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Explained: What we know (and don’t know) about MLB’s ongoing problems with Nike uniforms

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In the sweltering summer of 1994, when Russell Athletics was the official uniform supplier of Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees suddenly switched to jersey fabrics, from polyester to a more breathable cotton, to beat the heat. Yankees players raved about the cotton uniforms in a front-page story.

Luis Polonia: “Cotton is king.”
Wade Boggs: “What a fabric! Finally we can breathe.”
Paul O’Neill: “I never dreamed something could be so soft and fluffy.”

Thirty years later, Nike, MLB’s current uniform supplier, introduced a new jersey – 90 percent recycled polyester – that received equally favorable reviews.

Adley Rutschman: “Much more breathable.”
Nolan Arenado: “It’s almost like I’m wearing my favorite shirt on the field.”
Ronald Acuña Jr.: “Feeling free in the jersey is the best feeling in the world.”

The difference?

The Nike shirt is real. The cotton version is from an episode of ‘Seinfeld’.

It’s easy to imagine this suggestion from Yankees assistant to traveling secretary George Costanza to manager Buck Showalter, now sitting on a Nike field: “Imagine you’re playing games and your team is five degrees cooler than the other team. Don’t you think that would be an advantage? They are cooler. They are more comfortable. They are happier – They’re going to play better.”

It’s been 10 days since we… started reporting about the many missteps in the Nike Vapor Premier rollout, and the groans have only gotten louder. Here’s what we know (and don’t know) about the ongoing jersey issues in MLB.

What are players angry about?

Depends on the day. MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said new issues keep arising as he goes from camp to camp during spring training. The first complaints were about the design and feel of the jerseys. Concerns have since coalesced around the seat of the pants. Players have complained that instead of being given completely custom-made pants as in the past, they are now measured, put into one of four body type buckets and given pants that are supposed to fit someone the shape of them. Many are not satisfied.

Then came the shortage of pants and the clear thing.

The view what?

The pants. They are a little transparent.

How so?

Enough to see tags and logos under the white pants. Enough to make the long tails of the tucked-in jersey top look like a diaper. Enough of that husbands joke about the. No one asked for this kind of transparency in baseball.

The question is: are these pants more transparent than pants from previous years?

A source familiar with the process said the fabric of the pants has not been changed; another said the material and thickness are the same. That feeling is shared multiple tweets And stories. However, a Nike spokesperson did not respond The Athletics‘s request for clarity on whether this exact pant design – with the belt loops on the side – was used last year, and if so, what year these pants were first introduced.

Without a clear answer, skepticism seems justified.

Paul Lukas of Uni Watch, who has written extensively about the new Nike jerseys his site And Substack, said he saw a “somewhat similar phenomenon” in photos from previous years’ photo days. “For me,” he said, “it wasn’t that serious.”

Wouldn’t we have noticed if the pants had been so see-through before?

That seems to be the general consensus on Baseball Twitter. On the one hand, everything about these uniforms is scrutinized more closely than any jersey in recent history. On the other hand, this see-through effect does not only occur with studio lighting during photo days. We see the undergarments of players inside dimly lit lobbies And on outdoor ball fields also.

However, I didn’t notice any of it during my team’s game this weekend.

You should not!

One reason for that: Your team might be wearing last year’s pants.

That’s right, teams are short on pants. According to a handful of players surveyed, they typically have about five pairs of custom-made gaming pants in their locker a few weeks before opening day. Currently, some teams don’t have one, and others have one. It is not clear which company is responsible for the shortage: Nike, which created and designed the uniforms; or Fanatics, who manufactures them.

What have MLB, Nike and Fanatics said about this?

Very few.

Nike and MLB issued statements Friday, but neither answered specific questions about the new jerseys.

A spokesperson for Fanatics declined multiple requests for comment.

Whose fault is this?

In the simplest explanation – according to the responsibilities established by MLB, Fanatics and Nike before Nike became MLB’s official uniform supplier in December 2019 – the blame would lie primarily with Nike. That is how Lucas sees it. That’s also how Clark, the union leader, sees it. Nike had four years to transition from the Majestic Athletics template to Nike’s. It has flopped so far.

However, fanatics have taken most of the heat from fans for the new jerseys. That’s due to Fanatics’ history of selling substandard (or worse) products to consumers as it dominates the licensed sportswear market. It’s a deserved reputation. In the case of these Nike jerseys, Fanatics produces the final product, so any imperfections or inconsistencies in the stitching, lettering and patchwork can be attributed to this. But the material and design changes are Nike’s choices.

What are some design choices?

The white uniforms have a slightly off-white tint. The pants have several belt loops. Certain embroidered elements are now printed. The fabric looks as Luke writes, such as a paper towel. At the front of the jersey top, a narrower closure has led to some adjustments tricky chest scripts with split letters. The back of the jersey has changed dramatically. First, Nike lowered the MLB logo. The letters are considerably smaller. And the uniform number, also smaller in most cases, was perforated for optimal airflow.

“Something about the smaller letters just doesn’t look top-notch,” Lukas said, “and there’s no explanation as to why. That’s what I found so surprising and confusing.”

He gave the example of the Indianapolis Colts’ shoulder stripes.

“The shoulder stripes don’t extend as far as they used to, like when we were growing up,” said Lukas, “because the stripe is interrupted by a seam that wasn’t there when we were growing up, because they changed the way they sew and put on the sweater.” make size. Okay, I don’t really like that, but at least there’s an explanation I can understand. Form follows function. They have not provided any explanation for these changes.”

Is there time to make a change before Opening Day?

It’s unlikely that anything significant will change with the design. It seems the priority will be to solve the trouser fit issues once there are enough trousers.

What would Costanza do?

Stan for cotton.

Cotton breathes.

Polyester, you know, it’s not a natural fiber.

This weekend we tracked down Jason Alexander – the actor who played Costanza, no the Savior. Alexander declined an interview. He’s not much of a sports fan, his publicist said, so he isn’t following the Nike snafu and therefore doesn’t have a strong opinion on the new jerseys.

Well, that makes one of us.

(Photo by Kyle Schwarber: Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA Today)

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