Fanatics’ Post

⚾When you think of #baseball #fans do you think of people concerned about #apparel? Some would say, no… Enter the start of the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) spring training season and fans are in uproar. Nike designs all jerseys the MLB players wear. In 2019, Nike signed a 10-year contract with Fanatics to #manufacture the jerseys starting with the 2020 season. The jerseys this year were designed to be more “breathable, light weight, and stretchy.” The issue? In a sport where nostalgia rules, fans are upset that the jerseys have lost their traditional, classy look. Why does this matter? The global sports apparel market was valued at a whopping $200B in 2022. #Collecting jerseys has long been a #hobby that brings enthusiasts together. Jerseys, like chart topping songs, represent a particular moment in time within the sports world. They tell a story – whether it be about the home run king or a memory with your parents at the big game that went into extra innings. With the rising costs of tickets and jerseys themselves, fans are upset that these new jerseys look cheap and are not made with the same quality and workmanship as before. An Aaron Judge replica jersey on Fanatics now goes for $134.99; that’s a lot of money! Important to note that "Fanatics has exclusive licensing deals with the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and other leagues to sell jerseys and merchandise. Fanatics was valued at $31B in 2022. It now owns The Topps Company and Mitchell & Ness Nostalgia Co. Is this too much of a strong hold by one company in the sports merchandise industry? As for the jerseys, 162 games is a lot of time. Let’s see what the 2024 season brings. What do you think of the new look? 🔗 in comments

🏒[Sports Biz News]🇺🇸 New Era and NHL Form Strategic Partnership to Dominate Apparel Market for 32 Teams🚀 The National Hockey League (NHL) and New Era Cap, LLC have announced a multiyear agreement that will begin in the 2024-25 season. This partnership grants New Era the rights to produce and globally distribute headwear and apparel for the League and its 32 teams. This strategic alliance marks a significant expansion of New Era's role in the hockey apparel market. Christopher H. Koch, CEO of New Era, stated, "This partnership brings together two global brands, working together to grow a global game. While we have been working with individual clubs for decades, we are excited for our new agreement with the League and look forward to creating special moments for fans and players in North America and around the world." The NHL, known as the world's premier professional hockey league, attracts athletes and fans from across the globe. New Era Cap has also dramatically expanded in recent decades, establishing a strong and vibrant presence across multiple continents. Together, they will collaborate to engage fans in the U.S., Canada, and internationally. New Era’s relationship with the NHL dates back to the 1990s, when the organizations were connected through their shared ties to the Buffalo Sabres, the NHL club in New Era’s hometown. Since then, New Era has produced gear for several NHL franchises. With this expanded partnership, New Era will now create and distribute caps and apparel for the entire League and all 32 teams. Brian Jennings, NHL Chief Brand Officer and Senior Executive Vice President, remarked, "For decades, New Era has maintained a strong brand presence in the hockey consumer products landscape by combining an authentic appreciation for the game with a deep understanding of what’s igniting change culturally. With this expanded partnership, we are excited for the global opportunities ahead." Fans will be able to purchase NHL products from New Era Cap in various designs and styles at neweracap.com, NHLShop.com, and NHLShop.ca. Upcoming collections will feature current NHL and team logos, vintage marks, and event logos for the NHL Winter Classic and the NHL Stadium Series. #glocalsportsnews #sportsmarketing #sportsnews #sportsbusiness #marketing #branding #pr #brandingstrategy #marketingstrategy #prstrategy #businessstrategy #advertising #nhl #neweracap #caps #newera #america #caplovers

