If you look across professional sports today, a clear pattern has emerged.

Some of the biggest brands in the world — including leagues like the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL — no longer run their own merchandise programs.

Instead, they outsource them to one company.

Fanatics.

At first glance this might seem surprising. Merchandise is a huge part of sports culture. Jerseys, hats, and apparel are some of the most recognizable parts of a team’s brand.

So why would major leagues and teams hand over such an important piece of their business?

The answer comes down to focus, scale, and expertise.

And the same reasons apply to events of every size.

The Fanatics Model

Fanatics has built a multi-billion dollar business by doing one thing exceptionally well:

Running merchandise operations.

For leagues and teams, Fanatics handles nearly everything involved in selling merchandise:

• Product design
• Manufacturing
• Inventory planning
• E-commerce
• Warehousing
• Order fulfillment
• Retail operations
• Licensing
• Data analytics

Rather than every team building their own internal merch department, they partner with a company whose entire business is built around it.

This allows leagues and teams to focus on what they do best:

• Running games
• Building fan engagement
• Growing their brand

Fanatics handles the operational complexity behind the scenes.

Merchandise Is Harder Than It Looks

From the outside, merchandise can seem simple.

Put some logos on shirts, sell them at the event, and you're done.

But anyone who has actually run an event knows the reality is much more complicated.

Merchandise programs require expertise in:

• Inventory forecasting
• Product design
• Manufacturing timelines
• Managing sizes and color runs
• Retail logistics
• Online store management
• Post-event fulfillment

Get it wrong and you run into problems quickly.

You might sell out of your most popular item halfway through the event.

Or end up with boxes of leftover inventory sitting in a garage for months.

Or miss the opportunity to capture online sales after the event ends.

The Problem Most Events Face

For small and mid-size events, running a merchandise program usually falls into one of three categories:

1. DIY Merchandise

The event orders shirts, guesses on quantities, and sells them from a table.

This often results in:

• leftover inventory
• limited product selection
• missed online sales

2. Local Print Shop

Many events partner with a local t-shirt shop.

While this can work for simple apparel, these partnerships usually lack:

• inventory optimization
• online stores
• post-event fulfillment
• strategic product design

3. No Merchandise Program At All

Some events avoid the headache entirely.

Which means leaving revenue, marketing exposure, and attendee engagement on the table.

What the Big Leagues Figured Out

Professional sports realized something important:

Merchandise is a specialized operation.

It’s not something most organizations should try to build internally.

Instead, they partner with a company built to run that system at scale.

Fanatics became that partner for professional sports.

Why We Built Merched

Merched was created after experiencing these challenges firsthand.

As operators of the Pond Hockey Classic, we ran into the same problems many events face:

• guessing inventory quantities
• selling out of popular items
• leftover merchandise after the event
• missed online sales opportunities

We realized the problem wasn’t unique to our event.

It existed across thousands of festivals, tournaments, races, and community events.

There was no Fanatics-style solution for events.

So we built one.

The Merched Platform

Merched was designed to give small and mid-size events the same advantages that major sports leagues get from Fanatics.

We handle the full merchandise ecosystem:

• Product design
• Apparel production
• Online stores
• On-site event sales
• Inventory optimization
• Post-event fulfillment

This allows event organizers to focus on what they do best:

running great events.

Merchandise Should Work For Your Event

When done right, merchandise becomes much more than just apparel.

It becomes:

• a new revenue stream
• a powerful marketing tool
• a way for attendees to carry your brand beyond the event

But only if the system behind it works.

The largest sports brands in the world figured this out years ago.

Now the same model is available to events of every size.

Merched

Finally, merchandise programs built for events.