Babz@BabzOnTheMic
I got the opportunity to spend time with Fanatics Founder & CEO Michael Rubin. Due to the blizzard, I came to NYC on Sunday AM. This gave me the chance to spend several hours with Michael on Sunday & Monday. There was an open dialogue between us and his team in which they were genuinely open to all feedback. Here’s my breakdown.
1) NFL Fashion Jersey Price Reduction
- My first gripe was the fact that these were priced the same as “Game” jerseys. It’s ludicrous. Michael agreed on their end that the fans should’ve had more Game Jerseys in stock for the Super Bowl. The price of fashion jerseys should be lower than a game jersey. It will be next season.
2) NFL Stitched Jerseys are coming back for 2026
- Another gripe was I missed the fully stitched Vapor Limited jerseys. They’re coming back. They’ll have them produced for certain players on a team by team basis. I’m hopeful the quality of these jerseys match up to what we’ve saw in the past. They’ve been working on getting this done for over a year and it’ll hit retail soon.
3) Your voice was heard.
- I said I wanted you, the sports community, to feel like you’re sitting at the table with me. You were. We literally went over every single comment on my post. From what is already being addressed (free shipping/returns in the app), what is coming (stitched jerseys/lower fashion jersey pricing) and what can be addressed down the road. Higher quality is also a focus which they’re doing for tees/fleece. Michael and his staff do care about the feedback and want everyone to continue using their voice. It’s the only way they can get better.
4) Ending Misinformation/Educating what Fanatics does
- Fanatics as a whole takes on a lot of hate. If they fuck up, they want to own it and make it better. Many times issues come up that they truly don’t have control out of. I told Michael the company needs to do a better job educating the community on who does what. We want to hold all accountable. Here are a couple examples; the New Era hat mishaps are on New Era. The Red Sox jersey debacle is on the team itself. The on site Super Bowl NFL Shop with crazy prices was run by a company called Legends. Michael told me that the next Super Bowl, Fanatics will take over the on site NFL Shop and is committed to eliminating the egregious mark ups vs online pricing.
5) Starting an Authentic Fan Council
- What became eye opening for Michael was that fans feel like they don't have a voice. Michael and his team showed me that they do in fact have hundreds of conversations directly with fans. Fanatics wants to create a more public forum and venue for fans to share their feedback and share the progress it has made. Fanatics wants to do better and wants to starting having boots on the ground in regional markets. The sports community is the driving force behind everything that is done and our voice matters. I’m not sure how the council would work, but it’s something I think the people out there can pitch ideas and build it together. I want more people to be hands on and involved in everything that is done. We can build it.
Michael came off to me as a very passionate, genuine sports fan. He sees and knows the negativity out there but continues to push forward to build the best fan experiences like Rip Night or Fanatics Fest. He truly cares about the fan and wants feedback to make everything better for you. What I hope going forward, we get more direct transparency from the man himself. Showcase the good you guys do while fixing the bad. Keep us in the loop.
Nothing was handed to me. No swag bag, no extra pair of cargos, no blank check, no special FaceTimes. I was given an opportunity to give real feedback face to face and I felt heard. Now it’s on them to step up to the plate and deliver.
If you truly know me, I always stay optimistic (red line). I will give them a chance to continue making progress improving the fan experience and excited about how the fan council comes to life because we all have a voice.