Major League Baseball (MLB) plans to make changes to polarizing uniforms no later than start of 2025 season. Nike was at fault for the flawed MLB uniforms that drew criticism and ridicule when they were first unveiled in the springtime. However, the issues with the uniforms will be addressed by the start of the 2025 season, thanks to the advocacy of the MLB Players Association. ESPN cited a memo distributed to the players by the Association that reported the changes would include more giant letters on the back, fixing mismatched gray tops and bottoms, and addressing the Nike jersey’s tendency to collect the sweat from the players and how the pants and shirts are very much see through. Nike was at fault for the uniform problems, and Fanatics, the uniform manufacturer, was not to blame. According to ESPN, Nike took over as the MLB’s official uniform supplier in 2019 as part of a 10-year, $1 billion deal. However, Fanatics took the brunt of public criticism of the uniform, which has also been a partnership between the MLB and the players' union. The players' uniforms were now worn during the 2023 All-Star Game but were not fully rolled out until this year.  By: Josh Peter USA TODAY #MLB #MLBPlayersAssociation  #Nike #Fanatics #ESPN  #AllStarGame #2024season  #USAToday #changes #uniforms

Major League Baseball will introduce advertising on team helmets during the upcoming postseason, starting with a deal with German apparel company Strauss, running through 2027. The ads, featuring the "STRAUSS" name and logo, will be displayed on both sides of each helmet. Strauss ads will also appear on the helmets of minor league teams from 2025-2027. MLB previously allowed helmet ads in international games and introduced jersey ads in 2023. While sports leagues in other countries have embraced ads on uniforms for years, this move follows similar recent trends in other major U.S. sports leagues, such as the NBA and NHL. #sports #marketing #sportsbusiness #sportsmoney #baseball https://lnkd.in/e5JTeDir

Your apparel partner matters. Follow the link below to view the article. MLB takes ‘Fanatics Experience’ to next level, which is a plummet https://lnkd.in/gX-drfCk

🏈 Week 5 National Football League (NFL) Sponsorship Recap 🏈 Check out the top teams, brands, and partnerships from this week (10/01/2024 - 10/07/2024)! The Highlights: 🚀 Wii Console (yes, the Wii you know and love) came in 5th for the most engaged with brand this week after the Lions released a creative video calling out their win against the Seahawks. Watch it here: https://lnkd.in/gWW45e_7) 🚀 The Baltimore Ravens and M&T Bank topped the ranks this week for both top partnerships and team engagement, bringing in more than $116K for the brand and 3.1M engagements for the Ravens. 🚀 Ford Motor Company has continued to top the brand engagement rankings. The Houston Texans x Ford H-Town uniform partnership helped them quadruple their value from our Week 4 rankings. The NFL has continued to pump out some impressive content, engagements, and value over the past few weeks. We can't wait to see what happens next week. #NFLWeek5 #SponsorshipRecap #Trajektory #SponsorshipValuation

Toyota Motor Corporation has forged a groundbreaking partnership with the National Football League (NFL), becoming the Presenting Partner of NFL Flag tournaments across the United States. 🤝 This strategic alliance encompasses the NFL Flag Championships, Regional Tournaments, and NFL Flag League Play, underscoring Toyota's commitment to fostering inclusive and accessible sports opportunities for all. 💪 As part of the deal, Toyota and its 1,200 dealers across the U.S. will team with RCX Sports, the official operating partner of NFL Flag in the U.S., to extend the partnership to its more than 1,800 local leagues. Toyota will be integrated into these accessible non-contact programs that see more than 700,000 youth athletes participate. NFL Flag, the official flag football program of the NFL, has been instrumental in introducing the non-contact version of football to young athletes, driving remarkable growth in participation rates. With over 20 million players across 100 countries, flag football has witnessed a surge in popularity, particularly among women and girls, who are spearheading some of the sport's fastest growth. 🌟 As "The Official Automotive Partner of the NFL," Toyota gains the ability to celebrate and grow the game across regional and national NFL Flag tournaments in the U.S. The partnership will make its debut at the NFL Flag Championships Presented by Toyota, the world's premiere youth flag football tournament, scheduled to take place from July 19-21 at the Hall of Fame Village in Canton, OH. 🏆 #YouthSports #Sportsbiz #LinkedInSports #SportsMarketing #NFLFlag #FlagFootball #Sports #YouthSports #Partnership #Toyota #NFL https://lnkd.in/gYpM3AvE

