Ex-Golden Knight fans line up to exchange jerseys for Mammoth jerseys in Utah
As the first-round series between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Utah Mammoth heads to Salt Lake City for Friday’s Game 3, the Mammoth have offered a unique promotion to their fans. Or, maybe more accurately, the promotion is targeted for ex-Golden Knights fans?
Utah handed out Mammoth home jerseys to fans at the Delta Center on Friday. In exchange, all fans had to do was turn in their Golden Knights jerseys.
🚨Jersey exchange THIS FRIDAY!🚨 More information: nhl.com/utah/playoffs/…
For any Golden Knights fans still left in Utah, come swap your VGK jersey for a new @UtahMammoth jersey on Friday at noon at the Delta Center. Utah shows up! #TusksUp
As it turns out, there were quite a number of people willing to trade in their Golden Knights fandom for Mammoth fandom and brand new jersey.
The line of fans exchanging Golden Knights jerseys for free Mammoth jerseys is extremely long.
Initially, the puritanical hockey fan in me was shocked and appalled. How could these people, presumably Golden Knights fans as owners of a Jonathan Marchessault or Mark Stone jersey, sell out their fandom just for a newer jersey? A travesty, I thought to myself. This promotion had better be some sort of King Solomon-like test, where if you’re willing trade in your fandom that easily, you actually don’t get to root for either team and you’re banned from the arena.
But, after more consideration, the promotion and the motivations of the people in line began to make a lot more sense. Prior to the Mammoth arriving in Utah, the closest NHL team to Salt Lake City was the Vegas Golden Knights. For fans in Utah that wanted to root for an NHL team, the Golden Knights made the most sense, as you could most feasibly attend one of their home games, and you probably had access to their television broadcasts. Once the Mammoth showed up, though, it’s perfectly reasonable for someone to switch their allegiance to the team that now resides in your home state, or maybe even home city.
This promotion is largely in service of those fans, and for any fans on the fence, a free new jersey could be enough to tip the scale.