The National Hockey League (NHL) announced that Fanatics will be its on-ice jersey outfitter and retail supplier starting from the 2024-25 season until 2035. However, this announcement was met with criticism from many hockey fans who have had negative experiences with Fanatics. Fanatics already has a partnership with the NHL, but fans are wary of the company’s quality of service, fabric quality, and design creativity. Fanatics is known for producing replica NHL jerseys, but fans fear that the quality of the official on-ice jerseys will be compromised.
Fanatics is a company that has partnerships with all four major North American sports leagues and is valued at $31 billion. The company has been expanding its reach in the sports industry by moving into the trading card space and launching a sports betting site. Despite this expansion, fans are not pleased with the NHL’s decision to partner with Fanatics and fear that the company’s poor reputation could hurt the league’s image.
