NHL jerseys are going to be completely ruined by Gary Bettman next season

PUBLICATION

Noel Drolet
February 16, 2024 (4:55 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

Gary Bettman has been on a roll of seemingly making the worst decisions for fans of the NHL. It's no surprise that fans have hated Bettman for a while, but one of the worst decisions he's made has been choosing Fanatics as the NHL's official jersey sponsor. This is effective next year so there is still time to buy jerseys before the transition, but things aren't looking well for Fanatics right now.

Fanatics has always had a terrible reputation, but it seems like there is more reason to worry than we originally thought. Fanatics also bought jersey right for the MLB and owns right to certain teams' jerseys in the NBA and NFL, as well as so many other sports leagues.

With team practicing resuming for the new MLB season, Fanatics had to get jerseys out to teams for the players to wear. Players and fans of the MLB have been vocally unhappy with the condition of the jerseys, and these are the player jerseys which are supposed to be top quality.

These are some examples of the awful quality of the jerseys and players' reactions to them. With the state of the MLB jerseys right now, there's no reason to look ahead excitedly at what the NHL jerseys will look like next year. If even the player jerseys look this bad, there's no telling what the fan jerseys will look like.

Not to mention that the contract with Fanatics lasts 10 years, so that would be a terrible contract to try and get out of legally. It's interesting to see the fallout of this and what people are proposing to amend the situation, but something needs to be done before Fanatics starts ruining sports jerseys. I think it goes without saying to buy a jersey before the end of this season if you're thinking of buying one, because next year may be a total joke of a showing from Fanatics.