Wilson recently unveiled their Wilson Team Shop, allowing teams to set up a one-stop shop for jerseys, apparel and equipment from all their brands, including Wilson, DeMarini, Louisville Slugger and Evoshield. Most brands offer some form of team site allowing for customization of jerseys and selected-stock products, but Wilson’s is directed specifically towards competitive youth teams, seeking to simplify gear distribution for coaches and even offering discount pricing. We ran through the website to give you the lowdown on whether it’s worth checking out.
If you’ve ever explored an online-jersey builder before, you’ll understand the gist of Wilson’s. With most styles starting at $90 for youth jerseys, and some even as low as $45, there are over 40 different options. Just about every option is available; users can select the fabric, the colors, piping, and which company logo, even allowing for the incorporation of custom team logos.
This is perhaps the most straightforward builder on the market, and it is easy enough for the least tech-savvy person to understand. If there were any room for improvement, more information on the jersey material would be beneficial. Unless you are deeply knowledgeable about the properties of Wilson’s fabrics, then it is not really clear the relative benefits of each.
Likewise, Wilson also offers pants to customize, with custom styles starting at $40 for youth in addition to stock styles starting at $20. The fit choice is pretty limited here, with only the standard open-hem and “knicker” (socks up) styles being offered.
Additionally, there is a myriad of bag and Evoshield and DeMarini apparel options available to add team logos to, including work-out tops, shorts, sweats, sweatshirts, and batting jackets. Stock options are also available, such as different A2000 and A2K or Evoshield branded hats and shirts. This is a standout feature of the Team Shop; clean, team-branded gear is adds that touch of class for any team that is traveling together.
Where the site really stands out is the custom equipment options; you can pick the colors and add logos to helmets and batting gloves, plus get custom Evoshield straps and add your team logo to baseballs.
Customized Evoshield and DeMarini helmets come in at $80. Color options are fairly limited, and with several stock options available to add a logo starting at $40, it makes more sense from a price stand point to go that route. Still, if you want a helmet with a little more personality, this is a great option. Additionally, you can add an extended face shield or cage options for your players looking to get a little more protection.
As with helmets, color choices for batting gloves are limited, meaning mostly shades of blue, red and white (sadly, no What Pros Wear teal). Nonetheless, being able to get customized batting gloves is a sweet deal. At $60, that’s a similar price to Nike’s top end line, but compared to custom Franklin batting gloves starting at $40 in youth sizes, perhaps not the best value. Nevertheless, if the opposing team rolls up decked out with custom BGs, that will make a statement, and this platform puts it all in one place.
In addition to stock catcher’s gear and the full assortment of Evoshield protective products being available, another added perk is custom straps. That is next level swag, and with Evoshield not yet offering this service to the general public, anyone set up with a Wilson store can drop $30 to get one.
The Wilson Team Shop offers a lot of positives when it comes to ease of use, customization, and organization of products. Unless a team qualifies for discount pricing, though, prices are still pretty steep. It is definitely not for bargain-seeking. Another drawback is that there are no footwear options, as none of Wilson’s entities produces cleats. This adds a level of inconvenience since the site is supposed to be a one-stop shop. Lastly, most products take 4-6 weeks to produce. If your season is right around the corner, your shop probably won’t be ready in time. Moving forward though, this could be a game changer.
The Wilson Team Shop offers the opportunity for any style-inclined team to raise their swag up a few levels and create a unique look, and it provides an organized platform for purchasing and distribution. This is definitely a viable option for the youth level and even high school teams. Just about any serious ball players wants custom gear, and the Wilson Team Shop makes that a little easier to supply for the entire team.
When I went on the Wilson team shop and was trying to set up a store it didn’t give me the option to customize the batting helmets. Has there been an update to the website?