Major League Baseball (MLB) is taking steps to address the widespread complaints surrounding the new uniform changes that have caused quite a stir among players and fans. The changes, which were implemented at the start of the 2023 season, included smaller lettering on the back of the jerseys, mismatched gray tops and bottoms, and a sweat-collecting issue with the new Nike jerseys.
However, following the outcry from players and fans, MLB has announced that these issues will be rectified by the beginning of the 2025 season. Specifically, they plan to make changes to the lettering size, address the mismatched uniforms, and fix the sweat-collecting problem. Additionally, changes will be made to the see-through pants that were a point of contention for many.
The MLB Players Association has pointed fingers at Nike for the uniform problems, blaming the company for unnecessarily innovating something that was not needed. Fanatics, the manufacturer of the uniforms, was absolved of blame by the union and emphasized the importance of gathering player feedback for future changes.
Nike’s partnership with MLB began in 2019 with a lucrative 10-year, $1 billion deal. Despite concerns raised by the MLB and the players’ union, Nike had initially been dismissive of the complaints. However, with the upcoming changes for the 2025 season, it seems that Nike is finally listening to the feedback from players and fans.
The new uniforms made their debut at the 2023 All-Star Game but received negative publicity due to various issues, including letter size, fabric quality, tailoring, and tears in the pants. With the upcoming changes, MLB is hopeful that these uniform problems will soon be a thing of the past.
