The decades old misconception that the LGBT community is not into sports has been busted. The community loves to play, talk about and watch sports. The community also actively supports local professional teams. As LGBT community nights are being organised everywhere—at colleges, minor league and major league sports games, sports apparel is now emerging to support the LGBT community, similar to other community nights that recognise military and children’s charities among others.

Yet, acquiring the necessary licensing to produce sports clothing related to teams can be tricky as everything needs to be checked off. This has to be done before items are produced by approved apparel companies. Located in Westwood, Massachusetts, ’47, is a company that sees a huge opportunity and market for licensed sports merchandise. The company is a licensed partner with the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and more than 650 colleges.

The company is one year into testing the market for the response on the niche market, LGBT sports apparel. Brian Maurer, a sales representative for ’47 said that the company was still in a nascent stage where the LGBT line of apparel was concerned. They started on a small scale and until now have only produced caps and shirts, he added.

Major League Baseball was the firs that ’47 reached out to and the league first approved apparel for the Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees. The popular Night OUT Series of Washington, DC hosted by Team DC with LGBT community nights is held annually with professional sports teams such as the DC United, Washington Nationals, Washington Kastles Washington Mystics, and the Washington Prodigy.