Two weeks ago I wrote about how the Cardinals’ road jerseys and pants appeared to be different shades of grey. That was based on TV footage from spring training games. But as you can see above, the problem isn’t limited to television — the jersey clearly has more of a green-ish sheen, while the pants are more of a dull putty.
Here are some additional examples, all taken from recent posts on the team’s own Instagram feed:
The difference is also clearly visible from a distance, not just up close:
As we’ve noted before, the Phillies (the only other MLB team wearing their full road greys for spring games) appear to have the same problem:
We’ll probably see more of this when the regular season begins and more teams start wearing their full road greys.
For more info on this, check out my recent interview with an employee from the Pennsylvania factory that makes MLB’s uniforms. That employee helped explain why this problem is happening.
(My continued thanks to reader Brian Phillips for his attention to this issue.)
I’ve moved past the jersey situation, I actually don’t think they’re *as bad* as people have said. Definitely a downgrade, but wearable as long as you have a good tailor if you’re shorter and don’ t have arms like Jose Canseco in his peak juicing era.
But this is just absolute amateur hour. I understand why this is happen in the sense that it’s happening, but I don’t get how MLB let this happen? Like come on.
And, it’s not as if Nike was rushed to get these uniforms out the door. They had a few years, according to them, to do all the development on these new templates. But, other than the smaller NOB’s, I can live with the rest of the issues. Sometimes change is hard to accept. Just please go back the larger font. Some letters are hard to read with the color the team uses and less separation on them.
One thing I’ve noticed is that white NOB lettering on solid-colored jerseys is much easier to read than any other lettering/fabric color combo. I’ve had some people point to, say, Atlanta’s spring jerseys and say, “Hey, they went back to the bigger letters!” No they didn’t — it just seems bigger, or at least more legible, because it’s white lettering on a navy background.
They definitely did have a few years because I remember them being tested out in the MiLB back in 2021, it was reported by this site. So they had at least 3 years of development and that’s exactly what I mean. I think many of the other changes people hate were at least intentional, and maybe there was reasoning behind them (besides just cheaper production). But this color mismatch just seems like a plain screw up, they could not have planned this.
Self-inflicted wound. MLB willingly jumped into bed with Nike and Fanatics. Two companies with horrible reputations. Nike’s designs are garbage and Fanatics’ quality is nonexistent. Gee, what could possibly go wrong?
Looking at the close-up photos of the Cardinals I can’t see any difference. Other photos, yes.
I think the cardinals would benefit by reducing the size of those ginormous birds. They dwarf the script, which is among the most beautiful in MLB.
Sports leagues should rethink getting into bed with Nike. Are they huge? Yes. Are they influential? Absolutely. Are they wildly overrated? I firmly believe so. Nike designs and quality have slipped quite a bit over the years. They cut corners at every opportunity and increasingly rely on their coolness quotient to get by.
It depends what the goals of the leagues are. If the goals of the league are quality uniforms, both in aesthetics and physical material, then there is no reason to go with Nike. You hire an independent firm to design your uniform and an actual apparel manufacturer to make the uniforms.
Nike is in the business of cheaply made in the moment fashion for athleisure.
If the leagues’ goal is to sell merchandise to the in-the-moment fashion crowd, then Nike will just roll out awful designs and meet that need.
I think it is clear which of the two is the goal for the leagues.
I’ll offer an alternate phasing of Greg’s point: “If your league’s goal is to be a sports brand, there is no reason to go with Nike. If your goal is to be a lifestyle brand, then you go with Nike.”
(Obviously, *every* league now aspires to be a lifestyle brand. That’s the problem.)
Could not agree more, it is no longer just about sports but about a lifestyle that comes with it. With the uniforms to match that goal: reaching out to non-sports fans.
Watched Detroit’s game yesterday and they were all wearing last year’s pants with belt loops.
Wouldn’t it be great if Starter, Rawlings or any former company, who actually knew what they were doing, got their contracts back!!??
Personally, I’m a big jersey fan and collect them when I can. I a huge believer in tradition, especially in baseball. The ads on the jerseys are, to me, sacrilegious to the game and it’s history of the uniforms. Ads have been everywhere forever, but should NEVER be on the jersey. The company logo like Majestic or Nike is tolerable, but an ad for a concrete company?? Just heartbreaking to me as a traditionalist. As far as the Phillies, taking the # off the sleeve last year, and now taking away the chain stitched “Phillies” on the front is a crime to the history of the team. I just don’t understand why or what Nike is trying to accomplish here. The names on the back are so small I can’t read the names on TV. Gonna be even worse at a live game. I’m very disappointed, and it’ll only get worse. Same with the NHL jerseys.