Jerseys Meant to Make a Buck
Saturday · Mar 19 · 2011 | 10:09 PM PDTHave you ever spent time browsing the official online store of the NHL? I mean really digging around. There's some pretty wild stuff in there and that's before you get to the team-branded hammers and tape measures (clearly an early push for Father's Day). I'm just talking about the jerseys.
Flyers "replica" jersey / NHL.comIcethetics reader Brad M. emailed in Friday wondering about this Philadelphia Flyers jersey (right) he saw at Shop.NHL.com.
It's white with minimal striping and comes with player customization. But it's unlike anything the Flyers have ever worn on the ice. And what's more, it couldn't look more generic. And they want $80 off of you for it.
Another reader says he's seen a Bruins jersey in a store based on this same template. But who would really pay for that? You're only saving $35 compared to a Reebok Premier jersey that actually looks like what the players wear.
Shop.NHL.com lists the product as a "replica jersey." What is it replicating exactly? A jersey? I hope it's not just a baggy, long-sleeve T-shirt.
The official product description says the letters and numbers are heat-sealed on but that's no surprise. What would be is if they sold any.
If it seems like I'm riding this topic pretty hard, it's only because stuff like this dilutes brands. It's a cheap ploy to sell junk with logos on it. And I think NHL logos deserve better.
So after seeing that "jersey," I started digging around in the Flyers store a bit. As we just celebrated St. Patrick's Day this week, the NHL has introduced a line of St. Patty's Day branded jerseys for a handful of teams. Again, it'll never see ice time in an NHL game, but the league figures it can charge you $100 for one.
Only six teams had St. Patty's Day jerseys in stock. I'm not sure how many other teams have been made, but you have to figure your biggest Irish-American populations are in the northeast and surrounding regions. Take note of the Lady Liberty logo on the Rangers jersey. I keep holding out hope that old third jersey will find its way back. All of the logos on these jerseys are screen printed.
I also included the green Blackhawks jersey which has been around for ages. It's basically the home sweater with the red swapped out for green. That's available in addition to new St. Patty's Day line. It's never been used in a game, but I know it's a popular one with fans.
A few teams even have digital camo jerseys available. They'll run you $100 as well. These actually have seen ice time as teams often sport camouflage jerseys during warm-ups on the various military appreciation nights held around the league throughout the season.
And the last oddball line of apparel which annoys me more than all of the above combined — are these.
If you're a baseball fan, buy a baseball jersey. Hockey players wear hockey jerseys. I want to slap people I see wearing hockey logos on baseball attire. Again, these were the only teams I saw that were offering the "Majestic Button Front Baseball Jersey" on the website. Let's hope they're at least smart enough to keep them out of non-MLB markets. But it's still no excuse.
By the way, I may be mocking these jerseys, but of course any fan is well within his right to spend his money on any item with his team's logo on it. I'm actually curious to know how many — if any — Icethetics readers have bought any of the above jerseys. And what else have you come across that just should not have had an NHL team's logo on it?
Reader Comments (45)
I think it actually looks cool to have NHL logos on things like baseball jerseys. For example, at college football and basketball games, I've seen fans wearing hockey jerseys for teams that don't have them. I don't mind if teams branch out. I honestly want one of those baseball jerseys.
I'm OK with the Chicago jersey, because it's a legitimate Blackhawks jersey with a St. Paddy's color scheme. The others are just lame green jerseys with the same design. Let's see them make green versions of the actual, factual jerseys. I'd definitely buy a Sabres green jersey if that were the case.
I've actually contemplating buying one of the baseball jerseys. I'm not sure, but the concept struck me as interesting.... but I disliked the design of the Bruins jersey, so I didn't bother.
I'm a big fan of the Hawks St. Paddy's green jersey, the actual one that's been around and is a green swap with the normal sweaters we have. I might get that jersey eventually, though the Blackhawks thirds and a minor league jersey are higher on my priority of jersey purchase list. I'm honestly wishing that they wore those green jerseys around 3/17 like the Bulls do with their green variants, but I think I'm holding my breath on that.
When it comes to the other things.... eh, I don't know. I certainly wouldn't want the camo ones or the cheaper St. Paddy's jerseys, but truth be told.... I actually do kind of like the baseball jerseys, haha. I own several actual baseball jerseys and enjoy going to minor league games as well, so having a Hawks one would've been a cool thing for me (though they didn't have one when I checked a few months back). Again, not high on my list of things to buy, but something I would've considered.
totally agreed on everything you said haha, like who in their right mind would want a hockey logo slapped on a baseball jersey? makes zero sense
I don't see the problem with the baseball jerseys. No one sees the baseball jerseys and wonders when and if their team actually wore them in a game. I put the baseball jerseys in the same category as a t-shirt/hoodie/etc. and not with jerseys. I only wear my hockey jersey for games, but I would wear a baseball jersey whenever. I think there are weirder, and more ridiculous things being sold by the NHL than jerseys that aren't going to be worn in games.
I don't get the surprise and outrage from Reeboks latest money grubbing business tactics. After all they are notorious for this. If you remember, you could get decent looking semi pro jerseys with embroidered shoulder patches and no jock tags for less than $100 when CCM was the manufacturer. Now you pay $130 for a cheaply made jersey that literally falls apart after a few washes with tacky, plastic shoulder patches and a jock tags.
As for the Baseball Jerseys with NHL logos, all they do is prove how infinitly superior Hockey jerseys are (As if that needed to be driven home). I just don't get the need to mimick a sport with inferior jerseys.
I own that green Hawks jersey and it is a beauty! They even make the real numbers on the back, it looks awesome with TOEWS 19 in the back and the C up front!
I've worn it for the past two st.paddy's day and I always get looked at by pretty much everyone :P
Those MLB crossovers look alright. I could get on board with one of those, especially since some teams players do have softball tournaments or games during the off-season. The only team I'd be a little worried about is the New York Rangers, sure the logo's are different, but I could see the Texas Rangers raising a bit of a fuss about those.
I've seen Canucks Jerseys at Wal-Mart that look similar to this. Heat sealed logo, different striping from the actual jerseys, but no name or numbers I think they sold it for around the same price too. Though I'd have to go look at them to be sure. Before the RBK Edge era, I recall Wal-Mart selling replica Canucks Jerseys that had the correct striping but with a Heat Sealed Logo instead of a proper embroidered one, it was lower in price of course. They've also sold Practice Jerseys (circa 2004) that were embroidered at a good price. I should know, I bought one. :P
The only reason someone should buy one of those knock-offs is if they have young kids that they don't want to buy a jersey they're gonna grow out of in a few years.
As for the baseball jerseys I think it's a sham but most people don't this but the Montreal Canadiens have had a summer softball team that's been around since the 80's. I remember seeing Stephane Richer on the team. So seeing one for the Canadiens is not really a big surprise.
I have an actual St. Patrick's jersey: the 1926-27 Toronto St. Pats replica that the Leafs wore for their "75th" anniversary in '02.
I used to have, eons ago, a light blue Habs practice jersey, but again, it was a replica of the Center Ice practice jerseys they actually wore in the '90s.
The only unofficial jersey I own is a Canada jersey that my grandparents bought for me from an airport gift shop. No one was trying to pass that off as anything other than a souvenir.
Thanks to the huge number of folks in Chicago (and Boston) with Irish heritage, you can bank on green everything on St. Patty's day. The Chicago White Sox break out the green jerseys and caps during spring training, and everybody goes nuts for 'em. I, for one, am quite happy for authentic jerseys, or at least good-looking replicas. If it doesn't look like what the players wear, why bother?
How are the Bruins not in green jersey collection?
Don't forget the stupid pink women's jerseys. Because girls love pink - tee hee! My gf was looking forever for a women's cut jersey for her team (in the actual colours) but could only find the stupid pink ones.
You have to consider the wear-ability factor of Baseball Jerseys as opposed to Hockey Jerseys. It's more practical to wear a baseball style jersey out than it is to wear a hockey jersey in most cases. A hockey jersey just doesn't compare. Hockey jerseys are nice for the winter but the baseball jerseys are all-season because of the short sleeves. I also think that they are more subdued and don't make you stand out as much as a hockey jersey.
I like the baseball jerseys. I would get the Flyers one if it were cheaper. I wouldn't spend more than $30 on it though.
Wow! 100 dollars for any one of those jerseys is a ripoff, and come on hockey logos on baseball jerseys, WTF, that is freakin lame and tacky. What are we going to see next, hockey logos on football jerseys or basketball jerseys? rediculous!
I personally hate those generic pink women's jerseys they released for every team. What's the point of buying one if you can't tell what team you're supporting from 10 feet away?
Amelie, you make a good point. I'll have to get another post together that looks at all the different styles of women's hockey jerseys — from the pink to the newer "champagne" line. I know Icethetics is mostly a sausage fest, but there have to be at least a few female readers who can offer some real feedback.
If they really wanted to make this an MLB crossover, they'd put the "D" from the winter classic jerseys on the breast of the Wings' jersey. Mike Illich would probabaly be all over that. But either way, that would be stupid. I already have a Tigers jersey, I'm not going to buy one that looks cheaper and is red JUST because of the Wings connection. I'm sure most people who are both baseball and hockey fans would feel that way .
The only teams that could justify the St. Patrick jersey is Boston and maybe the Rangers
These Wings jerseys used to be somewhat prevalent and totally disgusting. The shade of blue was actually lighter than this pic makes it seem. Penguins original winter classic-blue approximately.
Who ever thought these things were necessary?
I had a Sharks Starter baseball jersey back in the early 90s, with the script font across the front, still have it somewhere I think, but back then I remembering being pretty popular, they even had a "home" and "away" versions, and I think a pinstripe variant too. And it wasn't just hockey, they had NFL and NBA teams too. Actually anything Starter was popular way back then with the parkas and satin jackets, and they did all kinds of things like this, I even think they were the ones who first made a black variant jersey of several teams, just taking their regular design and making it black. I know they did the Sharks, and they did the Blackhawks too, which many years later did become a real jersey. So this is nothing new, it's been going on for quite a while.
I saw a Wings jersey with that same template as that top flyers one right before our edge jersey was unveiled so i thought thats what our new rbk edge jersey would look like...I actually kinda like that flyers one tho
I would buy a green Sabres jersey if it had the normal jersey scheme and normal logo like the Blackhawks uni's
I honestly like the way the Sharks baseball jersey looks, but of course I'd never buy one. It also caught my eye that they are actually made by Mizuno, which I find interesting since that is the official supplier of MLB jerseys. Also why no Leafs St. Paddy's day sweaters? Not even any Toronto St. Pat's ones? I used to love watching them wear green on St. Paddy's day.
NHL.com's customizable wear is great. Very high quality, but I would never buy anything you've noted above. lol. THe baseball jerseys are awful.
As much as the St. Pat's jerseys can be seen as a money grab (and to some extent they are), this is an instance of the NHL offering a product that customers clearly want. This is the first year in a while that the Hawks green jersey has been available as an official product, but they have been all over Chicago for the last few years in the form of knock-offs. The team and the league obviously noticed this and responded to demand. I think the green version of the home sweater is really cool, but I am turned off by the extra cost. I would have no problem if the green version was the same price as the regular home sweater, but it's $15-20 more. That is counterproductive to the idea of offering an official version of a product that has been bootlegged, because this extra cost will still drive consumers to the fakes.
"I want to slap people I see wearing hockey logos on baseball attire."
That would be a lot of people, considering the popularity of baseball caps. I wouldn't want to be wearing a hockey helmet around town just because it's the official paraphernalia of the players on the ice.
I DO own an old Capitals baseball jersey. It's reversible, which I think is cool. One side is gray with the Capitol dome logo on the left breast, and the other is dark blue with the wordmark from the Capitol logo across the front. Only problem is, I lost a button on it
They're all just wrong, but merchandising is what RBK is about. Funny thing is that, starting in the 90's, when CCM was no longer the sole producer of jerseys anymore, other manufacturers decided to start adding "improvements". Most notably, Nike, the big kid on the block, decided to insert some "polypropelyne" mesh into armpits of the six teams they made jerseys for (TOR, CHI, DET, SJ, ANH and PHI) under the premise of "it helps wick away the sweat". That was supposed to justify the increase in price of an authentic jersey from $169 to $269. It's a good thing other outfitters started created better quality "semipro" jerseys to replace the flimsy "replicas" CCM had produced. In fact, I suspect that's WHY they were made: to provide a more affordable option of a better jersey to the casual fan.
Now, when RBK bought the licensing around 2004 or so (bringing in CCM and KOHO), they started designing the Edge line, which of course debuted in 2007. By making the fabric water-resistant (we all know how THAT turned out), they justified an increase in authentic jersey retail price to $389! That meant they would jack up the price of semipros to $140 or so. Well, that's getting out of hand for a lot of fans these days, so now they've created these "fan jerseys" that are (slightly) cheaper for the casual fan, in order to still make some cash, while even semipros are starting to mark only a more devoted hockey fan now.
In the meantime, Nike has continued their "improvements", creating an authentic jersey that's made of 84% Ripstop/16% lycra, which feels like a brown paper bag and is about as durable (Ripstop is a misnomer; they can be cut just as easily as any other jersey), and are charging fans upwards of $500 for one. They even charge teams around $200 wholesale. The cost to make must still be quite low. Even RBK Edge authentics can be had from stores for $150, which goes to show you that the first $150 is nothing but gouging markup; the stores selling at $150 are still making at least 10% profit! What I want to know is how to force RBK and Nike to stop grossly overcharging for jerseys so that these "fan jerseys", not to mention the EPIDEMIC of "Singapore Specials" and other knockoffs, are no longer necessary. If the average fan can buy a semipro for $80 and an authentic for $150, that would probably encourage more people to support the brand and team proper and feel like they're more a part of the experience by wearing the same thing the players wear!
@Kent: not Mizuno, Majestic.
Hirdab: Good point! Never thought of that since I don't wear baseball caps, but I guess I have a lot more work to do now.
