Nike Struggling To Keep Up With Team USA Jersey Demand
Unsurprisingly, a lot of people want to show their support for Team USA
I don't know about you, but I'm still buzzing from Sunday morning's jaw-dropping men's hockey gold medal game that saw the Americans take the top prize for the first time since 1980.
And, even before that, we had the ladies taking gold for the first time since 2018 in a similar OT thriller against the Canadians that ended in a 2-1 score.
As a proud American hockey fan, I've been walking a little taller since, and I was thinking to myself, "I think I need to get myself a Team USA hockey sweater."
Well, too bad for me and too bad for a lot of you, because it turns out that Nike — which manufactures the American Olympic sweaters — is having trouble keeping up with the overwhelming demand.
Remember, while there are a few vocal buzzkills who can't get excited because they can't stand watching America succeed, the majority of the country is fired up.
According to The Athletic, the supply is low because, apparently, the Swoosh doesn't believe in miracles, as they were expecting the Canadians to win the gold on Sunday.
In fairness, it was hard not to with that loaded roster they had, and they did enter as the favorites.
But we all know how it shook out, and that has led to a run on jerseys, especially replicas of the No. 86 worn by Golden Goal-scorer Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils.
Good luck finding a Team USA sweater, as the successes at the 2026 Olympics have made them hard to come by. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Because Nike controls the supply chain for these jerseys, it means that retailers like Fanatics and Dick's Sporting Goods are in a bit of a holding pattern while the company tries to rectify the situation.
Hopefully, that happens soon, because I want to see a lot of American sweaters out and about.
READ: JEREMY ROENICK WATCHED USA HOCKEY WIN GOLD OVER CANADA FROM AN AIRPORT BAR
It's so cool to see this much excitement around USA Hockey and people wanting jerseys, but I can't help but think another reason there's such a run on them is that the current ones are just flat-out dynamite.
Had the Americans struck gold when they wore jerseys as they did at the 2018 or 2022 Games, I suspect they wouldn't be in such high demand.
Not awful, but not going to sell like the classic getups the American men's and women's teams wear now. (Getty Images)
The current American jersey is *chef's kiss* perfection, and they really shouldn't wear anything else, ever.
That's not just me saying that; it appears the consumer market has spoken.