Fanatics Will Be NHL’s new on-ice uniform partner starting in 24-25

[OG6ix]

Was there no one else offering to give the league money? If the answer is no... this isn't a good sign. First Gatorade is replaced by Biosteele and now Adidas by Fanatics? Yikes...

 

[joelef]

Was there no one else offering to give the league money? If the answer is no... this isn't a good sign. First Gatorade is replaced by Biosteele and now Adidas by Fanatics? Yikes...

Not marketing there stars are coming back to bite them in the butt

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

Coming soon...the official skate of the NHL

Sketchers

 

[Yukon Joe]

Coming soon...the official skate of the NHL

Sketchers

Now I will note that the NHL has always let players use whatever gear they prefer - the most they do is make them cover-up logos of non-partner brands.

But that being said - if Sketchers starts making high-quality skates then why not partner with them?

 

[JKG33]

Now I will note that the NHL has always let players use whatever gear they prefer - the most they do is make them cover-up logos of non-partner brands.

But that being said - if Sketchers starts making high-quality skates then why not partner with them?

Because as shown with this deal, high-quality is irrelevant

 

[Voight]

I haven't enough an "official" jersey for myself in well over a decade (I buy off a Chinese site that makes an amazing ones. Seriously, you cant tell the difference.) and this now guarantees it'll be another decade.

Michael Rubin pulled quit the coup when he got basically all 6 major sports orgs + WWE & NASCAR to use his platform for merchandise sales; now he somehow managed to convince one of them to use his outfit to make ACTUAL on-ice jerseys

 

[Yukon Joe]

Because as shown with this deal, high-quality is irrelevant

As seen in the news article though Fanatics will be using the exact same factory Adidas already uses to make the on-ice apparel. There should be no change in quality.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

The NHL won't be happy until I spend $0 on hockey. They're doing a damn fine job.

 

[JKG33]

As seen in the news article though Fanatics will be using the exact same factory Adidas already uses to make the on-ice apparel. There should be no change in quality.

I'm not sure why that matters, when fanatics track record is terrible.

Someone could go buy a house from a wholesome family and start cooking meth in it once they take possession. But its still the same house.

 

[VaCaps Fan]

Yeah “cost-cutting” for Rubin’s bottom line is going to happen.

 

[Daximus]

As seen in the news article though Fanatics will be using the exact same factory Adidas already uses to make the on-ice apparel. There should be no change in quality.

Just because it's the same factory and even the same workers doesn't mean the quality will be the same. A new group comes in and tells them to cut costs here, here and here and all the sudden quality goes in the toilet for profit.

 

[LadyStanley]

Why fans are furious about the NHL's uniform deal with Fanatics — and why they should be

The NHL has partnered — in the most meaningful, long-term, high-stakes way possible — with an apparel brand nobody actually seems to like.

theathletic.com

Gentile's take and his Fanatics shirt experience.

While on ice products will continue to be produced by QC company that Adidas used, that does not mean they will ever make those available for RETAIL sale to fans.

 

[CorbeauNoir]

Haven't bought a jersey since before jock tags on replicas started being a thing. Thank you for leaving well enough alone, Detroit!

 

[IU Hawks fan]

They'll still offer authentics, using the same factory that Adidas currently uses in QC.

SP makes what the team's wear but the fan authetics are made in Indonesia. But yeah, I'm assuming the fan authentics will still be available, just with the different logo on the back.

That said, I hate this. In the end it's just a logo, but it's a logo that to me says 'ecommerce' and not 'athletic performance apparel'.

MLB thought the same thing - that's why they brokered the deal for initially Under Armour (which they pulled out of) and then Nike to be branded as the manufacturer, despite Fanatics actually producing them in the same factory Majestic had been. Would've much rather have had a similar partnership evolve, where some other logo ends up on there, whether it be Nike, CCM, New Era, heck...I'd have even taken Mitchell & Ness, even though that's really just Fanatics.

 

[Joe from Maine]

Was there no one else offering to give the league money? If the answer is no... this isn't a good sign. First Gatorade is replaced by Biosteele and now Adidas by Fanatics? Yikes...

I think we might be overplaying this new agreement a bit. The NHL has 70 corporate sponsors. Between corporate sponsorship and licensing deals the NHL had a record 1.4 Billion dollars in sales last year. There are plenty of companies looking to spend money to be associated with the NHL. When the financial details come out for Fanatics deal it will be between 850 million and a billion dollars over the 10 year period as a guestimate.( The old deal with Adidas was around 70 million a year). Nothing to worry about.

