MLB plans to make changes to polarizing uniforms no later than start of 2025 season
Nike was at fault for the flawed Major League Baseball uniforms that drew criticism and ridicule when they were fully unveiled this spring and issues with the uniforms will be addressed no later than the start of the 2025 season, according to an ESPN report Sunday.
ESPN, citing a memo distributed to players by the Major League Baseball Players Association, reported the changes will include larger letters on the backs of the jerseys, fixing mismatched gray tops and bottoms and addressing Nike jerseys' tendency to collect sweat.
Complaints from players included new pants being see through.
Nike was at fault for the uniform problems and Fanatics, the manufacturer of the uniform, was not to blame, reported ESPN.
"This has been entirely a Nike issue," read the memo, according to ESPN. "At its core, what has happened here is that Nike was innovating something that didn't need to be innovated."
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Nike took over as MLB’s official uniform supplier in 2019 as part of a 10-year, $1 billion deal, according to ESPN. Fanatics, which took the brunt of the public criticism of the uniform, also has partnerships with MLB and the players union, ESPN reported. The new uniforms were worn during the 2023 All-Star Game but not fully rolled out until this year.
Days before spring training started in February, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said he was working on behalf of the players to resolve the jersey issue ahead opening day on March 28.
His comments came the week after MLB unveiled its new Nike Vapor Premier uniforms that are manufactured by Fanatics and were panned.
But MLB commissioner Rob Manfred defended the new jerseys and said "there’s going to be some negative feedback" with any new initiative, but predicted that "they're going to be really popular."
Any stalemate over the uniform debacle appears to have ended.
Contributing: Cydney Henderson