Major League Baseball (MLB) is gearing up for the upcoming season and fans are anticipating the debut of new uniforms. As Spring Training kicked off on Feb. 14, fans and players were given a first look at the Fanatics and Nike Vapor Premier jersey.
However, the initial unveiling has sparked negative feedback from fans and players. The feedback has reached a point where the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) Executive Director, Tony Clark, acknowledged the frustration and confirmed they are addressing concerns from both sides.
“Any time there’s change, there’s an adjustment period. Sometimes that adjustment period goes well, sometimes not so much,” said Clark. “In this instance, there appear to be some misses that could have otherwise not been misses.”
Source: Instagram, @mlb
MLB claims that the new uniforms will improve a player’s mobility and will be more breathable and comfortable.
Fans have been vocal about the new uniforms as well. Sacred Heart University juniors Ryan Breihof and Carson McKinnon are two fans who believe the switch will hurt the sport as a whole.
“I think it’s about the balance of comfort and style. It is important for players to perform well in their uniform, but it is just as important for the fans who are watching and buying the jerseys,” said McKinnon. “If fans think the jerseys aren’t worth what they are, the league will miss out on a lot of profit.”
Breihof had similar thoughts on the appearance of the new uniforms.
“This is their job and putting them in uniforms that look like they were made at Target is not appealing to those that watch the sport,” said Breihof.
The price of a New York Yankees Nike Vapor Premier jersey on MLB.com is $325. Although the price has not changed from past Nike jerseys, the product for fans was more appealing than the product they are selling right now.
According to the New York Post, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward expressed how the product does not look like the price they are selling them for.
“It feels kind of like papery. It could be great when you’re out there sweating, it may be breathable. But I haven’t had that opportunity yet to try that out. But from the looks of it, it doesn’t look like a $450 jersey.” Ward said, “So far thumbs down.”
In the age of social media, many fans have also expressed their opinion that way. Especially those who are not the biggest baseball fans.
Sacred Heart University sophomore Michael Argenziano who does not watch a lot of baseball, was aware of the uniforms due to social media.
“I am a Yankees fan but do not watch a lot of the games. As I was scrolling through Instagram and I thought that the jersey looked different.” said Argenziano. “It really made me appreciate the jersey that I own now, because I would not want to buy the new ones.”
With constant feedback, the MLBPA is taking in all they can and looking to move as quickly as possible. The season will officially begin on March 28, giving the league a few weeks to get everything figured out.
“Hopefully, we can get some things done over the course of the next six weeks of spring training,” said Clark. “Because I’d hate to be in a place where we are still having conversations about some of the challenges we have in that regard once the lights come on.”
