NEWSLETTER
I imagine it was a fire drill for all involved ever since it became clear that the new Nike-designed, Fanatics-manufactured MLB jerseys (and pants) were a problem for many players. What was intended to be an improvement turned out to be plagued by material issues, wicking issues, tiny-name-size issues, aesthetic issues, and became a story that the league was assuredly eager to put to bed.
So, in the wake of that fire drill, the uniforms are being fixed. Eventually:
‘The prominent modifications include a return to larger lettering on the back of jerseys, remedying mismatched gray tops and bottoms and addressing the new Nike jerseys’ propensity to collect sweat, according to the memo distributed to players by the MLB Players Association on Sunday.
The changes, which will happen at the latest by the beginning of the 2025 season, will also include fixes to the pants, widely panned this spring for being see-through.
The union informed players of the coming changes in a letter that placed the blame on Nike and the debut of its Vapor Premier uniform, which was advertised for its superior performance but remains disliked by players.
“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.”
The union also absolved Fanatics, the manufacturer of the uniform that has received the majority of public scorn for the uniform mess, saying 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.”‘
Oof. Absolutely destroying Nike for all of this. Clearly, the Players Association wants its constituency to know who is to blame. I’m not entirely sure the upside there, except maybe in service of preserving the relationship with Fanatics? The report notes that the league and the union both have small stakes in the company. (Which, by the way, is having a 25% off sale today – how could I not mention?)
Anyway, you’ll note there that there isn’t a guarantee of a fix BEFORE this season ends. So we may not see a resumption of the large names and heartier uniforms this year. The lead time on manufacturing is probably pretty tough to make it happen, even if it’s a priority.
It’ll be a little funny, years from now, when we look back at pictures from the 2024 season – we’ll always think, oh hey, remember that was the year with the swap meet jerseys and see-through pants!
