You Owe The NFL – Now Pay Up!

By MikeBullock | Friday, August 14, 2009 | ( 4 )

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Just a few short years ago, Exxon and the other oil giants decided they could overcharge all of us poor slobs who have to buy gas simply because they could. Six straight quarters of record-breaking profits later and the country is in the depths of the worst financial despair I’ve seen in my four decades of life.

During that time, I decided to treat myself to a new NFL jersey from one of my favorite players. While I already have quite the collection of jerseys, ranging from knock-off replicas of former NFL stars to NFL Authentics to a fully stitched, fabric letter and nameplate emblazoned Dale Earnhardt Jr Budweiser jersey, I always want a new one to wear each year.

So, my beautiful wife, a passionate football fan in her own right, ordered one of the new Reebok replica jerseys for me. When I found out it cost $80 I assumed I was going to get a very nice jersey.

Boy was I wrong.

It showed up, complete with ink plugging all the breathing holes under the numbers and logos. From what I could tell, it was nothing more than a tee shirt print done on jersey material. And it came from NFLshop.com. It certainly didn’t appear to be as nice as any of my other jerseys, which didn’t take the sting out of paying $80 for it. Based on my current jersey collection, I’d say it was worth maybe $40 at best.

Then, I wore it once and my wife washed it, just as we wash all of our jerseys. Before it even hit the dryer, half the numbers on the back of the jersey had flaked off, leaving white flecks all over the rest of the laundry done that day, including several other jerseys that were far older, yet failed to peel.

Now, I was stuck with an overpriced jersey that looked like I bought it at a Goodwill clearance sale and it wasn’t even a week old.

So, I went out to a few local stores that sell NFL apparel and looked at a lot of their jerseys. Then I checked out their other NFL items, from bumper stickers, to BBQ aprons, to hats to beer mugs. After looking at all of them, I compared the pricing to other, similar items in other stores and found that the average item bearing an NFL related logo was over four times the price of something bearing other corporate images, even those from other sports.

An NFL patch I wanted recently retails for $9.99. It’s roughly two inches by three inches. Any other patch on earth that size would be less than $4.

My Dale Jr jersey, the one that is the exact same quality as the “fully authentic” NFL jerseys that sell for $250+, cost me $25 from Earnhardt’s official store. I’ve had it for years, washed it dozens of times and it still looks brand new. Why can NASCAR, a sport that is far less popular than the NFL, sell the exact same item for ten times less? I understand the whole “what the market can bear” ideology, but I also see the conflict between that and “don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”

At what point will the NFL realize that fleecing the fans is just as bad as what Exxon and the other oil companies did to the US economy? Sooner, rather than later, if this trend continues, the NFL will simply price itself right out of the market. Especially if the deal sitting in front of the Supreme Court passes, allowing them to price fix to their hearts content.

As fans of this great game, we don’t deserve the multi-million dollar signing bonuses some men get simply to play a kids game. We don’t deserve billion dollar stadiums that house our offices, which are more posh than any hotel most of us could ever afford to stay in, and we don’t deserve private jets, limo rides or endorsement deals that pay ten times what most of us will ever make in a lifetime of nine to five.

However, what we do deserve is a little respect. Don’t kick us when we’re down. Don’t raise your prices while millions are losing their jobs and act as if it’s “just good business”. We don’t owe you anything other than to remind you on occasion not to forget where you came from. The NFL is a purely American sport, so how about keeping it affordable for pure Americans?

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Comments: 4 | Sign Up View all comments


	No.1 intmd8r	10:54 AM 08/14/2009

	I couldn't agree more! I love all my NFL gear, but hate how much of it I want but just can't bring myself to buy because I know...


	No.2 Goose	11:10 AM 08/14/2009

	Mike great article, I can luckily say that I haven't been burn quite like that, just with a few sizing issues. I have had...


	No.3 MikeBullock	10:43 AM 08/15/2009

	Thanks, Goose. I'm glad you liked the article. Thanks for the links, I'll check them out next time I can bring myself to buy...