Take a look: Cardinals unveil new uniforms that pay tribute to ‘The Lou’
Protective of their branding and reluctant to relinquish control over it to the fashion-forward crowd, the St. Louis Cardinals became one of the final MLB teams to unveil a City Connect uniform on Monday morning, stepping out with a bright red design that pays tribute to “The Lou,” as emblazoned in the team’s traditional font behind birds on a bat.
The City Connect program began in 2021 as, according to MLB’s official website, a way “to link teams to their communities, celebrating each area’s history, culture and spirit through creatively designed alternate uniforms.”
The Cardinals chose to draw that link through a city nickname which was popularized in Nelly’s smash 2000 hit “Country Grammar,” which featured the line “I’m from The Lou and I’m proud.” As the song – and the video, shot partially on the Gateway Arch grounds and featuring Nelly in a backward Cardinals cap in its first shot – became inextricably linked to outside perception of the city, the nickname grew in prominence.
Now, with a full season’s marketing campaign winking in its direction, it will appear prominently on the field.
The bright red jerseys are paired with bright red caps which feature a horizontal “STL” display in a font that “pays homage” to the 1920-21 jerseys, which were the last worn by the club before the birds on the bat motif was introduced. They also bear some resemblance to the navy throwback caps worn in recent years which honored the St. Louis Stars of the Negro Leagues.
Perhaps most notably as a connection to the team’s history, the inside collar commemorates the franchise’s inception in 1882. Historically, the Cardinals have acknowledged their history as dating ten years later, to 1892, when they joined the National League.
Should they choose to more fully embrace the 1882 date, St. Louis could pull off the neat trick of securing two additional world championships without winning on the field; the version of the St. Louis Browns which have direct lineage with the current Cardinals won the informally titled 1885 and 1886 World Series matchups between the National League and American Association champions against the Chicago White Stockings.
In an attempt to more fully embrace the city itself, a patch on one of the sleeves incorporates elements from the St. Louis city flag. The same font from the hat front is emblazoned over a gold fleur de lis and a blue outline of the Arch.
Perhaps the closest to representation of the metro-east in the new uniform is the integration of slightly darker red pinstripes in a wave design, representing the Mississippi River, as well as the similar design on the city flag. That design element represents the first time the Cardinals have utilized pinstripes in a uniform, tying them slightly closer to the game’s historic franchises.
Following Monday’s reveal, the Cardinals will wear the City Connect uniforms for the first time on Friday for their first matchup of the season against the rival Chicago Cubs, as well as select, yet-to-be-announced dates throughout the season.
The Cardinals this week finally received shipments including their full set of special home Saturday cream and road Saturday blue jerseys, giving them five distinct sets in which they will appear throughout the season in addition to any special holiday varieties.
