Fanatics Fumbles Eagles Merchandise, Pauses Future Shipments

Sports merchandise juggernaut Fanatics has paused future shipments of certain Philadelphia Eagles gear in the Kelly green throwback style after dozens of customers received jerseys and t-shirts with lopsided designs.

Fans took to X, the social media company formally known as Twitter, to share photos of their crooked Eagles Kelly green colorway gear, such as an $80 order from the NFL’s official online shop of two Jalen Hurts t-shirts with a slanted number. Another fan bought a $180 Eagles jersey with tilted decals.

Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, also the former minority owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, apologized on his social media accounts Tuesday for the errant Eagles merchandise.

“Even though this specific issue only affected a few dozen customers, it is still completely unacceptable that this mistake happened. One bad product and one unhappy customer is one too many,” Rubin said.

Rubin added that Fanatics sold more than four million units of Eagles merchandise last year. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, a Fanatics spokesperson said the Eagles are “on pace” to set the record for most team jerseys sold yearly. 

Fanatics raised $700 million last December to value the company at $31 billion. Fanatics has been the exclusive licensor for NFL fan apparel since 2020, and it has similar merchandise distribution deals with MLB, the NBA, and NHL. 

Fanatics boosted its sports merchandise presence last year by acquiring Mitchell & Ness. The company has expanded beyond apparel into trading cards, live events and content, and sports betting.