Major League Baseball’s uniform nightmare will soon be over.
Unfortunately, the league won’t make changes soon enough to appease players for the 2024 season. But MLB announced on Friday that alterations will be made for 2025 to address the concerns that players expressed beginning in spring training.
Two of the biggest issues were smaller nameplates on the backs of the jerseys and pants that didn’t fit properly, with material that could be seen through. The modified uniforms will return larger lettering for player names and individually customized pants for all players, in addition to better-quality zippers and stitching.
“Player and Club feedback is extremely important to us,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Together with Nike, we listened to our players and as a result, we are addressing their concerns.”
According to MLB’s statement, Nike is also exploring solutions to jerseys and pants that are slightly different shades of gray in road uniforms, and jerseys becoming discolored after being soaked with sweat. Once the gray uniform issue is resolved, those will be implemented on the field as soon as the second half of the 2024 season.
MLB addressing the uniform concerns was reported last week by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, after a memo detailing the changes circulated among the Players’ Association. The players’ union placed blame for the uniform issues on Nike and the company’s “Vapor Premier” uniforms, which were intended to improve mobility, moisture management and fit.
“This has been entirely a Nike issue,” the memo said, per ESPN. “At its core, what has happened here is that Nike was innovating something that didn’t need to be innovated. We cautioned Nike against various changes when they previewed them in 2022, particularly regarding pants.”
Fanatics, which manufactures the uniforms under a 10-year agreement with Nike and MLB that began in 2019, initially took blame for the uniform issues. But the company, which has been manufacturing MLB’s uniforms since 2017, said it was following Nike’s specifications and the Players’ Association agreed with that assertion.
However, players and fans immediately were outraged over the smaller nameplate lettering, “perspiration challenges” and pants that could be seen through and tore more easily.
“I know everyone hates them,” Phillies shortstop Trea Turner told the Associated Press in March. “We all liked what we had. We understand business, but I think everyone wanted to keep it the same way, for the most part, with some tweaks here or there.”
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
