Citing an influx of counterfeiting and excessive discounting, the National Football League has decided to scale back the distribution of authentic game jerseys and official on-field apparel.
The will now only allow online shops that bought at least $3 million worth of licensed merchandise from Reebok last year to apply to offer game day jerseys this year, according to a report in the New York Times. NFL spokesperson, Brian McCarthy, told the newspaper that the new policy was designed to combat counterfeiters as well as excessive discounting.
More traditional stores that also sell online will have to meet a minimum threshold of $2 million in purchases last year. Small stores excluded by this new policy can still sell non-game day merchandise, including sweatshirts, which are often found at mass-market retailers, McCarthy said.
Reebok, the exclusive distributor of NFL-licensed apparel, had sent out a letter this past fall notifying retailers that they would have to reapply for the right to continue selling the NFL’s game day line of jerseys, hats and other apparel modeled on what players and coaches wear on the field.
