MLB Players Furious Over Big Uniform Changes Made by Nike: 'Everyone Hates Them'
What players are wearing has garnered as much attention as what they’re doing at spring training.
Major League Baseball teams are wearing newly designed uniforms this year aimed at improving performance and helping players stay cool throughout games in the summer months. The new gear, designed by Nike and manufactured by Fanatics, has drawn mixed reviews from players.
“I know everyone hates them,” Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said Friday. “We all liked what we had. We understand business, but I think everyone wanted to keep it the same way, for the most part, with some tweaks here or there.”
Nike has been designing MLB uniforms since 2020 and Fanatics has been manufacturing them since 2017, but this is the first year for the Nike Vapor Premier jerseys
MLB officials say the new uniforms improve mobility by providing 25 percent more stretch and also will dry 28 percent faster. The lettering, sleeve emblems and numbering are less bulky in an attempt to make uniforms more breathable and comfortable.
Commissioner Rob Manfred says he expects criticism to fade.
“In baseball, any new initiative, there’s going to be some negative feedback,” Manfred said Thursday. “First and most important, these are Nike jerseys. So we entered this partnership with Nike because of who they are and the kinds of products that they use. Everything they’ve done for us so far has been absolutely, 100 percent successful across the board.
“The jerseys are different. They’re designed to be performance wear as opposed to what has traditionally been worn. So they are going to be different, but they have been tested more extensively than any jersey in any sport.”
Fanatics representatives declined to comment. Nike didn’t respond to an email sent to its media relations office.
Manfred noted feedback was positive when these uniforms were introduced at last year’s All-Star Game.
MLB released a video Tuesday showing players raving about the new uniforms during the All-Star Game. MLB also issued a news release about the new gear this week that included testimonials from St. Louis third baseman Nolan Arenado, Baltimore catcher Adley Rutschman and Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., the reigning National League MVP.
We gave players a first taste of the new Nike Vapor Premier uniforms at last year’s #AllStarGame in Seattle. Here’s what they had to say. https://t.co/h0z0xhIQ2h pic.twitter.com/jsRaGFY96t
— MLB (@MLB) February 13, 2024
“It’s almost like wearing my favorite fitted T-shirt out on the field — and so easy to move around in,” Arenado said in a statement released by MLB.
But when players started wearing them this week, many complained.
“Don’t fix what’s not broken,” Phillies pitcher Matt Strahm said. “The looks of it, it just looks different. The names are smaller on the back.”
Dave Meluni, an associate teaching professor for Syracuse’s department of sports management, mentioned issues that could keep fans from buying the jerseys. Meluni said qualities that might help the jerseys improve performance by being more breathable and lightweight could make them less appealing to consumers.
“There’s a look that they’re cheaper,” Meluni said. “And then you go to buy them and they’re not.”
Meluni said colors appear faded on jerseys for some teams, such as the Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners.
Manfred’s confident more players will come around.
“So I think after people wear them a little bit, they’re going to be really popular,” Manfred said.
And the players who would prefer the previous uniform designs realize they don’t have much choice in the matter.
“It is what it is,” Strahm said. “Deal with what we’ve got. Anytime you change something, there’s a learning curve and adjustment period. How many people in America get to choose their work uniforms?”
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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