Blackhawks fans: it’s time to ditch the knockoff sweater

[doniceage]

I’ve had this same conversation at least a dozen times.

“Hey man, do you want to go in on some cheap Hawks jerseys with me? They come from somewhere in Asia, so they’re really cheap, and if you buy 5 or 6 together it helps save on the high shipping cost.”

“Are they legit?”

“Of course they are. They’ve got the fight straps and everything!”


https://www.secondcityhockey.com/201...offseason-2017

[Sharky94]

I will agree that when you can plainly see that the jersey is fake, it just makes you look like a cheap fool. If you are willing to fork out $100 or more for hockey tickets, spend the extra $80 and get a real jersey.

But I will have to laugh at one of his arguments: "Also, buying these from overseas companies affects the Hawks in another way. When you don’t buy league-licensed products, the money doesn’t go into the pool of hockey-related revenue (HRR). And it’s a percentage of that HRR that forms the league’s salary cap, which, as we well know, hasn’t risen like it should’ve in the past. So, yeah, wear that knockoff jersey. If you’d like everyone to know that you’re part of the reason that Teuvo Teravainen was shipped to Carolina."

That is such a joke! The reason they lost Teravainen is because the GM paid Kane and Toews too much, not because someone bought a fake jersey. I would argue it is actually smarter to buy fake goods BECAUSE the money doesn't go into HRR! If they get more money, HRR goes up, so the Salary Cap goes up. When that happens, they have to raise ticket prices to compensate. So every time you buy a new hockey jersey, you are actually increasing the price of your tickets on yourself!

[doniceage]

I will agree that when you can plainly see that the jersey is fake, it just makes you look like a cheap fool. If you are willing to fork out $100 or more for hockey tickets, spend the extra $80 and get a real jersey.

But I will have to laugh at one of his arguments: "Also, buying these from overseas companies affects the Hawks in another way. When you don’t buy league-licensed products, the money doesn’t go into the pool of hockey-related revenue (HRR). And it’s a percentage of that HRR that forms the league’s salary cap, which, as we well know, hasn’t risen like it should’ve in the past. So, yeah, wear that knockoff jersey. If you’d like everyone to know that you’re part of the reason that Teuvo Teravainen was shipped to Carolina."

That is such a joke! The reason they lost Teravainen is because the GM paid Kane and Toews too much, not because someone bought a fake jersey. I would argue it is actually smarter to buy fake goods BECAUSE the money doesn't go into HRR! If they get more money, HRR goes up, so the Salary Cap goes up. When that happens, they have to raise ticket prices to compensate. So every time you buy a new hockey jersey, you are actually increasing the price of your tickets on yourself!

You should write the writer and express your point. I think arguments can be made from both side but in all reality do you think a jersey should even be priced at the point that it is. Cannot remember the last time I bought a jersey as they are priced ridiculously imo. Tickets are even priced crazy imo but hey people still go so someone has the dough to afford it.

DON

[pwskelly]

I agree with you on the price of jerseys @doniceage, they are ridiculous and will probably to continue to get worse as more and more "fans" get priced out of the game.

[theboxbreaker96]

I actually like the "fake" ones more. First I can get 5 of them for the price of a "real" one. And they are more realistic. The numbers are actually stitched on unlike the numbers on the real ones and they have a fight strap. I cant really tell a difference.

I will gladly buy fakes every time.

[doniceage]

I agree with you on the price of jerseys @doniceage, they are ridiculous and will probably to continue to get worse as more and more "fans" get priced out of the game.

I personally do not know how families of 4 or more can afford season tickets. You know what i need to look into what teams get in revenue from just tickets. Might be a neat eye opener from one arena to the other Toronto, New York, Montreal, compared to the Phoenix,Florida, etc.


DON

[Powerforward]

I guess that guy who got the upside down logo jersey in the article is out of luck.

Speaking of the cost of season tickets, Montreal now charges an extra $150 for printed season tickets:

Montreal Canadiens fans who cherish the annual arrival of their season tickets got an unwelcome surprise when the team announced recently it would be charging extra for printed tickets.

Canadiens spokesman Francois Marchand confirmed that the default option will be mobile tickets and fans who want physical tickets will be charged $150 plus tax per seat.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/...kets-1.4216814

[pwskelly]

I personally do not know how families of 4 or more can afford season tickets. You know what i need to look into what teams get in revenue from just tickets. Might be a neat eye opener from one arena to the other Toronto, New York, Montreal, compared to the Phoenix,Florida, etc.


DON

My brother in-law and I went to an Oilers game against the Flames two years ago. We sat a couple of seats away from the penalty box and our tickets cost us about $340 each (close to the action, but limited views of the entire ice surface). By the time we had a hotdog, some fries, and about 6 beers I'm convinced we spent well over $400. Going to the games are fun, but it's crazy how quickly it can get expensive. I can only imagine what those seats cost now that McJesus plays for Edmonton.

[Sharky94]

My wife and I both work good jobs with no kids, and we sit in the 5th row at Verizon Center. There aren't many "families" that sit there. The only kids that show up are the rich kids of the lawyers who have the VIP seats in the first few rows. All of the STHs that sat around us when we first got tickets 17 years ago are now gone. Its all "company" tickets and clients, so we basically see new people every game, and we're lucky if half the time they are wearing Caps colors. No more hard-core fans -- anyone we see more than once just belongs to a smaller company where there aren't that many hockey fans, and they can get them more than once a season. And yet ownership complains when there are so many visiting jerseys in the stands -- even though they have priced out real fans and visitors don't feel bad paying $500 for a seat in a road barn once a year.

We have even resorted to selling some of our games online because when you are paying $200/seat for 45 games a year (you have to buy pre-season too) and you can get $400 for a game here or there, it only makes sense. We basically sell some of our regular season tix to help pay for the playoffs.

[dafoefan34]

With the NHL jersey license shifting to Adidas-branded, I hope to see major changes in the counterfeit jersey market. Not only do counterfeit products hurt the teams and players, they also hurt the legitimate retailers that stock these products. Unfortunately, shutting down counterfeiters in China is a difficult process and for every one that is closed, ten others appear in place. I do know that Adidas is trying to take counterfeit prevention to the next level and it is intended for the consumer who wants to purchase an authentic product. The retail authentic jersey will feature a smart chip that can be read with any NFC equipped smartphone with the help of an Adidas Authentication App.

It shocks me to see that people will purchase counterfeit jerseys, but complain about fake patches or autographs.

For those of you who are on the fence, now is a good time to buy authentic NHL Jerseys. Most retailers are blowing out the Reebok Edge jerseys to make room for the new Adidas jerseys that will be hitting inventory in September. HockeyMonkey was offering jerseys for Buy One, Get One Free and during a separate promotion, 50% off all Reebok NHL Apparel. Most of the team stores are having blowout sales, especially on the player named jerseys. Shop.nhl.com has also reduced their pricing, but they are still higher than most. A jersey is a one time purchase, it's about the price of a box of SP Authentic and you know your odds of getting positive ROI are greater.