Following months of complaints from players and fans, Major League Baseball sent out a memo stating it plans to address the uniform issues that have plagued the beginning of the season.
In the memo obtained by ESPN, MLB said it will make multiple changes no later than the beginning of next season. The changes include: Returning to larger lettering on the back of the jerseys, addressing the sweat issue with Nike’s new jersey template, and assuring that the gray tops and pants are the same color.
One of the main issues thus far has been the white pants being see-through. In the memo sent out by the MLB Players Association, blame was placed on Nike and its Vapor Premier uniform.
“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.”
MLB and Nike became partners in 2019. As part of a 10-year/$1 billion deal for MLB, Nike took over as the official uniform supplier. However, Nike’s new Vapor Premier uniform didn’t debut until last year’s All-Star Game in Seattle.
“We cautioned Nike against various changes when they previewed them in 2022, particularly regarding pants,” the union memo read. “MLB had been, and has been, aware of our concerns as well. Unfortunately, until recently Nike’s position has essentially boiled down to — ‘nothing to see here, Players will need to adjust.’”
Players have complained that the new uniforms don’t have a ‘big-league feel’ to them, and there have been plenty of visible issues throughout the early parts of the season. Pants have ripped on routine slides, tops and bottoms have had mismatched colors, and sweat has made its presence known to fans watching live or at home.
And while the memo placed blame on Nike, it spoke highly of Fanatics — the manufacturer of the uniform.
“(Fanatics) 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.”
