Nike Blew It with the NFL.

When talking about jersey's and apparel we're talking about billions of dollars. That's billions, with a "B." After Reebok's 10 year deal with the NFL ran out in 2011, Nike was able to come and swoop up one of the most coveted apparel licences in sports, no strike that, one of the most coveted licences in the world! Nike figures to rake in the dough, but who is going to suffer the consequences (besides Reebok who should have fired whoever is responsible for that company losing the NFL contract)? You can rest assure there will be plenty of gimmicks ahead to promote the new "official apparel" of the NFL, but things aren't as new and refreshing as they seem.

What Nike did right.

-Did you watch the 2012 NFL draft? You did?! Remember seeing players get drafted and by the time they got to the podium they already had a jersey from the team they were drafted by with their name on the back and the #1 (for first round draft pick)? Wasn't that cool? It seemed like a no-brainer to have a guy back stage screen printing names so that immediately you could identify the new player with his team. Woe to Reebok for not thinking this up a decade ago! This was a fresh new idea that Nike got right and was an excellent way to introduce themselves to the new players and fans. The message is clear; we're going to dazzle you with new ways to see our product.
-Another key change in the Nike regime was going to a universal cut for every team's jersey. Some team's (including my beloved 49ers) had gone to an almost embarrassing u-shaped neck cut. I don't know what Reebok was thinking but these jerseys fit awful. Normally I would wear a t-shirt underneath a jersey anyway but with the u-shaped cut you had no choice, it showed 4 to 5 inches of your chest! The v-neck cut that Nike put every team back into is more like it. It looks better and fits better, one thing you should never do with a football jersey is try to make it have a fancy fit, it's a football jersey for crying out loud.
-The last props I will give to Nike is on quality. Have you had a chance to see one of the new jersey's in person? If not, then definitely drop by a Nike shop and see them, they are impressive. Even their lowest end screen printed jersey's seem much more durable than the pathetic Reebok screen printed jersey's that every hardcore fan avoided like the plague. If you washed and dried one of the screen printed Reebok jersey's then they'd start to peel away after one dry cycle, these Nike screen printed jersey's seem like they'll hold up better. But let's face it, I'm a hardcore fan and I want what the players are wearing on the field. Nike has also changed the NFL patch back to the NFL shield, there is different cuts of fabric all over the elite jersey allowing it to "breath" better and the material feels just as sturdy as the Reebok "game worn" jersey's were.

Relax Nike because this isn't about how great you are, this is actually about how you completely fell on your face and probably lost a lot of money, and fans, in the process. Now on to...

What Nike did Wrong.

Nike's Mission is; To Bring Inspiration And Innovation To Every Athlete In The World.

- Is it innovative to go from having Reebok who had 3 tiers of NFL jersey's ("Screen Printed", "Game Jersey's" (which were stitched), and "On Field" jersey's) to only 2 from Nike? We now have the "Game-day" jersey's (screen printed) and "Elite jersey's" (the jersey's players wear on the field). What's that you say Nike exec.? You say you have a "Limited Jersey" coming out in the summer of 2012? OK, it's now midway through the summer of 2012, did we SURPRISE you that you took over the contract for the NFL in April? Are you NOW getting prepared to show us that third jersey? Or were you hoping fans would blow their money on your more expensive jersey's first then give them a more price friendly option later? BTW- if you're a fan of certain teams (like the 49ers) you can't even get an Elite "away" jersey yet! Again, did this take you by surprise Nike? Did you not know that you'd have to start producing product for fans once you took over the contract? When are we going to get a chance to buy the white jersey's, anytime soon?
-When I'm inspired it usually isn't something that hits me so hard in my pocketbook that my wife and kids will suffer. That's not inspiration that's just dumb, like buying an "elite" Nike NFL jersey for $250. Nike isn't the only one to blame here, the NFL is gouging fans buy selling the elite jersey's for $300 on their website! You heard me, $300 F*$@ing dollars! What economy are they living in? Hello Nike and NFL, have you been living underneath a rock? There's this tiny problem going on, not only in our country but in the world, called a recession, you heard of it? Since you obviously haven't, let me explain; it means people are short on money! And you just raised the prices of all the jersey's by at least 25%. Maybe it's just me but that screams greed. Reebok's 3 tiers ran for $79.99, $110.00 and $229.99. The NFL will be selling the new 3 tiers for $100, $135 and $300 while Nike is selling them for $100, $135 and $250.

