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OT: Baseball Switching From Majestic To Under Armour


CJ Matthews

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I know this is off-topic, but considering what's going on in hockey with Reebok switching to Adidas (same company, but different cuts/materials/designs), I thought this was semi-relevant. Also, Fanatics is taking over, which is also happening in hockey, so there's another tie-in.

 

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2016/10/17/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/Under-Armour.aspx

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Fanatics gaining more and more traction is definitely alarming, especially for game worn collectors myself.

If Fanatics takes over the game worn jersey program for the NHL (which I see as a distinct possibility), then that will mark the beginning of the end of me collecting modern jerseys.  I have already started the move away from pre-Edge jerseys about a year ago, but this will seal the deal if Fanatics takes over.  The WCOH gamers fiasco is just a sample of what's to come and their starting prices on gamer auctions (take a look at the Blues gamers on NHL auctions right now) are nuts.  Now, I see some collectors are stating they will be seeking a refund on the WCOH gamers they just got as when they use the serial # to track when their jerseys were used they are finding out they were not used in the games as advertised.

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Seeing as Majestic's most recent on-field product has what seems to be a large white diaper attached to the back tail, this news is not surprising. That's a big score for Under Armour, which just continues to grow.

 

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17 minutes ago, Devilsguy said:

Now, I see some collectors are stating they will be seeking a refund on the WCOH gamers they just got as when they use the serial # to track when their jerseys were used they are finding out they were not used in the games as advertised.

Really curious, could you explain what you meant by this?  Did buyers receive game-issued jerseys that were never used on-ice, or were their jerseys just not used in the exact games they thought they were used in?  All I remember is that in the auctions Fanatics specifically stated that they would not track the jerseys, so that they would not be able to say which specific games the jerseys were used in.  They also said that in the event the jersey was not used by the player, that the winning bidder would receive a refund.

Edited by LAK74
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16 minutes ago, LAK74 said:

Really curious, could you explain what you meant by this?  Did buyers receive game-issued jerseys that were never used on-ice, or were their jerseys just not used in the exact games they thought they were used in?  All I remember is that in the auctions Fanatics specifically stated that they would not track the jerseys, so that they would not be able to say which specific games the jerseys were used in.  They also said that in the event the jersey was not used by the player, that the winning bidder would be receive a refund.

They received game used jerseys, just not used the time they were told.  From what I understand these are for the jerseys that were sold direct and not through the auctions.  Apparently they were told that the jerseys sold were used in the same period in all the games the team played.  Therefore if you got team USA blue period 3, it was to be worn in period 3 of all games Team USA wore blue.  Instead what they are finding after going on the Fanatics website and scanning in their barcodes is that they were worn in 2 periods of 1 particular game and that's it.

From what I remember, the first and second round of auctions didn't say they won't be scanning or tracking the gamers at all.  Instead, since the auctions were during the tournament,  it said they were being scanned and won't know for sure which games until after the tournament is over when the jerseys were worn.

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Ah, I had forgotten that some had been sold outside of the auctions.  Thanks for clearing that up!

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I wonder if Nike made a bid for the contract. I know they'll be going after MLS when Adidas' contract is up. It's interesting to see how Adidas has gone from 4 of the 5 major leagues down to just two.

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Nike's going after MLS again? Blech. I don't think Adidas has done too bad a job. There's nothing overly awful out there right now and I've never been enamored with what Nike does overseas...i.e. Man City.

Though, I guess if they decide to bring back some of the original unis, that'd be excellent. Hello neon green Mutiny and rainbow Wizards!

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  • 2 weeks later...

MLB jerseys need a lot of work.  They need to figure out a way to keep them lightweight but not see-thru and wrinkly.  The worst are there "cream" color jerseys that are supposed to have the vintage look or an older thicker jersey, but you can see the undershirts directly though them.  Phillies have one.  Braces do as well.  The intent is great but the execution isn't.

The Flex Base material is horrible.  They are too baggy in the midsection and so thin that they always look wrinkled.  The diaper thing is bad enough, let alone on pinstripe jerseys for collectors or fans who are going to wear these things.  Also in effort to make the jerseys lighter in weight they went to reverse kiss-cut lettering.

The Cool Base jerseys were pretty nice in my opinion and once I started wearing those to games I couldn't imagine wearing the heavy knit jerseys, especially in the middle of summer.  

The Cool Base and Flex Base jerseys were ridiculously priced for retail.  You don't really have to look too hard to find real authentic on Ebay for dirt cheap.  I picked up a Cool Base McCutchen, a Flex Base 86 style Syndergaard and a Bumgarner this year for a under $300 total.  The Syndergaard alone retailed for about $330.

 

Interested to see what Under Armor is going to differently.  When Majestic took over they didn't do much expect carry on the current Rawlings and/or Russel Athletic styles until they introduced the Cool Base jerseys which took quite a while to catch on.

Edited by SirBrad
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Unfortunately, this deal doesn't kick in for a number of years, but Majestic now has no incentive to innovate or change their overall format because they know they're on the way out. Sure, they'll update designs when teams want it, but they have no reason to move away from the Flex Base format.

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Being into baseball jerseys, I hate the flex base. Probably just sticking to double knit and cool base, unless I have no options because of new styles or it being the only jersey a player wore.

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The direction baseball jerseys have gone has actually made me want to get out of collecting them. I haven't bought one in a few years. Being a Mets fan, I didn't even get one from last season, because I'm just not happy with them anymore.

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I like the old double knit jerseys, but they are so heavy and in my opinion, not fit for wearing in New York in the summer. I vastly prefer the Cool Base. Have not owned the new Flex Base so I can't speak to those.

The retail prices vs. what you can pay on eBay is a pretty big price spread, especially on the Cool Base. I've bought (and sold) brand new properly customized jerseys of star players for under $100, while MLB.com charged $250. 

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There's no aftermarket for baseball jerseys anymore. Not unless they're super rare anyway. Cool Base? Flex Base? You'll NEVER get your money back on those. You're better off scouring eBay for cheap ones that pop up because paying what they ask at retail is absolute insanity. It's too bad too because there have been some decent designs out there of late. One that jumps out at me was what the Rays wore while playing in Cuba. I don't know why but I thought it was very sharp looking. The powder blue with the sunburst on the chest really stood out for some reason. But to get it properly customized would have costed like $350+. That's asinine.

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12 minutes ago, catofadiferntskn said:

Since you guys appear to have some knowledge of authenic baseball jerseys, how is the sizing on those?  In edge 2.0s I'm a 56, in 6100's I'm a 52. Where would you start size wise on an authenic baseball jersey?

 

Thanks!

+1 on this

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35 minutes ago, catofadiferntskn said:

What is the best place for buying?

eBay, by far.

35 minutes ago, catofadiferntskn said:

 is the customization for baseball the same as hockey, in that if its not done by the team customizer you'll never get it correct?

Yup, same deal. Other shops can probably replicate it but if you want accuracy, go to the source.

36 minutes ago, catofadiferntskn said:

Thanks guys!

You're welcome!!

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