Armed Forces Day — the “holiday” that MLB discovered in 2019, when it finally decided to start treating Memorial Day more respectfully but still wanted an excuse to do an annual camouflage merch dump — is coming up on May 18. The on-field caps for 12 of the 30 MLB teams leaked yesterday, and now MLB has gone ahead and released the caps for all of the remaining teams.
Here’s the full set, followed by a closer look at each design:
In addition, the socks have been released:
It’s not yet clear if teams will wear these designs only on May 18 or if, as in past years, Armed Forces “Day” will actually be celebrated on-field as a three-day weekend.
In case you haven’t read it (or just want to refresh your memory), here’s my 2019 interview with Nick Francona — a former U.S. Marine and former MLB front office employee — who did a great job of explaining why MLB’s camouflage program is bullshit.
(My thanks to Oliver Kodner for bringing the socks to my attention.)
The kids will love it, the super-patriots will love it, and military recruiters will love it. That being said, these are a piece of shit.
You gotta wonder what the fans in Toronto think about this obsession with the military that we Americans seem to have….
I’m a fan from Toronto and I think it’s absolutely ridiculous (and that’s me trying to be nice about it).
Honoring the US military for all the good they’ve done for the world is an honorable thing to do… although it does seem to be to boost sales for MLB not for a truly honorable tribute…
I would be fine with Toronto having a uniform that honors the Canadian military but overall I agree with Randy who stated that they should ditch the money grab and just do some cool ceremonies if they want to honor veterans
Looks like a military aircraft on the Winnipeg Jets logo.
Blue Jays fan here.
I detest this constant shoehorning of US jingoism. It is embarrassing and insulting and downright offensive. We are not the US, thank goodness. Stop forcing your BS down our throats with these contrived costumes.
It’s bad enough we have to share a border with that international laughingstock. And don’t try to pull that “the players are USians” claptrap.
So I take it you are not employed as a diplomat.
Unless I’m mistaken, I think they thing that always weirds me out about the use of camo is the fact that it’s not an actual camo in use by any branch of the US military. It just adds to the cosplay-ness of creating this products.
G.I. JOOOOOOOKE!
I’ll provide a counterpoint as a US Veteran.
I like it. And I like it highlighting the sacrifices of those in military who served many years in uniform.
Love where you’re coming from…
it does make me wonder, though, if MLB gives the profits of this merch to veterans in need…(cue Phil’s laughter)
Regarding that point, I suggest reading my interview with Nick Francona.
Here’s what MLB said in 2023 about the program. I assume it would be the same this year.
100% of the licensed royalties from the sale of Armed Forces Day On-Field Authentic Collection apparel is donated to MLB Charities to support military programs. League donations in 2023 will benefit Blue Star Families, Code of Support Foundation, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), The Mission Continues, USA Patriots Amputee Softball Team, and Wounded Warrior Project.
And yes I have a different opinion about this than Paul or Phil or Nick Francona. But that’s what’s great about this country and the armed forces. We can have differing opinions and still go to a bar and have a beer together.
I greatly respect your opinion on the matter, but as someone who is not a veteran and viewing this from the outside, it feels like military cosplay to me.
Is there a name for this design style? The logo cutout overlayed on top of a repeating or recognizable pattern? It’s one of my least favorite designs. It makes the logo difficult to see and feels too busy for me whether it’s camouflage, flags, or even paisley. I don’t know the name for it and it seems like there probably is one.
Toronto gets maple leafs instead of stars, which is kind of cool, but they get four instead of six. Why?
The 6 stars on the American hats are for the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force, and Space Force.
Canada has 3 branches. Army, Navy and Air Force. Maybe the fourth leaf is for the RCMP?