MLB New Jersey Designs Are Out & Fans Can’t Stop Criticising It

At spring training, players’ attire has drawn just as much attention as their actions. This season, Major League Baseball clubs will be sporting redesigned MLB jerseys that are intended to enhance player comfort and performance during summer games. Players’ opinions on the new gear, which was created by Nike and produced by Fanatics, are divided.

MLB New Jersey Designs Are Out & Fans Can’t Stop Criticising It

Trea Turner of the Philadelphia Phillies remarked on Friday, “I know everyone hates them.” “Everyone enjoyed what they got. We all understood business, but I believe everyone wanted to maintain things mostly the same with a few little adjustments here and there.”

While Fanatics has been producing MLB jerseys since 2017, Nike has been designing them since 2020. This is the first year where the Nike Vapor Premier jerseys.

Players and fans are debating the new MLB uniforms that were just unveiled for the 2024 season. The jerseys were created in collaboration with sportswear giant Fanatics and Nike.

The goal of switching to Nike’s Vapor Premier design, which has a “high-performance fabric” made of at least 90% recycled polyester fibres, was to improve the uniforms’ performance and give them a more modern look.

All 30 clubs also had their uniforms changed similarly. For example, the front numerals on MLB jerseys will now be four inches tall, while the back numbers will all be eight inches.

Additionally, the player names on the back (NOB) lettering will be reduced to a 2.5-inch height. This change particularly was noticeable to some players who  voiced their displeasure with the change, which you can see below.

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% 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.”

Arenado remarked in an MLB statement, “It’s almost like wearing my favorite fitted T-shirt out on the field – and so easy to move around in,”

However, many players voiced their displeasure when they were worn this week.

“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.”

“There’s a look that they’re cheaper,” Meluni said. “And then you go to buy them and they’re not.”

The new MLB jerseys, according to several players, have an air of impersonation rather than being real professional gear. The inconsistent size and arrangement of graphic components such as logos, names, and numbers have led to disputes.

 

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