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Curry1fan

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OK so I'm not exactly a veteran jersey collector or anything. Back when I was first very new to the idea of collecting, I scoured Ebay and it was obvious to me even then that so many jerseys were fake and badly made to the point where it was laughable.

Now that I'm getting more into the hobby, I almost wish I could pull people aside when I'm at hockey games and tell them how badly customized their jersey is if they are wearing a fake. Since we are the minor league affiliate of Pittsburgh, a lot of people like to wear Crosby jerseys or the blue jeresey. I've seen it all I swear...from the way off color of vegas gold, the totally wrong font for customizing, the triangle in the center of the alternate logo being gold instead of a brighter yellow...even at least one WBS Pens jersey customized the wrong way.

Are you ever tempted to inform your fellow fans that while they have good intentions (of supporting their team), their jersey is of an epic fail proportion? I wonder how so many devoted fans could be so stupid about the fact that they do have a fake jersey. And since fake jerseys were seized in Pittsburgh last year, you'd think we'd have reason to be concerned. I guess some people don't.

So what is your first reaction if you're at a game? And do you ever wish you could tell people "Nice try, but..."? Make this thread as humorous as you want. I was just curious to see what everyone else thinks of this.

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Me personally, I just let it go. The only time I would consider pointing it out is if they were talking to me about how little they paid and how great of a jersey it is. As a whole I figure it is their money and if they chose to spend it on crappy fakes, then that is their choice. I know when I was in Korea back in 1998, I knew the jerseys I was buying were knockoffs but I didn't realize how bad they really were. While it sucks that there are more fakes than real ones out there on ebay, I am in no place to tell someone how to spend their money.

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That's a good point; now that I rethink about it. At least I can say this much: there's more real jerseys than fake jerseys at most games anyway.

However, I do find some things laughable...like customizing a black jersey in pink font. (Yes, I've seen it...black practice jersey, right logo...pink and white customizing on the back.)

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It all depends. For example, if it's a replica with poor customization I'll usually laugh. If it's an authentic with poor customization, I'll usually wince. If it's a grail with something off, I may shed a tear or two. I've become pretty conditioned to the fake EDGE jerseys now though so my reaction is usually indifferent. Rarely will I ever point out something wrong with someone else's jersey though, unless theyre looking for critique.

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I cringe, but there's no way to approach a stranger and trash their jersey without looking like an Arse, no matter how horrid their jersey is.

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That, and you have to remember the "Geek" factor. We're jersey geeks, which means that like my own crew of Star Wars fanatics (we're the dress-up guys), we look like idiots to the Regular Person when we start getting into the lengthy details and almost unnoticeable features of Star Wars costumes and what makes them "right."

Same with jerseys. You point out those wrong details to a sports fan, and they'll blow you off at best or get defensive at worst. I know my eyes glaze over when anyone who deals with automotive parts and performance start rattling off specs to me, or ask me why the mechanic said what he said after I took my car in as if I know exactly what to look for, listen for, or smell, and then how to fix it (I have NO idea -- that's why I went to the mechanic!!!!)

Accept, shake your head, and move on.

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A lot of people just may not even care. Budget may be a factor as well as having absolutely no eye for accuracy. I'm no hockey collector guru, but even if I was, i wouldn't even think twice about the poor craftsmanship on their jersey.

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I usually ignore it. Most people aren't too picky about that stuff. I saw a guy wearing a Detroit jersey with FEDROV 91 that looked like he ironed the kit on himself. There's no excuse for having a misspelled name on a jersey. If someone wants to look like an fool, they have the right to, I guess. I could care less if someone is wearing a real or fake jersey, I do appreciate seeing a correct one, however.

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Saw a guy at the game tonight who had the name and number heat pressed on (we use stitched), both in different (but equally wrong) colours. I thought about pushing him down the steps for the good of humanity, but in the end I fell back on Crimson's advice:

Accept, shake your head, and move on.

Not worth the criminal record ;)

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Funny topic. Me and a friend of mine are notorious for making fun of people with bad jerseys. Never to their face though. I think that some people just don't know. And who am I to tell them anyway. They probably go to more games than me because the don't drop $300 bucks on authentic jerseys!

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I've seen enough Griffenfood jerseys at Rangers games. And how bad is it when you saw a Pittsburgh game last season when everyone in the arena was wearing a blue Winter Classic knockoff in the stands a year before they were being sold to the public in either form of Authentic, or Actual Replica? Seriously, does the NHL realize how much money they have lost because of knockoffs on Ebay, or even at the mall near my house? How can they look at sales of the Edge and premier jerseys and compare it to these scenarios on television where EVERYONE is wearing a proven knockoff and think they can charge $350 for a jersey?

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  • 3 weeks later...

The jerseys that bother me most aren't ones that are fake/poorly done/etc since I believe that if you know it's fake or are happy with the price and quality of the jersey, that's fine. The one's that DO bother me are when people customize (or buy pre-customized) jerseys for current players in styles from bygone years. Just today I went to a pretty respectable sports shop that had a slew of the '93-'97 Pens alternate jerseys altered for Crosby, Malkin and Staal.

I SEARCHED FOR THAT STYLE FOR MONTHS AND YOU GUYS WASTED THEM ON ALTERING TO CURRENT PLAYERS!??! You have two of the best players to ever play the game who actually wore that (extremely rare) jersey on the ice and you do that instead? Ugh....

One of the coolest ones I have seen though was a kid who had a Crosby/Malkin White/Black jersey half-and-half custom made. It was kinda wonky, but I liked it. Very unique.

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The jerseys that bother me most aren't ones that are fake/poorly done/etc since I believe that if you know it's fake or are happy with the price and quality of the jersey, that's fine. The one's that DO bother me are when people customize (or buy pre-customized) jerseys for current players in styles from bygone years. Just today I went to a pretty respectable sports shop that had a slew of the '93-'97 Pens alternate jerseys altered for Crosby, Malkin and Staal.

What does the '93-'97 Pens alternate jersey look like?

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That was their road jersey

Ah, yes; you are correct, I'm sorry. I've been searching for the Road jersey and the actual Alternate (which later replaced the Road jersey) for so long that I have a bad habit of calling them both 'alternate'. The road jersey was the one with the current player alterations though.

Here's the actual alternate:

yrkRoad.jpg

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I enjoy jersey watching during games. I won't say anything but I do cringe when I see a bad personalization or something like that. I've seen a Devils jersey personalized 31# Brodeur in the past. I'm just thankful that the old vinyl numbers have gone by the wayside, I'm talking the vinyl numbers that are more fit to be on a little league baseball or soccer jersey.

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