Sports teams are near and dear to the heart of Detroiters. On any game day, it’s a sea of jerseys around the stadiums, and it’s not uncommon to see people wearing their jerseys out to the bar or, as I’ve seen in some cases, to work.
But things change. Favorite players get traded, there are new styles that come out — and, let’s be honest — buying jerseys can be really expensive, often north of $100.
Enter Rep The Squad. It’s a company that has a local tie — one of their investors is Detroit Lion Golden Tate — for a monthly subscription price, you can switch up your jersey as much as you like. Members pay a flat monthly fee of $19.95 for adult and $16.95 for youth sizes.
Here’s how it works. Users create a profile on their website as well as a personalized “digital locker” of players and styles. Rep The Squad then says they’ll deliver the first jersey within three days. When ready to make a change, the idea is you’d simply send it back and the next available jersey will ship immediately.
Rep The Squad’s site offers free shipping and returns with every exchange and professional cleaning after each return. Looking at the website, they’re pretty clear that they understand there’s going to be a lot of wear and tear on the jerseys, especially from food.
When it comes to the Detroit Lions, they have a selection of nearly 30 jerseys that range from the old-school like Barry Sanders to the current, like Matthew Stafford.
Detroit is one of three initial launch markets. The other two are San Francisco, California and Seattle, Washington. Rep The Squad is based in Seattle.
For their limited launch, they’re focusing on the jerseys of NFL teams, but one could see if they can prove the model how easy it would be to expand into other sports.
So, Detroit sports fans, what do you think? Is this idea a touchdown… or a fumble?