Rebuilding Rob

I wanted to call this “jersey gate“ but you’ll understand why I didn’t in a few minutes

So far, the biggest story to come out of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) 2024 edition of Spring Training has been universal disapproval of Nike’s new uniforms. It all started when the new Nike Vapor Premier jerseys debuted at last season’s All-Star game. Made of lightweight, more breathable materials and featuring a different fit, the intention was to create a jersey that would allow players to be “more athletic“.

Being that it was the All-Star game, and the first All-Star game that MLB had ever featured “American league” and “National League“ uniforms, I think that design drew more flack from fans, who wanted to see if their favorite players are wearing their traditional home unis, as they have done in All-Star games past.

Before even before pitchers and catchers start reporting for spring training roughly 2 weeks ago, photos of the new uniforms appeared online. To make matters worse, they were seen side-by-side next to uniforms of the past. See what you think for yourself….

Two Criticisms immediately spring to mind: first, the smaller lettering used for the players nameplates. Nike claims that this is a necessity, as a result of using lightweight materials for the jersey itself. Then, of course, is the fact that the numbering appears off-center to the nameplate. Hardly the look we’ve come to expect for multimillion dollar athletes working in a multi billion dollar industry like MLB. Many fans – including myself – cried that these uniforms look something more like the free jersey that teams would give away as promotional items.

But wait. It gets worse. Much, much worse…

To make matters worse, once player started reporting and doing promotional photos for the teams, it was noticed that the uniform pants are see-through. You can see the players jersey tucked in underneath the pants, as well as the patch on the lower left-hand side of the jersey. In this case, you could even see the player’s Nike compression shorts underneath the pants as well! The crazy part is that these are not even the worst photos I could find of MLB’s see-through pants. Google them, if you dare…

If the jerseys didn’t draw the ire of the players and their labor union, the fiasco with the pants certainly did. In an attempt at damage control, Nike has sent representatives to all 30 MLB spring training camps to meet with players and hear their concerns regarding this year‘s gear.

I’ve never been an Uber jock, but I’m probably about as athletic as the next average guy. However, as a consumer, Nike has always been my favorite sneaker brand. Well, they have always been a little bit more expensive than some of their arrival companies, they have consistently made the absolute best sneaker that I’ve worn for much of my life. Having said that, while their other athletic gear, pants, shorts, warm-ups, jerseys, T-shirts, and hoodies have also been high quality, they have also been priced a little bit out of my range.

But to see Nike outsource the MLB uniforms to Fanatics, quite frankly, is embarrassing. I’m sure that Nike will recover from this. They are the athletic juggernaut of planet earth after all. however, for this season, the damage may have already been done. The first regular season, MLB games, this year’s slated to take place in Korea, begin less than a month. I don’t see any way that Nike can go back to the drawing board and rectify the situation before then.

Oh, and NHL fans, Nike has also outsourced next season’s NHL uniforms to Fanatics as well. This is what you have to look forward to.

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related posts:

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• Life is What Happens: A Look Back at My Non-Existent 2025 Vision
• The Moment I Walked Inside a Hallmark Movie

The article “Uniform-gate!” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob