Before the season started, many NFL fans did not predict the Super Bowl matchup. It would feature the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. This unexpected pairing has caused problems for the league’s exclusive supplier of Nike adult products. It has also affected one of the country’s largest online apparel retailers.
Fanatics issued an apology ahead of Super Bowl 60 on February 2 after fans complained about jersey availability. Seahawks and Patriots fans had voiced frustrations about both shortages and quality issues online. Consumers posted photos of jerseys that were allegedly of poor quality. The backlash even sparked the #EndFanatics hashtag on social media.
The company eventually acknowledged that it could not keep up with the unprecedented demand for Super Bowl–themed Patriots and Seahawks jerseys. It said the surge in orders had caught it off guard. Fanatics pushed back against claims about product quality. The company asserted that, despite some unflattering photos, the alternate jerseys meet the standard Nike replica “Game” jersey specifications. Fanatics also emphasized that customers unhappy with their purchases can return items free of charge under its long‑standing return policy.
In a statement posted to social media, Fanatics said that they’ve let Patriots and Seahawks fans down with product availability, they own that and they are sorry.
The company noted that this predicament is partly because both the Seahawks and Patriots had low on‑field expectations before the season began. Fanatics said neither team was widely expected to make a deep playoff run. Their unexpected success helped drive a huge surge in jersey demand. This surge contributed to the supply problems the company faced. Fanatics said neither team was widely expected to reach the Super Bowl. That unexpected success contributed to the supply problems. The sudden surge in demand caught the company off guard.
Fanatics wrote that the Super Bowl matchup created unprecedented challenges for the company due to a massive surge in demand from Patriots and Seahawks fans. Both teams went from missing the playoffs last season to reaching the Super Bowl, a rare occurrence. This led the two fanbases to buy nearly 400% more jerseys since Thanksgiving compared to last year. Even though Fanatics ordered more jerseys for these teams than ever before, it struggled to keep team-color jerseys in stock. The company acknowledged this fell short of customer expectations. As sports fans, they understand their frustration and they will work tirelessly to be better.
In spite of some unflattering photos on social media, Fanatics emphasized that its alternate jersey options are identical to its standard Nike replica game jerseys. The company added that customers can still return any product they are not fully satisfied with at no cost. This has been the long-standing policy of the company.
