#EndFanatics: The Breaking Point for Sports Apparel

Over the past few years, uniforms and merchandise across MLB and the NFL have taken a noticeable step back, and most of it traces to the same place. Fanatics, working alongside Nike as the manufacturer for on-field uniforms and retail gear, has taken over a huge portion of the industry, and the results have not been great. Nike handles the designs, but Fanatics produces what ends up on the field and in stores, and fans have noticed the difference. Prices keep going up while quality keeps slipping, and the frustration has grown into a real movement with #EndFanatics gaining traction as more issues keep piling up.

MLB has taken the biggest hit. When the new Nike templates rolled out the past three seasons, fans and players immediately noticed thinner materials, awkward fits, and details that just looked off. Even after some fixes, the reputation stuck, and every new release gets put under a microscope. Things like the new clubhouse hats have shown up with crooked front logos and messy brims, fitted hats have had sizing issues from batch to batch, and basic shirts are selling for premium prices while fading or peeling quickly. Even small details like mismatched grays or poorly sized lettering have made modern MLB uniforms feel cheaper than what came before, which is the opposite of what should be happening as prices continue to climb.

The NFL has seen plenty of the same problems, even if the attention has not been as constant. Super Bowl gear arrived with crooked logos and incorrect engravings, custom jerseys have shown up misaligned, and some fans have compared the quality to knockoffs despite paying full price. The structure is the same as MLB, with Nike designing and Fanatics producing, and the complaints follow the same pattern of high prices and inconsistent results.

Another issue with the modern uniform system is that on field designs are now clearly influenced by retail production. With Fanatics handling manufacturing under Nike and MLB overseeing the deal, player jerseys are often standardized so they can be mass produced more easily as fan replicas. Just look at my last article covering the WBC. The result is a system where economic efficiency drives the design process, leading to more generic templates and cost cutting decisions that prioritize large scale production over unique uniform details.

Uniforms are supposed to be one of the best parts of sports, something fans are proud to wear and collect, but right now they have become one of the biggest sources of frustration. With Fanatics controlling so much of the market, there is very little competition to push things forward, and until something changes the complaints are only going to keep growing.

#EndFanatics

Published: 3/1/26