Eagles Fans Love Their Team, Hate Their Counterfeit NFL Fan Gear

The Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl win had a disturbing downside. According to data from InGame.com, more Eagles fans are complaining about fake gear than any other team.
Research reveals which NFL fan bases have fallen victim to the most fake merchandise scams—and also which states are fueling the online conversations. The Eagles ranked first in online discussions about team merchandise in the last year, according to InGame.com’s study, with 41,660 chats.
Knockoff fan gear is nothing new, and frustration with counterfeit jerseys, hats and collectibles is widespread. InGame.com analyzed over half a million online conversations from the past year about fake NFL merchandise and knockoff products. While fans nationwide voice frustration, the intensity and negativity vary widely depending on the team and location, an InGame.com spokesman said.
When fans purchase counterfeit merchandise, the quality is often inferior. According to the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), counterfeit items can be made with toxic chemicals and heavy metals, including lead, arsenic and cadmium.
The Eagles did not respond when DVJournal asked for comment.
DVJournal also asked our readers for their opinions on Facebook, whose attitudes may explain why, despite the online complaining, the counterfeit market remains hot.
“Considering how expensive the official stuff is, I’d love to find some cheaper knockoffs,” said Ed Sheppard, of Doylestown.
Roseanne Hull said, “If I wore sports stuff, I would buy it at a thrift shop anyway.”
Jennifer Hanks, senior director of brand protection with AAFA, could not specifically comment on the counterfeit Eagles gear, but said her organization fights against counterfeit merchandise.
Consumers often don’t realize they are buying counterfeit items, she said.
“Law enforcement says, ‘If it can be made, it can be counterfeited,’” she said.
In addition to sports-related gear, counterfeit toys, shoes, clothing, medicine, electronics and other consumer products are being marketed to unwary consumers.
“Consumers unfortunately buy counterfeits and don’t even know,” said Hanks. Often, sites on social media show what appears to be authentic items because the counterfeiter has “scraped” images from legitimate brands’ websites, she said. And, even worse, those fake sites can steal consumers’ credit card information and other sensitive data.
So, not only do consumers need to use caution, but her organization also asks social media sites to police counterfeit sellers and remove their ads.
“More can be done on the front end,” Hanks said. “It really comes down to accountability.” The previous Trump administration “flagged security concerns.” For example, in some cases, money from counterfeit items goes to fund terrorism. These counterfeit sales also evade tariffs and “grow the illicit economy,” she said.
In 2024, the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, which coordinates the government’s efforts to combat this problem, listed 664 cases begun, 542 criminal arrests, 436 indictments, 160 convictions, 2,712 seizure incidents, and $1.1 billion in theft and commercial fraud seizures.
The AAFA sent a letter to Congress requesting changes to the SHOP SAFE ACT to require online platforms to meet the same requirements as brick-and-mortar retailers regarding the sale or promotion of counterfeit products.
The letter cited the National Association of Manufacturers. Using 2019 figures, counterfeiting would have subtracted “nearly $131 billion from the U.S. economy, including direct, indirect and induced economic impacts. That means $22.3 billion of lost labor income, 325,542 fewer jobs, $5.6 billion of lost federal tax revenues and nearly $4 billion less in state and local tax collections.”
The letter also noted that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said in March that consumers in 2024 lost more than $12.5 billion to fraud, representing a 25 percent increase. Additionally, online shopping was the second-most reported venue for fraud. People aged 20-39 were most impacted by online shopping as the top fraud category, with credit card payments being the most common method. They were contacted via social media.
Pennsylvania consumers harmed by counterfeit products can file a complaint, said Brett Hambright, a spokesman for state Attorney General Dave Sunday.