At times, Major League Baseball can’t seem to get out of their own way.
Sure, Commissioner Rob Manfred and company are focused on growing the game, and rightfully so. However, more times than not, there is a great deal of truth in the whole “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach.
Case in point – this whole uniform debacle…
After three months of ruthless jokes made at their expense, MLB has finally decided enough is enough.
A memo was sent last night to the MLB Players Association confirming that changes are coming … The significant modifications are aimed at rectifying the grievances raised this spring.
Among the key adjustments are a return to larger lettering on the back of jerseys, rectification of mismatched gray tops and bottoms, and addressing concerns regarding the Nike jerseys’ tendency to retain sweat.
The proposed changes, scheduled to take effect no later than the start of the 2025 season, will also include remedying issues with the pants, which garnered criticism for being see-through.
In the memo, the union attributed the uniform fiasco primarily to Nike and its introduction of the Vapor Premier uniform.
“This has been entirely a Nike issue,” the memo to players read. “At its core, what has happened here is that Nike was innovating something that didn’t need to be innovated.”
“We cautioned Nike against various changes when they previewed them in 2022, particularly regarding pants,” the union memo read.
“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.'”
Interestingly, the memo absolved Fanatics – the manufacturer of the uniform – of significant blame, noting that the company valued player feedback and engagement in contrast to Nike’s approach.
With Fanatics founder and CEO Michael Rubin being one of the most powerful off-the-field figures in all of sports, many people find the wording of the memo to be quite interesting.
While the new uniforms debuted at the 2023 All-Star Game, their rollout this spring was marred by negative publicity.
Complaints ranged from the reduction in letter size on name plates, giving jerseys an unprofessional appearance, to various issues with the pants, including transparency, poor tailoring, and unnecessary rips and tears.
Many people pointed out that they’ve seen Little League uniforms that looked better.
Nike’s partnership with MLB commenced in 2019 as part of a 10-year, $1 billion deal, taking over as the league’s official uniform supplier.
Fanatics, which holds partnerships with both the league and the union, has been implicated in the situation but was not primarily responsible, according to the memo.
Despite warnings from the MLBPA about impending issues with the uniform changes, Nike had reportedly downplayed concerns until recently, prompting the need for corrective action.
What are your thoughts on the whole situation?
Who do you blame most for the debacle?
While on the topic, what is the single best uniform of all-time???