Much of the early season has been overshadowed by the changes to Major League Baseball’s uniforms now that Nike had taken over as the main designer and Fanatics has taken over as the producer of them.
Concerns with quality, see-through nature of the pants, smaller lettering and number to the back of jerseys, all became great concerns with both players and fans. The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) also made a push to see if alterations could be made, which led to the league taking action.
Many players have spoken out about the quality, but not everyone is concerned about it, including Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
“Not really,” Roberts said. “I’ve heard some rumblings, but for me, that’s out my lane. I can’t control. I’m just happy to be wearing a uniform.”
Players around the league provided a great deal of feedback with the lack of customization as they’ve had in years past. That led to one of the changes being made coming to players soon as the ability to customize their pants once again.
“It doesn’t bother me,” said Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts. “We’re worrying about uniforms? It matters to some people, but for me, I couldn’t care less. As long as I’ve got one on.”
Nike and Fanatics are in the process of adjusting the uniforms, but it may take until 2025 to have it done. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has clarified that the uniforms were designed by Nike, not Fanatics.
Fanatics has a jaded reputation with fans with a decline in quality of product, which led to their initial negative view of the MLB jerseys.
Fanatics founder reiterates that Fanatics is following Nike’s lead with MLB jerseys
Following a heavy wave of criticism against Fanatics, their founder and CEO Michael Rubin discussed the challenging process he’s had to navigate. The path they’ve followed has been handed down from Nike, not solely them.
Few players around MLB have been vocal in their support for the changes, many of whom are Nike athletes and are under contract as representatives of their gear.
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