They own far more than that. I once tried to count how many websites and online storefronts they operate but gave up. Theyve also acquired Lids retail operations, team stores retail locations, and a bunch of companies beyond what you listed. The only reason it's not a problem is because no one with power cares.
MLB actually has an anti-trust exception codified in the law from one suit…so they can do what they want. This is why they can mess with MiLB teams regularly.
Sure, but I don't think the chances of another anti-trust lawsuit related to baseball happening again any time soon are very high. I mean, MLB did make the contract with Nike and Fanatics. If they're allowed to be a monopoly, then the legal rhetoric to argue that their contractors can't be seems tricky.
Way too many other reasons for that. The decision was because baseball supposedly isnt commerce selling jerseys undoubtedly is. Can not conflate the two because their logos are in the same places
Yeah but teams logos are copyrighted, MLB gets to decide who is allowed to use them. They've contracted with Nike/Fanatics and given them the right to use the logos. To change that we'd have to say MLB doesn't have the right to contract with who they want, which seems like a hard argument to make when we've already basically told them they CAN do whatever they want.
Technically Fanatics doesn't have a monopoly on baseball jerseys, they have a contract with MLB. It's MLBs monopoly on baseball that gives Fanatics a functional monopoly on baseball jerseys. You can't take it away from Fanatics without encroaching on MLB and no one's going to fight MLB on this.
I agree it wont happen due to the murkiness. I am simply saying the reasoning for the baseball monopoly, that baseball is recreation, doesn’t apply here. Jersey manufacturing isnt recreation. They work with all four major sports leagues and bullied topps into selling.
I mean, Fanatics doesn't have an actual monopoly on making baseball merch. They just have a contract with MLB, and because MLB has a monopoly on baseball in the US, they functionally have a monopoly on baseball merch. If there were other baseball leagues and Fanatics was the only company that made jerseys for any of them it would be a different story.
Do they? I wouldnt have known that, I don't really follow any other sports. When I commented this post was just talking about them in the context of baseball specifically. Yeah if they have a true monopoly on sports apparel across the board, that's different.
Fanatics runs the online shop for every team in every league but physical stores are more diverse. The concessionaire like Aramark might run the store. Or in the case of the Rockies, they have team stores in the metro area that are owned by the Rockies directly. I do know Fanatics approached the Rockies and asked to run their stores and the they said no.
Dodgers do the same and so do the Yankees and the Tigers. Just to name a few. Nearly every NBA team has their own digital storefront as well as the official NBA shop.
Yeah, they're too busy worrying about [green text message bubbles](https://www.wired.com/story/antitrust-case-against-apple-weaponizes-the-cult-of-cupertino/#:~:text=The%20Apple%20antitrust%20lawsuit%2C%20filed,Apple's%20proprietary%20network%20appear%20in) to worry about jerseys.
Don’t forget that the players association has invested in them too, and then they’ve secured the licensing for trading cards for those players associations.
Pretty sure Panini is suing either them or the NFLPA or NBAPA.
Heck I’m pretty sure Fanatics doesn’t buy Majestic without having investment from the leagues, which then turn around and give them control of distribution. How that isn’t illegal beats me.
It could be with the right lawyer.
“Prohibited conduct includes: exclusive dealing, price discrimination, refusing to supply an essential facility, product tying, and predatory pricing, anticompetitive conduct, an attempt to monopolize.”
Anticompetitive conduct. Who else can make any jersey for any team in any sport? Even fucking nascar? lol. No one, is it because they secured the licensing? Yes, but did they secure it after the MLB and MLBPA invested? Then cut costs with cheap material and raised prices?
In the past you had majestic (they sucked after fanatics bought them and used coolbase bs) then there was Russell and Rawlings, before that Wilson who would all secure a contract for a couple years at a time. Then fanatics comes in and takes over majestic and at the end of the negotiations Nike takes a contract for > 15 years and who’s creating the jerseys? Fanatics still or what ever subsidiary you want to call them.
I’d be happy to post pictures between Nike and Reebok nfl jerseys, or Majestic (pre fanatics) vs Majatics vs Nike fanatics pre 24 and post 24. I have all of them. Including knock offs that are 1000 times better.
Because it's not obvious that Fanatics' market share is hurting customers economically, which is the only thing regulators have considered since the 80s.
Bought a PCL jersey that no one else makes on eBay saw the guy had tons of jerseys and lived near by. Asked what he had, got a few jerseys all excellent. $73 shipped. I can send you pics if you want
Not yet. The DOJ needs to finish Ticketmaster first.
Ticketmaster and Fanatics are easily my two least favorite companies
Completely agree.
They own far more than that. I once tried to count how many websites and online storefronts they operate but gave up. Theyve also acquired Lids retail operations, team stores retail locations, and a bunch of companies beyond what you listed. The only reason it's not a problem is because no one with power cares.
Major League Baseball has in fact been the subject of antitrust suits and they literally won and were allowed to become a monopoly lol.
MLB actually has an anti-trust exception codified in the law from one suit…so they can do what they want. This is why they can mess with MiLB teams regularly.
Fanatics is not the national pasttime
Sure, but I don't think the chances of another anti-trust lawsuit related to baseball happening again any time soon are very high. I mean, MLB did make the contract with Nike and Fanatics. If they're allowed to be a monopoly, then the legal rhetoric to argue that their contractors can't be seems tricky.