Who remembers these facts 🤔 - In May 2003 LeBron James signed a $90 Million contract with Nike before he even dribbled a basketball in the NBA (he turned down a $110 Million contract with Adidas) - LeBron's $90 Million Nike deal combined with his NBA contract of $13 Million (signed in July 2003) made him the highest paid NBA player before he dribbled a basketball in the NBA - In June 2002 the Lakers had just capped off a three peat championship run led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neil -Kobe Bryant was considered the consensus best player in the NBA as of June 2003 - Kobe Bryant was a 3 time champion as of June 2003 -Kobe signed a $40 Million contract with Nike in July 2003 -In June 2003 Kobe Bryant was under a $56 Million team contract that ballooned to $136 Million extension in 2004 - In August 2013, Kobe Bryant was by far the highest paid player in the NBA - Between seasons 2010 and 2013, the NBA Finals had the highest consecutive years ratings within a 10-year period. (2003-2013) Just a short run-down of shoe deals, compensation and talent re: the NBA in the context of pro basketball and economics. There are similar trends in other pro sports and it's a mistake to expect different trends in the WNBA that is just now coming into its own commercially. #nba #wnba #basketball #trends

MJ is the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s first $3 billion man. But here's the crazy part - only $90 million of that came from basketball. So His Airness built an empire that took off. 👇 You know MJ for his gravity-defying dunks. But for the 6-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion, business has always been the real slam dunk. In 2023, MJ sold his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets for a staggering $3 billion. It was a mega-deal that cemented his status as the richest National Basketball Association (NBA) player of all time. 💰 But where did his billions come from? His biggest cash cow was Nike. MJ's share of Air Jordan sales topped $1 billion. Add in his deals with Gatorade, Hanes and more and we're talking serious money. 🤑 He also scored big as an investor. His early stake in the Hornets netted him over $1.5 billion. And he's now a part-owner of a NASCAR team and has a stake in DraftKings Inc.. But MJ isn't just cashing cheques - he's building his own brands. Like his ultra-premium tequila line, Cincoro Tequila. And his chain of Michael Jordan's Steak Houses. The crazy part? Only $90 million came from his years in the NBA. #MichaelJordan #NBA #HOF #SportBusiness

Pete Rose was a D*ck. I hesitate to talk about the recently departed, but here goes. Context: A few weeks ago Nike got its corporate butt handed to it after an Olympics commercial that went beyond “just do it” into: “there is only winning, anything else is wasted time and proves you are weak and unworthy of sporting accolades”. Which brings us to a recent celebrity athlete death, who was also of this same win at all cost mindset, Pete Rose. Now Pete had many accomplishments. He also got his dumbass banned from baseball for gambling. Which oddly enough does track with the “win at all costs” mindset. But the defining moment is in 1970, Pete Rose is playing in his 5th all star game. Pete was known for playing hard, and being a d*ck and on this particular day he decided he should be that in a meaningless game that only exists for fan entertainment. Nobody cares who wins an all star game. But Pete Rose just couldn’t help himself on this day. He was known for turning baseball into football whenever the chance arrived and in baseball that chance arrives every time a batter makes a hit that stays on the field. Pete Rose btw had more hits than any other player, still does actually, but can’t be in the hall of fame because he was banned from baseball. So after a base hit, if getting safely to a base meant sacrificing the livelihood of an opposing player, he never hesitated. Which is exactly what he did on that day and in doing so impacted the career of Ray Fosse, a guy who was playing in his first all star game. Rounding the bases in a crucial moment Rose went full playoff mode and knocked Fosse out of the game giving him a concussion and a shoulder that never healed properly. Point: Guy was never the same after Rose bulldozed him trying to score a point in a game where nobody even cared about the score. Don’t be d*ck. Don’t be Pete Rose jr. #sport #ethics #playersafety