“I think after people wear them for a little bit, they’re going to be really popular.” – MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, February 15
Many people start verbal victory laps by saying, “I hate to say I told you so….” I am not one of those people.
I told you so – well, me and pretty much every player, fan and unbiased MLB observer. The new Nike uniforms were a flop, a soulless corporate solution to a problem that didn’t exist.
They have to go now, like Poochie from “The Simpsons”. All that’s missing is a sworn affidavit that the laughable 2024 uniforms will never, ever, ever return.
It’s not that simple, alas. As Stephen J. Nesbitt and Mark Puleo point out, teams won’t be rummaging through storage bins to bring back the style that worked so well for so long. The fabric and general design of the Nike Vapor Premier will remain.
But, according to a memo from the MLB Players’ Association to its membership, the union has received indications that Nike will fix a few of the more egregious elements of the new uniforms by the start of the 2025 season.
Some teams still don’t have all their pants styles for 2024; that’s why the Mets have not yet worn their blue or black alternate jerseys, for example. When (or if) those pants actually arrive, they will already be facing extinction: according to the memo, the next version of pants will feature the old seam stitch counts and high-quality zippers.
It’s shameful that MLB authorized a flimsier uniform this season, ostensibly in the name of “performance wear” – as if, say, Ronald Acuna Jr. would have started a 60-90 Club last season, instead of merely a 40-70 Club, if only he’d had the help of Vapor Premier.
The two most appalling aspects of the new uniforms, though, were the smaller lettering on the back and the removal of specific tailoring options for players. Both were unforced errors by the league, limiting the players’ visibility and robbing them of a well-earned perk of reaching the highest level of their profession.
An MLB uniform is supposed to feel like a status symbol – “like you’re putting on a freaking crown and a big-ass fluffy cape,” as Andrew Chafin, the veteran Tigers reliever, colorfully put it. Yet player after player compared the 2024 Nike jerseys to discount replicas.
Thankfully, after two and a half months of complaints since the start of spring training, the names will return to normal, legible-on-TV size, and the players will again be allowed to customize their pants.
Nike had already publicly committed to fixing the mismatched shades of gray and the visible sweat stains on the new jerseys. Now, thankfully, there seems to be a similar commitment to improving the rest.
Of course, there’s no admission that Nike’s fashion sensibilities are out of step with the way baseball ought to look. On Monday, the Tampa Bay Rays introduced their new City Connect jerseys – and, as usual, the fun elements (like the cap logo and bright green accent colors) mesh awkwardly with the what-were-they-thinking stuff, like black lettering on a black jersey.
First wear is Friday, but we’re going against the grain all weekend. pic.twitter.com/BbPk42sRPs
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) April 29, 2024
And Nike’s fetish for dark pants continues, even though three teams – the Rockies, the Dodgers and the Orioles – have switched back to white pants for their City Connect sets.
Selling new merchandise is the point, obviously – and hey, if the jerseys appeal to kids and those kids enjoy baseball a little more, that’s great. People who’ve been fans for decades are likely to remain fans for life. We’d keep watching even if all the teams dressed like NASCAR drivers. (Sadly, MLB is off to a good start there.)
But, just to get in front of the next uniform flap, here’s a plea to Nike and MLB: do something about the All-Star Game. The last three have been maddening monuments to short-sighted greed, with generic uniforms for the American and National Leagues.
Members of the 2023 National League All-Stars at the All-Star Game in Seattle. (Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images)
Forget the visual delight of teams wearing their actual jerseys for the All-Star Game, the kind of charming, distinctive tradition that MLB ought to embrace. It’s short-sighted because – again – it makes players less identifiable to fans, at the very moment designed to celebrate their greatness.
Instead of showcasing players, MLB has used the last three All-Star Games to showcase a Nike product – one that was much better suited to the home run derby, an arrangement that worked fine for decades.
The working assumption has been that the 2024 All-Star Game, in Texas, will again feature generic uniforms. But the news about the upcoming fixes, at least, shows that the league and Nike are willing to consider reasonable adjustments and acknowledge where innovations went wrong. That’s an encouraging start.
So let’s avoid another dress-code distraction, shall we? Swap the AL and NL jerseys to workout day, and use the actual jerseys for the All-Star Game. There’s still time.
C’mon, folks… just do it.
(Top photo of members of the 2016 American League All-Star team: Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
