The Dodgers and Padres will be opening the 2024 MLB regular season in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday. They’re already in Korea and have been playing a few exhibition games against Korean teams, which has given us our first look at the uniform ads that will be worn for this series.
As I reported last Thursday, the Padres will have a sleeve ad for the video streaming service Coupang Play. Here’s how that ad looks on the team’s brown jersey, which they’re using for the exhibition games:
This advertisement is supplanting the Padres’ usual sleeve ad for this series.
As expected, the Padres are also have a separate helmet advertiser. Although I can’t read the ad, I’m told that it’s for a Korean bank:
I had assumed that the Dodgers would have the same uni advertisers as the Padres (that’s how it usually works for these MLB World Tour series). But the Dodgers are wearing their usual sleeve ad (in case you missed it, they added that last month) for their exhibition games, and the sleeve advertiser is also represented on their helmet:
It’s not clear to me why the Dodgers got to keep their regular American uni advertiser while the Padres are going with Korean advertisers. Weird!
While we’re at it, here’s how the “Seoul Series” patches look on both teams’ caps and jersey sleeves, and also on the umpires:
(My thanks to José Roberto Nuñez for translating the Padres’ helmet ad.)
Excellent cat photo… I love it.
I hope that Mascot Watch will continue on the re-branded Paul Lukas Substack!!!
Bravo Manfred !
All of those ads are a thing of beauty.
At this rate, by 2027, it’s going to look like they are wearing the outfield wall of a triple A ballpark instead of a major league uniform.
Actually, the use of uni ads for overseas games has a long history dating back to the Mets/Cubs series in Japan in 2000 — long before Manfred.
I’m no Manfred fan, but let’s stick to blaming him for things he’s actually responsible for.
He started Clutterama. I’m blaming him now.
I believe they’ve discussed helmet ads during playoff baseball and eventually regular season as well, correct? Well there is only one man to blame for that. Before you know it it’ll be on catchers gear, caps and jockstraps. Thank god he’s leaving in 5 years
To my knowledge, there’s been no discussion of helmet ads during non-overseas regular season games. The playoff option is included in the current CBA but, thankfully, hasn’t yet been exercised.
Anyway: I was simply pointing out that the uni ads in these Korean games, which is what we’re talking about in this post, are part of a long-established practice that has nothing to do with Manfred. That doesn’t change the fact that Manfred sucks. But again, let’s stick to the reality of why he sucks and not exaggerate or round up. Thanks.
“Before you know it it’ll be on catchers gear, caps and jockstraps.”
There is already advertising all over the equipment. But because we call it “makers’ marks” they get a pass even though those marks are HUGE.
Next time you see a full, head to toe, photo of a baseball player. Count the number of makers marks you see. Those are ads, for sure.
They don’t “get a pass”; they’re just in a different category because selling space to a third party is different than a manufacturer putting its own logo on something. (Also a uniform is different than a piece of equipment.)
Anyone who knows anything about Uni Watch — and that definitely includes you, Dave! — knows that we have never “given a pass” to maker’s marks.
I didn’t say YOU were giving them a pass! :) I believe you coined the term “logo creep” to describe this issue.
Maybe the Padres have Korean sponsors for this series as they have a Korean player in the starting lineup. As for the Dodgers, they do not have a Korean starter as far as I know, so they are not as attractive for Korean advertisers in this series. It is my uneducated guess.
Yeah, but the MLB World Tour games usually have uni advertisers from the host country, regardless of roster considerations.
“Seoul Series” just sounds great off the tongue. Like an album title or something, I don’t know.
Any oil that saves temper is okay by me!
The can being Kano just makes me think of the cyborg mercenary of the same name from the Mortal Kombat franchise.
The reflection of light off of that awful ad patch on the Padres is another argument in favor of embroidery.
I’m betting the Padres got more cash to have Korean advertisers in Korea. Might have it in their contract with MLB/Motorola to have different ads for international games? Ads on baseball uniforms are the worst!
Would it be possible for those sleeve ads to be any bigger?
I shouldn’t even ask because my fear is the answer is they can and, at some point, will be.
Completely wrapped around the sleeve? We can do that!
The glossy ad on the matte Dodgers batting helmet looks even more tacky, IMO
Yes the Padres Helmet Ad is for
Woori Financial Group
우리 or Woori basically means Our.
So translated it’s Our Financial Group.