Shoddy, Crooked NFL Merch Leads to Complaints and Apology
Hell hath no fury like an Eagles fan scorned. That's a lesson Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin learned the hard way this week after dozens of fans received lopsided, shoddily constructed merchandise from the official NFL shop and took their outrage online.
Since Fanatics became the exclusive licenser for NFL fan apparel in 2020, some fans have said they've seen a discernible drop in quality, from fake, shoddy jerseys to production delays. The company, currently valued at over $31 billion, also has similar distribution deals with the NBA, MLB, and NHL; in addition to acquiring both Topps trading cards and the Philly-based vintage sports clothing company Mitchell & Ness in 2022.
But after Eagles fans began receiving their highly anticipated Eagles Kelly green merch, many noticed that the numbers were not-so-subtly crooked. One fan took to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to put the company on blast for her boyfriend's Jalen Hurts shirt, which featured a lopsided No. 1.
"Did anyone else’s Kelly green Eagles merch come in from the official NFL shop uhhhh crooked?" posted Northern Liberties resident Shealyn Kilroy, who according to a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer, paid $80 for two kelly green Hurts T-shirts from Fanatics with lopsided iron-ons.
Did anyone else’s Kelly green Eagles merch come in from the official NFL shop uhhhh crooked? pic.twitter.com/JRdoD4Bk9l
— Shealyn Kilroy (@shealynkilroy) September 14, 2023
According to the Inquirer, when Kilroy initially reached out to a customer service, she was offered only a a refund or replacement based on Fanatics’ defective merchandise policy.
After her post went viral—with dozens of other fans piling into her mentions to gripe about similar issues—and the subsequent article was published, Fanatics addressed the issue in a statement. The company said it has been reaching out to fans who received misaligned Eagles gear and would be pausing future shipments to conduct a quality control assessment.
“It is completely unacceptable that these items were ever produced and then shipped," a Fanatics spokesperson said. "One wrong order or unhappy fan is too many—we take every complaint very seriously."
Likewise Rubin, who has become known for his lavish, star-studded white parties in the Hamptons, personally took to the platform to apologize for the subpar gear.
"If there’s one thing I've learned in business—own your mistakes," the 51-year-old company founder wrote. "Anytime we let any fan down, it’s a failure on our part and that’s on me."
"Last year we sold nearly four million units of Eagles merchandise," he continued. "That’s just Eagles products, which shows Philly fans truly are the greatest! That said, I let some of you down and I apologize. Even though this specific issue only affected a few dozen customers, it is still completely unacceptable that this mistake happened. One bad product and one unhappy customer is one too many."
Rubin added that Fanatics has attempted to reach out to every fan who purchased the products to ensure their purchase was received as expected, and is committed to rectifying any further issues. He also directed anyone who still needed help to contact the company's customer service team.
If there’s one thing I've learned in business - own your mistakes.
— Michael Rubin (@michaelrubin) September 19, 2023
Anytime we let any fan down, it’s a failure on our part and that’s on me.
Last year we sold nearly four million units of Eagles merchandise. That’s just Eagles products, which shows Philly fans truly are the… pic.twitter.com/Fegqd2bRJm
Even with the quality control issues, a Fanatics spokesperson likewise told the Inquirer that the Eagles are "on pace" to set the record for most team jerseys sold in a year. Despite unprecedented demand, the company continues to load new kelly green merchandise across its websites every week.