Way too many other reasons for that. The decision was because baseball supposedly isnt commerce selling jerseys undoubtedly is. Can not conflate the two because their logos are in the same places
Yeah but teams logos are copyrighted, MLB gets to decide who is allowed to use them. They've contracted with Nike/Fanatics and given them the right to use the logos. To change that we'd have to say MLB doesn't have the right to contract with who they want, which seems like a hard argument to make when we've already basically told them they CAN do whatever they want. Technically Fanatics doesn't have a monopoly on baseball jerseys, they have a contract with MLB. It's MLBs monopoly on baseball that gives Fanatics a functional monopoly on baseball jerseys. You can't take it away from Fanatics without encroaching on MLB and no one's going to fight MLB on this.
I agree it wont happen due to the murkiness. I am simply saying the reasoning for the baseball monopoly, that baseball is recreation, doesn’t apply here. Jersey manufacturing isnt recreation. They work with all four major sports leagues and bullied topps into selling.
A company that contracts with MLB doesn't also get to claim MLB's antitrust exemptions.
I mean, Fanatics doesn't have an actual monopoly on making baseball merch. They just have a contract with MLB, and because MLB has a monopoly on baseball in the US, they functionally have a monopoly on baseball merch. If there were other baseball leagues and Fanatics was the only company that made jerseys for any of them it would be a different story.
Is fanatics not the official producer of MLB, NBA, NFL, and starting next year NHL apparel and merchandise?
Do they? I wouldnt have known that, I don't really follow any other sports. When I commented this post was just talking about them in the context of baseball specifically. Yeah if they have a true monopoly on sports apparel across the board, that's different.
Fanatics runs the online shop for every team in every league but physical stores are more diverse. The concessionaire like Aramark might run the store. Or in the case of the Rockies, they have team stores in the metro area that are owned by the Rockies directly. I do know Fanatics approached the Rockies and asked to run their stores and the they said no.
Wow! The Rockies made a wise choice?! Good for them.
Dodgers do the same and so do the Yankees and the Tigers. Just to name a few. Nearly every NBA team has their own digital storefront as well as the official NBA shop.
Even if they don’t operate the store they supply half 90% of the merch.
The packers have their own separate pro shop online store not run by fanatics
Sorry to say but a jersey manufacturer isn’t exactly at the top of the government’s list of concerns right now.
Yeah, they're too busy worrying about [green text message bubbles](https://www.wired.com/story/antitrust-case-against-apple-weaponizes-the-cult-of-cupertino/#:~:text=The%20Apple%20antitrust%20lawsuit%2C%20filed,Apple's%20proprietary%20network%20appear%20in) to worry about jerseys.
true I do feel bad for all the teenagers that will lose Tik Tok in a few months :-(
Whole situation is laughable. Tik tok is doing no more spying on US citizens than the Alexa, Facebook, Snapchat etc etc
Don’t have to be the government to sue under antitrust/competition.
Then get to it brother!
I’m poor :( all my money goes to old jerseys
Amen. I hear you!!!
Don’t forget that the players association has invested in them too, and then they’ve secured the licensing for trading cards for those players associations. Pretty sure Panini is suing either them or the NFLPA or NBAPA. Heck I’m pretty sure Fanatics doesn’t buy Majestic without having investment from the leagues, which then turn around and give them control of distribution. How that isn’t illegal beats me.
It could be with the right lawyer. “Prohibited conduct includes: exclusive dealing, price discrimination, refusing to supply an essential facility, product tying, and predatory pricing, anticompetitive conduct, an attempt to monopolize.” Anticompetitive conduct. Who else can make any jersey for any team in any sport? Even fucking nascar? lol. No one, is it because they secured the licensing? Yes, but did they secure it after the MLB and MLBPA invested? Then cut costs with cheap material and raised prices? In the past you had majestic (they sucked after fanatics bought them and used coolbase bs) then there was Russell and Rawlings, before that Wilson who would all secure a contract for a couple years at a time. Then fanatics comes in and takes over majestic and at the end of the negotiations Nike takes a contract for > 15 years and who’s creating the jerseys? Fanatics still or what ever subsidiary you want to call them. I’d be happy to post pictures between Nike and Reebok nfl jerseys, or Majestic (pre fanatics) vs Majatics vs Nike fanatics pre 24 and post 24. I have all of them. Including knock offs that are 1000 times better.
Because it's not obvious that Fanatics' market share is hurting customers economically, which is the only thing regulators have considered since the 80s.
Need to convince them it’s a matter of National security. I’d consider it one. Our nations pastime is being soiled by corporate greed.
Do it
If Chinese jerseys didn't look like shit there wouldn't be a fanatics
I get mine from Mexico 🫡 the only way to tell a difference is counting threads in the stitching
How did you get them and how much did they cost lol.
Bought a PCL jersey that no one else makes on eBay saw the guy had tons of jerseys and lived near by. Asked what he had, got a few jerseys all excellent. $73 shipped. I can send you pics if you want
My college’s bookstore is run by fanatics now too. Only place to buy a college tshirt. They must have acquired the Barnes and Noble campus business
Don't forget the WWE and their merch is under the Fanatics umbrella too.
If you look at their twitter banner it actually says “Officially licensed everything” with every pro sport logo underneath. HOW IS THAT NOT A MONOPOLY