as it has a stranglehold on the market and is the officially licensed partner of all leagues and just about every team. It appears fans just have to keep taking the risk.
Fanatics & MLB Have A Serious Uniform Issue On Their Hands Heading Into 2024 Season (PICS)
Over the past few days, MLB players and even the players’ union have complained about the caliber of MLB’s new jerseys from fanatics.
Nobody is happy about it.
Fans and a growing number of its players have been openly critical of the threads. It all started earlier this month when X user Bobby Mullins posted comparative images of a 2023 Seattle Mariners jersey.
“They cut corners and increased prices, citing demand & inflation as causes for the incremental price hikes,” he wrote of Fanatics’ efforts. He later noted that Fanatics had “eliminated the majority of stitching on the jerseys” and instead they had heat-pressed, single-layered patches. “In what appears to be a race to see how bad things can get and how high can we jump prices, this year simply says, hold my beer,” he added.
Last year vs this year’s replica jersey offerings from the fine folks at MLB, Nike & Fanatics. Last year’s being on the left and this year’s on the right.
I have a lot to say, so bear with me here.
Let’s just rip the bandaid off right away with this year’s new jersey offerings pic.twitter.com/3IShhlj0nL
— Bobby Mullins (@TheBobbyMullins) February 11, 2024
WHAT DID FANATICS DO TO THE PANTS https://t.co/srCcamp0aR pic.twitter.com/gxssmszzqy
— Addison (@YankeeWRLD) February 21, 2024
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You thought the Fanatics MLB jerseys were bad???
well… THE PANTS ARE SEE THRU LMFAOOO pic.twitter.com/TMDcOYWU2l
— IcyVert (@IcyVert) February 21, 2024
A few days later, St. Louis Cardinals reporter Jeff Jones shared an image of a new Miles Mikolas jersey from inside the team’s clubhouse.
“Players are pretty unhappy,” Jones wrote. “Miles Mikolas says they also don’t fit right; pants are no longer as customized, and the fabric is a very different consistency. ‘They look cheap,’ another player said.”
This is what the back of the white jerseys look like with the new template. Players are pretty unhappy. Miles Mikolas says they also don’t fit right; pants are no longer as customized, and the fabric is a very different consistency.
“They look cheap,” another player said. pic.twitter.com/UoH4vVHTfd
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) February 13, 2024
More:
Final jersey tweet..
NAAAAAH MAN 😂 pic.twitter.com/YjgqNooiH6
— Fuzzy (@fuzzyfromyt) February 14, 2024
No chance.. no actual chance pic.twitter.com/vTtlO4dPgr
— Fuzzy (@fuzzyfromyt) February 15, 2024
Josiah GR AY pic.twitter.com/HempQ38H5D
— Fuzzy (@fuzzyfromyt) February 15, 2024
The new Fanatics/Nike MLB uniforms look like players moms got the jerseys on clearance at TJ Maxx. pic.twitter.com/CFYA6gElEa
— Korked Bats (@korkedbats) February 14, 2024
It’s sort of impressive just how bad the new MLB jerseys are through Nike/Fanatics. pic.twitter.com/RLtynhh9kj
— Spencer Gilman (@gilmansg13) February 15, 2024
Fanatics has a poor reputation among many sports fans for their poor quality materials and lack of quality control, which led many to believe the issues with the jerseys are solely on them.
Other players went on the record with The Athletic, saying the Fanatics official team jerseys look like replicas, feel “papery” and do not feature iconic colors and logos.
It should be noted that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred clarified to reporters during Grapefruit League media day that the new jerseys are designed by Nike, not Fanatics, via ESPN’s David Schoenfield:
“We always pay attention to what people are saying about any new initiative. As you know in baseball, with any new initiative there’s going to be some negative feedback,” Manfred said. “First and most important, these are Nike jerseys. We entered into this partnership with Nike because of who they are and the kinds of products they produce.”
According to Nike, the high-performance fabric of the new template was made from at least 90% recycled polyester yarns and provides 25% more stretch, and allows the jersey to dry 28% faster with moisture-wicking Dri-Fit ADV technology.
Things are so bad that even fanatics admitted to screwing up a jersey after a customer reached out to them:
lmao Fanatics’ new jerseys are so trash that their customer service team is responding “oops, that looks wrong, please contact us so we can replace your screwed-up jersey order” not realizing they’re replying to… a photo of an actual MLB player’s actual MLB uniform pic.twitter.com/LXQSRLXdHK
— ℳatt (@matttomic) February 21, 2024