But in all fairness, baseball caps have permeated everything. A baseball jersey is still a baseball jersey and regardless of how many NHLers play softball in the offseason, we're still talking about hockey here.
They'd sell a boatload of green Sabres jerseys if they had nice ones like the Hawks example. They already make and sell a ton of St. Patty's themed Sabres gear as it is.
When I was a kid I had a mild obsession with Rangers merchandising--if it had a NYR logo, authentic or otherwise, I wanted it. For the record, I'd never, then or now, even think of wearing anything other than my Richter jersey to an actual game. Suffice it to say, somewhere at my parents' house is a Brian Leetch NYR baseball jersey like the one above.
Among my more interesting items is a baseball cap featuring a logo I'd never seen elsewhere, a NYR player glove holding Lady Liberty's torch. The other is a black NYR jersey I randomly found on a clearance rack far off the beaten path--think Rangers home blue jersey with black instead of blue. While I don't like the idea of the nhl making a quick buck off the backs of hardworking fans, I totally understand why a fan might want to show his or her support for a team by wearing something individual that perhaps not every other fan owns too.
I really don't understand why a company that puts out a diverse range of merchandice is looked down upon. Thats why there is the "Center Ice" line. That tag lets you know said product is game issue. Im as big a jersey "geek" as anyone but sometimes, something is only meant to be fun, or cool. So what....the striping on the st Pattys day jerseys are generic. After a few green beers no one at the parade will notice. As for the the digital camo, I for one think they are awesome. I am a hunter. I would love to see a mossy oak camo Islanders jersey. (I know some of your heads just exploded, sorry) I remember seeing Denis Leary wearing a Boston Red Sox hockey jersey once and thought it was pretty cool. He loves the Sox and hockey. why not show both of his passions at once? My point is letting fans express thier Irish pride and team pride atonce or army and team pride at once is not a bad thing. It allows people to express themselves. I guess you had to grow up on a farm in the country to trully appreciate the beuty of camo. Now I'll end my little rant with this: If the NHL or Reebok were to put "Center Ice" labels on this jerseys that would be a little misleading. But either way. Lighten up Guys. Hockey is fun. Bidding on Ebay and building a jersey collection is fun. And if you dont like it ....dont buy it. Meantime Im praying when I make my trip to Long Island this weekend they have a camo Okposo jersey. Go Sound Tigers.
Wouldn't you know it, I came to Phoenix from Chicago on Saturday, I read this post Sunday afternoon, then saw a Blackhawks Toews customization of the very cheap Richards knock-off at the Hawks-Yotes game that night. Unfortunately only saw it in the distance, so I couldn't really tell actual material. Regardless, there indeed is someone out there who likes that jersey, although the Blackhawks may lead the league in fairweather fans and knock-off jerseys, whether they're like that replica, or the cheap Chinese ones that are off-color, so I guess I'm not surprised.
The St Patrick's green jerseys are the same template as the white Flyers. Not a fan of the green.
I agree, these are terrible and nothing more than a blatant gimmick searching for more money. If it doesn't look like what they wear on the ice, I want nothing to do with it.
To those who complain about the current batch of "Premier" jerseys being cheaply made. I own 31 of them (34 when you get into the CHL), and I haven't found a problem with their quality, though the shoulder patches could use some work.
Actually, I was most nervous with my Tampa Bay jersey, as the "victory stripes" were heat pressed on to the jersey. Alas, I've had the jersey for nearly three years now, and the stripes have held up nicely.
As far as the article goes, meh, what can you do? To those that don't know any better, they are jerseys, though beware if buying for a friend, as if they do know, they'll likely feel insulted.
I own a vintage style knit wool hat/beanie with a perfectly sized Hartford Whalers logo on the front. Its a beauty.
I don't mind things logos on shirts, keychains, and other knick knacks. However, I see things like the camo jerzeys above that just make me want to vomit.
Those baseball jerseys are so lame that I'd rather wear an actual Pirates jersey than that lame Pens one.
Haha, wow, this is perfect. I saw one of these NHL "baseball jerseys" the other day at the Pens game. I think even my girlfriend laughed. If I wanted a baseball jersey, I'd get a Pira...oh, wait.
Aw,come on you haters.
I find it extremely great,that Majestic was so grateful and decided to release this fine NHL series of baseball jerseys.
They're just original and some are quite interesting designs,it's a shame that some of you couldn't see it.
I'm not asking you to love 'em,but to mock 'em? Why? I think it's awesome that we could carry something else than hockey jersey or T,to support our fav teams and if you find it expensive,it's your opinion.
And I'm not talking about walking to arena in such jersey,I'm wearing jerseys and apparel to work and when I'm just having a good time,so when it's to hot for hockey one and too chilly for T,I would love to wear Majestic one...
SOLD!