MLB Players Grouse Over New Nike-Fanatics Uniforms
As MLB players report to spring training this week, many are not happy with this season’s new jerseys, designed by Nike and manufactured by Fanatics.
MLB and Nike said the jerseys were “engineered to improve mobility, moisture management and fit,” but everything from colors to the feel of the pants have been criticized by players during spring training.
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“Cubbie blue is its own blue, right?” Chicago Cubs infielder Dansby Swanson told The Athletic. “This blue on the uniform is a little bit different than Cubbie blue. So how can we just recapture that?”
Nike and MLB entered a decade-long partnership in 2019 in a deal worth over $1 billion. While Nike is the official sponsor of MLB jerseys, Fanatics produces them and sells them to the public for prices ranging from $32 for a jersey T-shirt to $475 for an authentic uniform.
Nike has not responded to a request for comment. Fanatics declined to comment.
Los Angeles Angels’ Taylor Ward does not believe the jerseys feel like they are worth the price tag.
“It looks like a replica,” Ward told The Athletic. “It feels kind of like papery.”
MLB said the Nike Vapor Premiere jersey will be a part of every home and road game and be worn as alternate jerseys and city connect uniforms.
While many have expressed dismay, a news release Tuesday from MLB includes quotes praising the uniforms from Baltimore Orioles star Adley Rutschman, St. Louis Cardinal Nolan Arenado and Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves. All three of them are Nike-sponsored Athletes.
“The jerseys this season are much more breathable, with vents on the numbers and better airflow all around. It’s really going to make a difference during those hot summer games when I’m in full gear,” Rutschman said in the news release.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred responded to the player complaints, saying he would listen to feedback and would stand behind MLB’s partnership with Nike.
“We always pay attention to what anyone is saying about any new initiative. With baseball, any new initiative there’s going to be some negative feedback,” Manfred told Yahoo Sports. “First, and most important, these are Nike jerseys. … Everything they’ve done for us so far has been absolutely 100% successful across the board.”
This three-way partnership between MLB, Nike and Fanatics dates back to 2019. It’s a structure that Fanatics and Nike also use with the NFL, a number of U.S. colleges, and recently, some one-off teams. It allows Nike to simplify its major pro sports deals by focusing on marketing instead of manufacturing, and gives Fanatics an opportunity to become more directly entwined in Nike’s $156 billion sports empire.
CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of the second paragraph omitted a few words.
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