Out of curiosity I looked up how much it would cost to get a West Ham United soccer jersey. It’s on sale, but it would be 20 pounds (roughly $30). Even on sale, it seemed low, so I checked Manchester United, since I they’re kind of the Yankees of soccer (flip flop the names and sports based on your location). The jerseys were a bit more expensive, but still nothing near the price of jerseys for every sport in this country.
What’s the cause of the difference? For soccer fans, do people usually get new “kits” every year since a sponsor or design might change? Are people as crazy in England as they are here about uniform design? (Is there a “throwback” market there, like the one that has developed here?) As for pricing, even in the 90’s the “authentic” jerseys were at least $100. Now a Jeter Yankees jersey would cost in the $150 neighborhood, while a Rooney jersey at full price is about $60. It seems like a pretty big difference. Is it a result of a single manufacturer having rights to all the teams in the leagues in the States? Is it just part of “because they can” like it has been with increasing ticket prices?
Sorry, I just looked on MLB.com, and an authentic Yankees Jeter jersey goes for $185. Though even jersey prices can vary wildly depending on team. A Mets jersey with Wright on the back goes for $250. Any additional sewing/material from one team to another can increase the price by 35%?
I know what you’re saying though, so I guess it isn’t just the states, but North America in general. I guess I’ve never really paid much attention to a soccer jersey. Is it cheap material, or not put together very well? It just occurred to me to try to do a more apples to apples comparison. (Also, my pound to dollar conversion was more of a rough estimate.) An England World Cup jersey with a player on the back is going to run about 54.99 pounds on the UK/Rest of the world part of England’s soccer shop. It’s $80 for the England jersey on the US page version of England’s page. For something similar on a US Soccer jersey, it’s $94.99. It could have something to do with the manufacturer. Umbro makes England’s jersey. Nike makes it for the United States.
You gotta remember, part of it is the materials used as well. An authentic soccer jersey is more or less just a t-shirt. Obviously better built than your average t-shirt, but a t-shirt nonetheless. An authentic baseball jersey is a pretty heavy shirt with stitching and buttons and, yes, a one-company monopoly.
For NHL teams the jerseys are about $120 but you can pay more if you want an authentic jersey which is the same exact jersey the team wears on the ice - they are $300.
I work for a major sports franchise’s retail division.
Our jerseys will only go on sale when a) our season is over, b) the jersey design changes or c) in the case of a jersey that sports a name, when that player leaves the team - unless he retires here, in which case, his jersey will probably stay the same price.
We’ve never had to deal with sponsorship changes, since the only sponsor on our jerseys is the jersey manufacturer itself. I imagine that would affect the price, though.
Yes, it’s purely a US phenomenon I think. Imho, it’s pathetic that fans in the US must be wearing the jersey to proclaim that they are fans for a particular team. What if I’m a Mozart fan? Should I wear a powdered wig? Do I need to wear Obama’s “colors” to vote for him? It’s sad really.
Umm, have you ever seen the crowd at an English Premier League game? They’re all wearing the team’s jerseys. There’s no way this is a U.S. only phenomenon.
I think there are a couple of factors coloring the OP’s perception here. One, the exchange rate. I went to Britain a couple years ago and pretty much every jersey was in the $60-$80 range. There was one jersey I really wanted but it was upwards of $90 in the shop. Of course, the dollar at the time was almost 2/1 with the pound.
Secondly, as others have mentioned, soccer jerseys are generally simpler than baseball or football jerseys and thus cheaper to produce. Usually the team crest and manufacturer logo is embroidered but everything else can be silkscreened on. Of course, you can get the real Premiership numbers sewn on, but then you’re talking major money.
Thirdly, there are different levels of baseball jerseys in America. You have the cheapo regular which will run you $60-$100. Then you have the “authentic” which have more expensive materials and are ~$250. I seem to recall that the NFL has even a third level of replicas which are supposedly exactly what the real players wear and they are even more expensive. Most people buy the $60-$100 range.
Fourthly, as the OP points out, in foreign soccer leagues, the manufacturers are competing with each other and can’t fix prices.
The NFL “authentic” jerseys are the same as the on-field jerseys. They will run in the $185.00-$219.00 range.
Here are the specifications given by one site:
* NFL Brand New NFL Authentic Jerseys
* Short-sleeve, 100% pro brite heavyweight nylon mesh body, luster nylon yoke and sleeves, double thickness yoke, mitered rib knit V-neck Jerseys
* Embroidered Reebok logo both upper sleeves
* Embroidered NFL Shield front neck
* Embroidered team logo patches select teams
* Embroidered Name and Numbers front and back
* All NFL Reebok authentic game jerseys are the exact specifications as those worn by the pros
There are more expensive types of jerseys. They would be jerseys personally autographed by the player. For example, there is a John Elway autographed jersey offered for sale at around $600.00. If you want to go higher, you could get a jersey that was actually worn in a game by an NFL player. You could get one worn by Champ Bailey, for example, for $2750.00. Unwashed, of course. One worn by Tony Romo is even higher, at about $3995.00. It seems to me to be an acquisition that a very hard-core fan would make. Most of the mass-produced items aimed at the consumer and being sold as “authentic” are being sold as being exactly the same as the ones worn by the pros, however.
Totally not true. The second post in this thread shows that right there.
My kids in Bulgaria often wore jerseys or t-shirts proclaiming their favorite football teams. I mean, they weren’t exact replicas or anything, but it was verrrrryyyyy important that everyone knew which team they preferred. (There are really only two teams anyone cares about in BG, Levski and CSKA. The rivalry is fierce, and since both teams play in Sofia, it’s not a regional thing.)
I’ve seen people wearing replica jerseys of their favorite football teams all over the world. I once spent a very boring half hour browsing a variety of jerseys in a market in Medellin with a friend who wanted a football-related memento of our trip to Colombia.
Put it another way: if, in another country, the team jersey was $300, would everybody be wearing one? In America, it’s as though the fan has no choice.
I think that in Europe (with regard to football) it is most important that you wear something in the colours of your team. A simple 5 pound scarf can be enough to show you are supporting the team. On the other hand there are (and I get the idea this is more strongly the case in the UK) some fans that need to have the home and away (and even second away) jersey every season, so these guys will pay quite a lot on an annual basis.
For international football things can be different alltogether, for some reason people choose to wear the most ridiculous outfits yous could imagine. Just do a google search for dutch football fans (I’m dutch so I’ve the most experience with Oranje supporters) and you’ll find people dressed as Napoleon, as Indians, as Milk Maids (braids and all) end best of all: all in orange.
I’m glad I’ve read this thread though, as everyone here in Europe is always bitching about the high prices for the replica shirts (now around 60/70 Euros for World Cup replicas; so around 75 bucks). It somehow feelds good to know it could be so much worse
Classic example of england fans. And some creative looks from around the world.
To the OP - it seems to me like you’re being royally ripped off, considering clothing in the US seems generally cheaper than it is in Europe. Official replica shirts in the UK are popular and change annually (at least for the biggest teams who want to make the most money from their fans), and people frequently complain about the cost. But as someone else has stated, different teams have different manufacturers which may help regulate prices - can you imagine the fuss if Man United’s shirts (made by Nike) were twice the price of those made for Chelsea (Adidas).
I think it would certainly cut the number of people prepared to shell out for a new shirt every season, so would be counter-productive for the club. People would probably find other ways to show their loyalty (scarves, hats, fake shirts etc).
