Mary Earps and THE PEOPLE have twisted Nike’s arm, as the sports giant has finally decided to sell the shirt the English goalkeeper wore during the last Women’s World Cup.
Earps’ jersey is nothing special as an object by itself. It’s a generic template made by Nike for all its goalkeepers around the globe for the current 2023-24 season. However, the company’s decision to not sell the shirt clashed with the desires of the fans who wanted to purchase it. Moreover, after witnessing Earps’ sublime performances during the tournament, in which she won the Golden Glove.”
Before the World Cup, Earps had already sparked controversy by saying that not selling the goalkeeper jersey was not a wise decision, suggesting that it was a “scary message being sent to goalkeepers worldwide that you are not important.”
“[Kids] are going to say, ‘Mum, dad, can I have a Mary Earps shirt?’ And they’ll say, I can’t, but I can get you an Alessia Russo 23, or a Rachel Daly 9.’
“And so what you are saying is that goalkeeping isn’t important, but you can be a striker if you want,” she concluded.
English supporters joined forces alongside Earps and complained incessantly online to the point where Nike had to apologize.
“We hear and understand the desire for a retail version of a goalkeeper jersey and we are working towards solutions for future tournaments,” they said.
Mary Earps goalkeeper shirt to be sold in stores
Of course, this wasn’t enough. Over 73,000 fans signed a petition urging Nike to sell the kit, and Earps supported the cause with a strong message
“@Nike, is this your version of an apology/taking accountability /a powerful statement of intent?” she commented on Instagram.
Full disclosure: She is an adidas athlete.
One way or another, Nike finally decided to make a U-turn and announced that they would be selling ‘limited quantities’ of the jersey online. They also plan to do the same with the USWNT, France, and Netherlands’ goalkeeper shirts.
The jerseys will be available in the federation stores on a date yet to be announced.
Comments