 

[KevFu]

We're a big baseball family and we love baseball hats. The last several years, their hats have been some of the worst designs ever. Ugly designs and they insist on putting these huge side patches on every hat style now. Even my 9 year-old hates their hats.

I assume you talking the Fanatics branded hats and not the official MLB ones like they wear on the field.

The official New Era hats are top quality (expensive now, but so is everything compared to the early 90s. They were set at $20 for like, 20 years before going up to $25, $30, $40).

The New Era hats they send to stores, and the hats they send to MLB equipment managers are the same hats...

And that's why this Fanatics news is terrible...

While on ice products will continue to be produced by QC company that Adidas used, that does not mean they will ever make those available for RETAIL sale to fans.

Yeah, Fanatics has been selling "Authentic" jerseys now that are "authentic" in the sense that they're the official exclusive rights holder to produce the jerseys, so it's an "authentic Fanatics MLB jersey"

But are NOT authentic in the previous definition that fans expect: "this stock could go to a player to wear on the field, OR it could go to you to buy, because it's the exact same product."

Before Fanatics, an Authentic MLB Jersey was same stitching, same tag, same velcro between the buttons to make the wordmark lineup across the chest. (When MLB added the diaper-looking bib thing, that was disappointing).

But an NHL authentic jersey should have a fight strap and a tracker pocket.

 

[joelef]

I think we might be overplaying this new agreement a bit. The NHL has 70 corporate sponsors. Between corporate sponsorship and licensing deals the NHL had a record 1.4 Billion dollars in sales last year. There are plenty of companies looking to spend money to be associated with the NHL. When the financial details come out for Fanatics deal it will be between 850 million and a billion dollars over the 10 year period as a guestimate.( The old deal with Adidas was around 70 million a year). Nothing to worry about.

Apparently none of those want hockey players in there ads and commercials

 

[Yukon Joe]

Apparently none of those want hockey players in there ads and commercials

That's because if you want a player, you need to negotiate a deal with that player. Being an NHL sponsor just gives you the rights to use NHL logos and designs.

Since everyone was hating on Biosteel earlier...

[img=[URL]https://storage.googleapis.com/biosteel-wp/media/2018/08/fb2653ce-0u7a4824.jpg[/img][/URL][

They seem happy to be associated with McDavid and put him in a bunch of their ads and commercials...

 

[Bizz]

Worst decision they could've possibly made.

 

[kingpest19]

That's because if you want a player, you need to negotiate a deal with that player. Being an NHL sponsor just gives you the rights to use NHL logos and designs.

Since everyone was hating on Biosteel earlier...

[img=[URL]https://storage.googleapis.com/biosteel-wp/media/2018/08/fb2653ce-0u7a4824.jpg[/img][/URL][

They seem happy to be associated with McDavid and put him in a bunch of their ads and commercials...

All the hate towards BioSteel is hilarious. They've long had ties to the NHL first through players then the teams buying it. Now the league gets money from them and the teams save a little bit of money from not having to buy it but because they aren't some big name it's somehow a bad deal.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

I assume you talking the Fanatics branded hats and not the official MLB ones like they wear on the field.

The official New Era hats are top quality (expensive now, but so is everything compared to the early 90s. They were set at $20 for like, 20 years before going up to $25, $30, $40).

The New Era hats they send to stores, and the hats they send to MLB equipment managers are the same hats...

Not really. The hats the players get are made in the US, but the rest of us get ones made in China.

 

[BMacLeafs]

Not marketing there stars are coming back to bite them in the butt

Sam ewith not having a best-on-best tournament. To think, even the Winter Classic got bumped from new Years day!

Well done NHL.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Sam ewith not having a best-on-best tournament. To think, even the Winter Classic got bumped from new Years day!

Well done NHL.

The Winter Classic has always been on Jan 2nd when New Years Day falls on a Sunday.

Nice try, though.

 

[Joe from Maine]

Sam ewith not having a best-on-best tournament. To think, even the Winter Classic got bumped from new Years day!

Well done NHL.

The NHL was never bumped from New Years today. 2012, 2017 and 2023 they moved to January 2nd to avoid being shown against the NFL.

The Winter Classic has always been on Jan 2nd when New Years Day falls on a Sunday.

Nice try, tho

 

[Gabe Kupari]

I'll just buy an Adidas one on sale lol