Now stop me if I'm wrong but Nike and the NFL had three ways to go here;
1. They up the prices from what Reebok had (which is what they did) because the new Nike jersey's are "better quality" (that's not an actual quote from them but I can see an exec saying that already).
2. They keep the prices the same for the new 3 tiers of jersey's. Problem here is that any conglomerate lives by the motto "grow or die" so they HAD to up the prices to sustain their place in the market.
3. This would've been the "inspirational and innovative" tactic; Lower the prices slightly (say $69.99, $99.99 and $199.99) for the first season and let the fans get a "taste" of how good the new product is. Make the fans aware that the prices won't last and that you're trying to introduce them to the "new and improved product!" Fans, like me would've struck fast and frequent. We would've been all over these prices for the first year desperate to get the jersey's of the players we love, knowing that they're going to be raised in 2013. I can already hear the business exec from Nike say "that's why we didn't have to lower the prices because we knew the NFL is SO popular and people need the latest merchandise so we can up the prices and people will still pay for the product despite not having the money for it." (then he smiles real big). Then I turn to my computer and google "wholesale Nike NFL jersey's" (and I smile real big). That's right, it might not be legal, they may not be exact (the "wholesale" 49ers jersey's can be spotted from a mile away because the font on the chest is 3 times too big) but they sure are affordable, about $20-$29 per jersey plus shipping and handling (and that's for the "Elite" jersey). I was in a Nike shop in Vegas last week and an employee shot down my theory claiming that they haven't had a problem selling the new NFL jersey's, he said they're flying off the shelf! Yet, every time I see a player retweet a picture of a fan who sent them a picture of the new "Nike elite jersey" they just got in the mail the font seems to be 3 times too big! The Nike exec says "hmmm." Don't believe me? Go check twitter right now. go ahead I'll wait... you're back? kinda' creepy huh? This problem was rampant with the Reebok jersey's, all you had to do was go to a 49ers game and take a look around. MORE THAN half the fans are wearing jersey's with the font 3 times too big! If Reebok had a problem with it at their prices how bad of a problem do you think the NFL and Nike will have at the new prices? #FAIL
- The players will suffer from the rise in prices. When companies look to sign an athlete to a contract to be a spokesman they evaluate their marketability. In that equation businesses like Nike look at jersey sales. Now, if you're Patrick Willis and you have the most popular selling jersey on the team and are in the top 10 in the league then you become more "marketable," this is not rocket science it's logic. But, if fans are buying all their product form "wholesale" websites then those jersey sales won't be officially counted. So you might see thousands of fans at a Niner game wearing P-Willis' jersey but officially his jersey isn't a top seller because they aren't being bought legally. This in turn takes marketing money out of Patrick Willis' pocket and likewise means less money in jersey sales for Nike and the NFL. Hell, even the fans don't win because the "knock-offs" are so easy to spot.

Nike still has time to save their reputation but they have to move fast. If they were smart they would bring in some hard core fans from around the country and figure out how to make them happy, after they've sold us on their product then they can go gouge us all they want. But if they continue on this route they are in trouble of seeing sales stagnate and lots of bad knock-offs at NFL games with their famous swoosh on the sleeves.

For now, no new jersey's for me and my family. We're sticking to the Reebok one's we already have. We refuse to spend the money on a product that was already very expensive. Yes, Nike is part of a billion dollar partnership with the NFL now but there are a lot bad knock-offs bringing their product down and, believe it or not, millions upon millions being lost for Nike, the NFL and the players not to mention their reputation to boot.