Fanatics, a popular sportswear brand, is stepping up to help the medical industry address its shortage of necessary gear to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michael Rubin, limited partner of the 76ers and owner of Fanatics, announced the brand is reproducing its production factory in Philadelphia to mass produce hospital gowns and masks.
The hope is to produce a million masks and gowns to distribute across Pennsylvania, eventually expanding to New York and New Jersey. The gear will be made out of material used to create MLB jerseys.
“We’re fortunate to have this giant factory in Pennsylvania that makes all these baseball jerseys," Rubin told NBC Sports Philadelphia, "and to have the commissioner of baseball behind us, and to have the governor and attorney general saying, ‘How do we make a difference?' … If you can make a difference, you’ve gotta go out and do that.”
Rubin's announcement comes a day after Bauer, a hockey equipment brand, announced production of medical shields for hospitals.
