Now, more than ever, women are blitzing the merchandising industry in hopes of finally scoring more appropriate sports merchandise.
I can still remember the first jersey I ever owned. It was a white Philip Rivers one that hugged my waist and had a bedazzled #17 on the front and the back. Raised by a father who spent his Sunday afternoons teaching me all about first downs, touchdowns, and all the other ways in which a player could be “down,” that jersey became not only a staple in my wardrobe but a guide for the pieces that joined it.
Adding to my jersey collection was a uniquely gratifying experience, the brightly-colored, loosely-fitting, boxy-cut merchandise contrasting all the corsets, dresses, and skirts that also call my closet home. It’s a visual testimony to the duality of women, one that conveys that femininity isn’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all concept.
I’ve spent the last decade of my life adding to this elaborate collection of sports merchandise (I currently own nine jerseys!) and that doesn’t even include my other gear, from hoodies and T-shirts to hats and sweatpants. One could easily ask, “Why so much?” to which I would reason that it’s only fitting for a sports enthusiast to boast a wardrobe full of team merchandise.
However, what’s not fitting is the gear itself.
The Washington Post previously reported that just within the National Football League (NFL), women influence 85% of the league’s disposable income decisions. But despite such significant sway, women’s specific sports apparel doesn’t seem to reflect this consumerist influence — V-necks, hourglass silhouettes, and rhinestones are just a few of the embellishments sports apparel brands have added to their selections for women. Much of what you see in this targeted gear, whether bedazzled or small enough to fit a child, feels like something you’d find in a trendy department store as opposed to the Fanatics website.
To make matters worse, women’s merchandise also falls victim to the pink tax, another prevalent form of gender-based discrimination that already applies to specific cosmetics and sanitary products — which only inhibits their purchasing decisions in yet another industry. One of the few exceptions to this is Major League Baseball (MLB) jerseys. On the MLB Shop website, a men’s home replica team jersey for the San Diego Padres costs the same amount ($114.99) as the women’s equivalent.
But a majority of women purchase jerseys sold to the male demographic anyway; why tailor them even more?
Christella Santiago, a Parsons School of Design student and diehard Detroit Lions fan, voiced her own distaste for this overly specific gear. “The NFL website still has really weird cuts,” she said. “I’m not a fan of it. I always go and buy the men’s shirts because they’re more comfortable.”
Her striving for change takes a less formal stance in her life as well; her love for the Lions was born the moment her dad uttered, “They suck!” when they were watching NFL Redzone one Sunday afternoon. This love for the “underdog,” which she referred to the Lions as, gave her insight into a perspective geared towards minority audiences. And with her own background in fashion studies and marketing, she also posed some alternative design solutions that are more likely to appeal to women, such as “revising the ‘child cut’ and making them looser and more suitable in terms of their length.”
“It would be really cool if there was a collaboration between the NFL and Etsy creators,” Santiago said. “Etsy is a really hidden market and, for sports, it’s mostly women designing for women.”
Fortunately, the NFL’s Director of Consumer Products, Rhiannon Madden, acknowledged the research that goes into uncovering what female fans look for in merchandise, even partnering with Victoria’s Secret and Nike to better market to the ever-evolving female fanbase. According to her, the selection for women has significantly increased, extending to plus size, maternity, and even athleisure.
“We’re really looking at the individual customers, since we have such a massive female fanbase,” she told Fashionista. “Forty-five percent of our fanbase is female, so we can’t speak to them all the same way.”
However, the predominance of stereotypical designs emphasizing women’s femininity as opposed to what’s really important — the fandom for their sports team — is still there. Rather than proudly displaying where their allegiance lies among leagues composed of dozens of teams, this merchandise seems to argue that their gender identity comes before all else.
Kristen Gile, a Washington native and lover of the Seattle Seahawks, shared her own woes of being a female sports fan. Coming from a family of brothers and male cousins, she knows the negative commentary that follows young girls watching football with the hopes of catching a glimpse of pop sensation Taylor Swift.
