If you’ve been unable to buy a New England Patriots Super Bowl 60 jersey, you may not be alone.
Fanatics, the NFL Shop operator, issued a public apology to fans of both the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks for the dearth of jersey options available, which sent fans of both teams into a frenzy online Tuesday.
The Patriots are back in the Super Bowl for the first time in seven years and with an entirely new cast of players, led by quarterback Drake Maye and a dominant defense. The Seahawks will play for the championship for the first time since they lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX.
Fanatics Issued An Apology For Lack Of Jerseys Available Online
Fanatics is the official licenser of the NFL and touts itself as the home of “officially licensed everything.”
Yet, when it comes to shopping the Super Bowl, it even acknowledged it has fallen short, particularly with two rabid fan bases who are having unexpectedly great seasons.
“This Super Bowl matchup has created unprecedented challenges for us because of the massive surge in demand we saw from Patriots and Seahawks fans,” Fanatics posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Both teams went from missing the playoffs last season to being in the Super Bowl, an incredibly rare occurrence that led to these two fanbases buying nearly 400% more jerseys since Thanksgiving vs. last year.
“Even though we ordered substantially more jerseys for these teams than ever before, weâve struggled to meet the overwhelming demand to keep team color jerseys in stock, which we know is your expectation. As sports fans, we understand your frustration and we will work tirelessly to be better.”
Patriots fans who wear men’s sizes were left with only the option to purchase navy and white Drake Maye jerseys with the Super Bowl patch on NFL Shop — or could purchase a “carbon fashion” jersey of cornerback Christian Gonzalez or Stefon Diggs at either NFL Shop or Fanatics.
Women’s sizes were more plentiful at both sites, and Fanatics spoke highly of the quality of each jersey.
“We want you to know that weâre listening and weâre ready with a deep assortment of jerseys and fan gear for whoever wins on Sunday,” Fanatics stated. “There is nothing better than serving passionate sports fans and we value your feedback above all.”
Patriots Fans Went At Fanatics Hard
Credit Fanatics for trying to get out front of complaints, but Pats fans weren’t having it.
“Blaming a surge in demand while simultaneously defending the quality -and pointing to a return policy as the solution – puts the burden back on fans. Thatâs not accountability; thatâs damage control,” @bchillz42 posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Team color jerseys arenât a ‘nice to have.’ Theyâre the baseline expectation. If you couldnât meet that standard without cutting corners, the responsible move wouldâve been to delay or limit availability, not flood the market with alternatives that visibly miss the mark and then tell fans to return them if theyâre unhappy.”
“The league[‘]s official merchandise partner wasnât aware that fans would want to buy merchandise of the 2 teams in the Super Bowl,” @iJordanMoore posted.
“honestly asking, is it a demand issue that led to these non-Super Bowl authentic jerseys hitting the shelves at the Patriots Pro Shop over the actual all-white SB jerseys?” @BigLeagueWill posted.
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