I know that in general everyone hates change, so when there’s something new a lot of people are going to hate it. But holy shit, these new MLB uniforms and for fans, the new jerseys are hideous. Luckily, Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson is here to save the day, as he’s leading the revolution against Nike’s abomination.
Normally, you’ll see most of the hate of new uniforms coming from fans, however, players aren’t holding their tongue this time around. It’s not only the different font, lowering the MLB logo on the jersey, players are pissed about everything.
Via The Athletic.
“It looks like a replica,” Angels outfielder Taylor Ward said. “It feels kind of like papery. It could be great when you’re out there sweating, it may be breathable. But I haven’t had that opportunity yet to try that out. But from the looks of it, it doesn’t look like a $450 jersey.
“So far, thumbs down.”
That article from The Athletic also includes complaints from players of the St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds and Swanson, who has already reached out to his Nike contacts to discuss why players are disgusted by the new uniforms. Cubs pitcher Adbert Alzolay also voiced his opinion on social media.
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As a fan, I obviously have no idea what these pants feel like, whether the material is better or worse, but by simply looking at them, they look bad. And the worst part is that Nike has made every uniform font look the same for every single team. The home whites are different now and Swanson even noticed that the blue for the Cubs has changed.
Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, who has a Nike endorsement deal, said he reached out to Nike contacts Tuesday to discuss the new jerseys. He’s all for the new materials, he said, but some of the design decisions — like the specific shade of blue on the Cubs jerseys — are worth reconsidering.
“Cubbie blue is its own blue, right?” Swanson said. “This blue on the uniform is a little bit different than Cubbie blue. So how can we just recapture that?”
Swanson’s broader point was that in the design process, Nike may have removed some elements that make each team’s jersey their own. In Cardinals camp, for example, they lamented losing the chain-stitching of player names on the jersey.
Here’s a comparison of the template from last year compared to the new design.
Again, maybe it’s the simple fact that there was a change, but seeing the difference really does make the new ones look worse.
So, who is to blame for this, Nike, Fanatics? While Fanatics still manufactures these, they’re only following the orders of Nike.
Via UniWatch.
Who decided to move the MLB logo down on the back of the jersey?
Nike did. Nike also added the sun collar, narrowed the placket, changed the fabric, reduced the size of the NOB lettering, changed home jerseys from white to off-white, changed the belt loops, and all the other changes you’re seeing. Fanatics had nothing to do with any of those adjustments.
Get your shit together, Nike!
