Creating Baseball Uniforms with “Super Mega Baseball” Video Platform

I haven’t played video games since Donkey Kong was released, so what you’re about to read may not be super ground-breaking, but it sure looks like fun. Allow me to elaborate.

A short time ago, reader Wes Pepitone reached out to me with the following pitch:

It’s about a video game called Super Mega Baseball. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a video game across all major platforms (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, etc.) Many sports games of today will allow you to select different combinations of uniforms, a nice feature that allows you to mix and match home, away, and alternate uniforms. But the draw Super Mega Baseball has for a uniform enthusiast is a section entirely dedicated to custom uniform creation. That’s right, you can build and design your own uniforms!

Every element from the hat to the cleats can be personalized. Not only can the uniforms be created, but the game allows for custom teams as well so you can make your own player names and assign them any specific attributes you want. Honestly, I have spent more time designing uniforms and creating teams than the actual baseball gameplay it was intended for but hey, whatever makes a game fun!

I would show screenshots of several teams I’ve created such as a New Orleans Saints crossover baseball team featuring Drew Brees as the starting pitcher. Also, the uniforms of a team I think we can all agree are the only ones who should be allowed to wear an advertising sponsor on their jerseys: The Bad News Bears sponsored by Chico’s Bail Bonds.

Intrigued, I asked Wes if he’d like to create an article explaining the “how-to” a bit more, and to share some of the designs he’s already created for the game.

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Creating Baseball Uniforms with “Super Mega Baseball”
by Wes Pepitone

With Opening Day of baseball season on the horizon, this time of year I always play an old baseball video game to get me into the spirit. Most of the time I go to my favorite baseball game of all time, 1994’s Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball on the SNES. However, I’ve discovered a newer game that has brought a retro gamer like me into the current decade: Super Mega Baseball.

It’s a video game across all major platforms (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, etc.) Many sports games of today will allow you to select different combinations of uniforms, a nice feature that allows you to mix and match home, away, and alternate uniforms. But the draw Super Mega Baseball has for a uniform enthusiast is a section entirely dedicated to custom uniform creation. That’s right, you can build and design your own uniforms!

Every element from the hat to the cleats can be personalized. Do you prefer high socks with stirrups? Does it drive you crazy that there is too much BFBS? You can take care of all of that here. Not only can the uniforms be created, but the game allows for custom teams as well. Similar to Griffey’s old game, Super Mega Baseball is not licensed by the MLB. It uses fictional names and teams which encourages you to create your own. What’s great is that you can make your own player names and assign them any specific attributes you want.

I love it when Uni Watch posts crossover uniform ideas – here is an example of a good one.

Think you can do better? Design it in the game and see how it looks! Here is an example of my New Orleans Saints. You won’t find any black jerseys with black pants with black leggings on this Saints team. Not if I can help it!

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I created a list of the best/my favorite Saints players and assigned baseball attributes that match their football abilities. Of course, Drew Brees is going to be the starting pitcher and while his throwing speed may not be the best, his accuracy and control is outstanding. Hall of Famer Offensive Lineman Willie Roaf is assigned a beefy frame, a power hitter but slow running speed around the bases.

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Let’s look at another team. I’m pretty sure I knocked it out of the park with the Rockford Peaches from A League of Their Own. Part of the fun I had was re-watching the movie to get not only the uniforms right, but also the team’s batting order, left/right handedness, player number, and likeness accurate.

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There are lots of timeless fictional teams from great sports movies. I think we can all agree there is only team that should be allowed to wear an advertising sponsor on their jerseys…The Bad News Bears sponsored by Chico’s Bail Bonds.

While their uniforms are pretty simple, the Bad News Bears wore some pretty intricate 3-color ball caps. There are some limitations to the shapes and fonts that can be used in the game and the creation interface can be a bit cumbersome until you get used to it. But for the most part, if you can dream it, it can happen.

This would make for a showdown of the generational underdogs between them and the team from The Sandlot. Since they didn’t have proper uniforms in the movie, I kept them simple for the game. You’re killin’ me Smalls!

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There are so many details that can be customized on each player: Physique, head shape, hair, facial hair, eyewear, types of eye black, pants length, undershirt length, custom arm sleeve designs, wrist bands, wrist tapes, custom cleats, tattoos, custom fielding glove colors, elbow guards, custom batting gloves, ankle guards, helmet tar, bat colors, etc. etc. etc. Here is the customization window as shown by Bobby Boucher from The Waterboy. (You better believe I made an SCLSU Mud Dogs team.)

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I wonder how Bobby Boucher’s defense would fare against Steamin’ Willie Beamen’s Miami Sharks from Any Given Sunday?

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I could go on with all the teams I’ve created: West Canaan High Coyotes from Varsity Blues, Texas State University Armadillos from Necessary Roughness, Major League, even a crossover team from Emilio Esteves’ The Mighty Ducks. Not to mention local sports teams who would otherwise not have a chance of making it into a video game. It was also fun to dig through my yearbooks and design uniforms that match the baseball teams from the year I graduated high school, college, and even elementary school and assigning old friends as the players. All these imaginary yet familiar teams make for an awesome tournament to the championship.

The gameplay portion is fun and simple enough for the casual gamer to pick up and play but complex enough for experienced gamers to enjoy. Yeah, the graphics are cartoonish & almost caricatured and some of the design elements can look a bit like Microsoft Paint but hey, you can make some great designs if you know how to work with it, plus that’s part of the charm. The screenshots shown in this article are from Super Mega Baseball 3. The 4th version has since been released which I hear has even more customization options available. Honestly, I have spent more time designing uniforms and creating teams than the actual baseball gameplay it was intended for but hey, whatever makes a game fun!

Additional graphics here:

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Thanks, Wes! Again, apologies if this sort of thing is well known (I know there are several different games out there where uniform creation is possible), but it’s new(s) to me. Seems like it could be more fun to create uniforms than to actually play the game. So if you’re into it but weren’t aware of Super Mega Baseball…now you are.

Do any of you readers use games to create uniforms (in any sport)? How “intricate” do they allow one to be? Do any of you simply use these games solely to create uniforms?

I realize video gaming — even if it involves uniform creation — isn’t really something we cover on UW, but I thought this might be a fun one to run. If you haven’t heard of this game, will you be downloading it? Any suggestions out there for someone who might want to buy a game with uni-creation software?

And finally, what are your thoughts on video gaming (especially those which will let you completely customize uniforms)?