Are there fake Adidas jerseys?

I've found one that I'm interested in, but it's an older player not with the team. Also, I'm also wondering about the fit/quality compared to the Reebok's. It's a size 48, and from what I understand that would be what I need from a Reebok authentic.

The general consensus is that you are only likely to find fake jerseys which replicate Reebok authentics from 2002 onwards. I have never seen a fake Adidas, so would expect you'll be safe. The worst you could get is a poorly done customization (which you would be able to tell by looking at).

I believe Adidas made NFL jerseys circa 1998-2001, so you'd be unlikely to find many Adidas jerseys of current players. This was also in the days when there were multiple companies manufacturing jerseys for different teams (i.e. Starter, Nike, Adidas and Reebok) before Reebok took over all teams in 2002/03. So you'll only see certain teams' Adidas jerseys. Off the top of my head, Bucs, 49ers, Redskins and Pats were amongst those.

Regarding quality, I have a Sapp Adidas, and I think it's the best made jersey in my collection. It's much heavier than the current jerseys. I have a 48, which runs ever so slightly bigger than a Reebok 48, but is about the same size.

Let me know what it is once you've won it (I'm assuming it's on eBay) - I'd be interested to check it out.

Do you have any good shots of that Sapp jersey?

AndAllThingsWillEnd wrote:

Do you have any good shots of that Sapp jersey?

There are a few here:

https://s1124.photobucket.com/albums/l571/u11rjg/#!cpZZ6QQtppZZ16

If you look under the collections section of the forum, you'll see the front / back shots if it there too. Adidas did vary the jock tag over the course of a few years, so don't panic if it doesn't resemble what mine is.

You can PM me the listing if you want me to take a quick look?

290603964417

That's the Ebay number, I wanted to post it, but that Buc avatar scares me off... Hope I get a good deal off this...

AndAllThingsWillEnd wrote:

290603964417

That's the Ebay number, I wanted to post it, but that Buc avatar scares me off... Hope I get a good deal off this...

I seriously would've left it alone if you'd posted it for a legit check, but if you'd decided to pass on it, I would've been getting involved for sure!

That is a great pick-up - very jealous. And an amazing price. You won't be disappointed with the quality. I always wanted a punter's jersey too!

He was the Kicker. Until he got hurt he was Automatica, the bucs just finally actually replaced him. But yeah, the bid with 1 minute left was $11. I was hoping I could of gotten it a little lower than what I did, but $30 aint bad. Hopefully it's in decent condition.

AndAllThingsWillEnd wrote:

He was the Kicker. Until he got hurt he was Automatica, the bucs just finally actually replaced him. But yeah, the bid with 1 minute left was $11. I was hoping I could of gotten it a little lower than what I did, but $30 aint bad. Hopefully it's in decent condition.

I meant to say kicker - been a long day at work! I can't imagine there are too many punter's jerseys in circulation anyways.

$30 is VERY good for a jersey of that quality. The guy seems to suggest it's mint condition.

If it is, I would GLADLY trade you for your Sapp jersey...

AndAllThingsWillEnd wrote:

If it is, I would GLADLY trade you for your Sapp jersey...

I don't like it that much!

Haha.

Good pickup there for $30. Well done.

Well, I got it today. It's not really "mint", but it's still in pretty good condition for being over 10 years old. Speaking of that, is there a way to tell what year it was manufactured?

Shame it's not mint, but as you say a jersey of that age seldom is. As long as there are no obvious stains, tears, holes or snags, I still think you've done well for $30. Actually, even with a few stains $30 is still pretty good!

There's no easy way of telling what year a non-team issue jersey is from (i.e. the year won't be written anywhere on it) but based on the jocktag, I believe it's from 2000, or possibly 2001.

That's what I was thinking. I'll try and get some pics up later tonight, hopefully my phone will be ok... Also, the numbers are pretty bubbly. Is that because they didn't glue them before sewing them like Reebok? And one more thing, I really don't like how the side of the jersey connects to the arm. It's looks like webbed toes to me...

The tag is from 2000, Adidas made jerseys in 99 and 2000. The 99 had a 'Proline' box and NFL logo which they removed for 2000.

Also, I think there is a defect with the bottom of the right side. As you can see from the pics it's kind of like a drop tail, whereas the other side is even.

Billsfan wrote:

The tag is from 2000, Adidas made jerseys in 99 and 2000. The 99 had a 'Proline' box and NFL logo which they removed for 2000.

Didn't Adidas also continue to make jerseys for a handful of teams in 2001, before Reebok took over entirely in 2002? These included the Bucs, Chargers, Patriots and Redskins, off the top of my head.

This jersey varies from my Sapp, in that the Adidas emblem is pre-sewn and stitched on as a pitch (mine is sewn directly on to the jersey). I also see this was made in Mexico (mine is USA), so there are subtle differences which made me think one was 2000 and the other was 2001 (though I don't know which way around they were in terms of years).

I would think that some teams had leftover jerseys from 2000 in 01. I would have thought manufacture would have ceased as Reebok had the rights. But I suppose some orders would have been fulfilled.

Billsfan wrote:

I would think that some teams had leftover jerseys from 2000 in 01. I would have thought manufacture would have ceased as Reebok had the rights. But I suppose some orders would have been fulfilled.

Reebok didn't have exclusive rights until 2002. I think Adidas were the only other manufacturer to have rights for the afore-mentioned teams in 2001, so Reebok made for the vast majority of teams in 2001, but not all.

http://corporate.reebok.com/en/about_reebok/faq_section/partnerships/default.asp

I wouldn't claim to know much about the history of jerseys - I only know this as I specifically looked into it when I wanted Bucs / Chargers 2001 Reebok helmet tag authentics but couldn't find any trace of any!

Thanks RJ, you're right of course, I must stop posting at 1am.