According to a memo obtained by ESPN, Major League Baseball will aim to fix its uniform crisis after it pushed novel altercations to the older uniforms. The new jerseys, especially considering the see-through pants, attracted mammoth ire from both the players and the fans.
The most notable changes, as per Jeff Passan of ESPN, include changes in the lettering on back of the uniforms, fixing mismatched gray tops and bottoms, and modifying new jersey’s tendency to retain perspiration.
The other major change will be coming to the structure of the pants, which were highly criticized because of their ability to be translucent. These modifications will take place by “the beginning of the 2025 season”. As per the report, the Union has also shared a letter with the players, further informing them of the changes.
MLB will modify its Nike jerseys after criticism from players and fans.
By the start of the 2025 season—at the latest—MLB plans to:
• Enlarge lettering on backs of jerseys
• Remedy mismatched gray pants
• Address sweat visibility
• Fix see-through pants(via @JeffPassan) pic.twitter.com/x7DerxOvCH
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 29, 2024
The Union has also settled the blame on the apparel corporation and its “Vapor Premier uniform” which is marketed as having better performance levels but has remained unpopular with the players. The memo, as per ESPN, states, “This has been entirely a Nike issue. At its core, what has happened here is that Nike was innovating something that didn’t need to be innovated.”
However, Fanatics, the manufacturing company that had drawn major derision from the public because of the new uniforms, was cleared by the Union, and the memo further read that the company “recognizes the vital importance of soliciting Player feedback, obtaining Player buy-in and not being afraid to have difficult conversations about jerseys or trading cards. Our hope is that, moving forward, Nike will take a similar approach.”
The 2023 All-Star Game marked the premiere of the new jerseys, which, after a while, started attracting dismissive attention from the public and were later highlighted by the players as well.
The Union memo further mentioned, “We cautioned Nike against various changes when they previewed them in 2022, particularly regarding pants. MLB had been, and has been, aware of our concerns as well. Unfortunately, until recently Nike’s position has essentially boiled down to — ‘nothing to see here, Players will need to adjust.’”
As per the report, MLB, Nike, and Fanatics have not yet shared any comments from their sides when contacted by network giant ESPN.