“It was crazy to see the amount of people that I knew that never watched sports, suddenly watching sports,” Gile said. “It’s perfect, honestly. Even if they see part of the game and don’t know anything about it, it’s still a growing interest for that community.”
She notes that several of her female relatives got hooked on playing spectator and participating in all the traditions. The repetition that comes with turning on games every week allows these new fans to gain exposure and begin picking up on the ground rules, converting their casual fandom into something more serious.
In April 2023, a survey conducted in the US by Statista revealed that approximately 65% of women reported being either casual fans or avid fans of sports. More specifically, interest in football is still predominantly shared among men, with 51% of men reporting as “avid football fans” in another survey — but that’s continuing to change, especially with influences like Taylor Swift generating more female interest. Even the 2021 SSRS Sports Poll reported that women and girls over the age of 8 make up 46% of the football fan demographic, which approximates to 84 million people.
But despite this surge in sports interest amongst women, the merchandise options still haven’t grown enough to accommodate them.
“I remember one of the first pieces I ever bought from the NFL was a women’s shirt,” said Camryn Jansky, an MBA Business Analytics student at the University of Houston. “When I got it, the V-cut was super low and it was so form-fitting. It’s just kind of already sexualizing a woman’s body and I was only 12 years old.”
Stemming from her analytical background, Jansky emphasized the importance of receiving feedback from target audiences, particularly the significance of women’s feelings about their apparel. In a time where posting outfits on social media is a cultural norm, it’s vital to create pieces that are marketable and intentional.
“It’s important that these teams and companies have women on the design and production teams,” said Jansky. “If you’re looking to sell products to women, you have to market them better, especially since more women are entering the sports industry.”
We’ve seen numerous sports motifs within the fashion industry as well, from Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2005 Ready-to-Wear collection to Tom Ford’s Ready-to-Wear line in Fall 2014. And while it was particularly thrilling to see helmets and exaggerated shoulder pads make their way off the field and onto the runway, the male gaze could not be more apparent. McQueen’s looks had helmets paired with teeny tiny skirts and Ford’s lineup sported bedazzled, form-fitting dresses. They seem to scream “Girl’s Night Out” and not a party that’s leading to the stadium.
Fortunately, not all hope is lost for women’s merchandise, at least in the football world. Kristin Juszczyk, the fashion designer behind Taylor Swift’s viral #87 puffer jacket, recently signed a deal with the NFL that allows her to use their branding on her designs. Swift is the highest-profile client Juszczyk has had so far, but she has also designed original pieces for Brittany Mahomes, businesswoman and wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, and actor Taylor Lautner.
“I’ve been at this for a few years now, and I’ve been told ‘no’ many times or that we just don’t have the space for that,” Juszczyk told PEOPLE Magazine in an exclusive interview. “This is something that I’ve been so passionate about. I feel like there’s a huge gap in the market, and I have so many designs that I know women want.”
To effect meaningful change, industry stakeholders must prioritize inclusivity and representation. Gender bias notwithstanding, it also opens several doors to marketing opportunities not just for larger corporations like the NFL Shop and Fanatics, but smaller, women-owned businesses on platforms like Etsy and Depop. This entails incorporating diverse perspectives in design and production practices, like Jansky argued for. The fashion industry offers glimpses of potential, with designers like Juszczyk bridging the gap between fashion and sports, crafting designs that convey the message that women should express their femininity in ways they deem fit.
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to sports merchandising; it will certainly be an ongoing journey, one that demands collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to celebrating fandom in all of its forms. As female sports enthusiasts continue to assert their presence and influence, the merchandising landscape must evolve to reflect their diverse identities and passions. Only then can sports apparel truly become a symbol of unity and inclusivity for fans of all genders. 🌀
Kea Humilde is a Chargers-obsessed, fashion-forward and self-proclaimed NYC It Girl with a penchant for all things pink. A San Diego girl at heart, she’s making waves as the Deputy Series Editor at The New School Free Press and as a national writer for Her Campus. Picture Sabrina Carpenter, but 2 inches taller, brunette, and just as fierce. You can keep things short n’ sweet by following her @fashionablykea.