Neither the teams nor the league would divulge exact merchandise sales numbers, but they noted that throwback jerseys previously accounted for a small portion of overall jersey demand. While vendors like league partner Fanatics-owned Mitchell & Ness would produce premium-priced throwback jerseys made with era-appropriate materials and featuring legacy players’ names on the back, the NFL hit the jackpot by having Nike apply throwback patterns to game-ready jerseys for current players made with modern materials.
“Once those uniforms actually come back and hit the field, the scope of the fan engagement becomes so much larger,” said Jonathan Wright, the NFL’s senior director of uniforms and on-field products. “It’s kind of a niche market—the throwback stuff—until it becomes relevant again, and when it becomes relevant it becomes a pop culture moment; and then once it becomes a moment, it catches fire.”
Remaking a memory
In Philadelphia, the Kelly Green throwbacks are as much about the era from 1985-1995 as they are about the teams the Eagles produced during that time. Kids were steering Cunningham and White through Tecmo Bowl and the early days of Madden, Keith Haring was painting murals in the city, Mitchell & Ness was getting noticed for its first throwbacks, and the music scene turned DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Boyz II Men and The Roots into icons.
It’s the reason Jeff narrates the Kelly Green launch video, the Eagles created a full Kelly Green playlist on Spotify and the impetus for Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin’s apology to Eagles faithful after the site’s initial Kelly Green throwback merchandise was thrown back in disgust by disappointed fans.
The throwbacks aren’t just team merchandise: They’re reminders of a specific time in the city’s history—an era that fans either lived in or heard about from previous generations. Sure, the Eagles brought back Reggie White’s son, Jeremy, as an honorary captain during their Kelly Green game on Oct. 22, but they also dropped Kelly Green Starter jackets and plan to re-release the Kelly Green varsity jacket worn by Princess Diana in the ‘90s.