MLB to update uniforms after Nike controversy

Mighty Nike has struck out.

A memo from the MLB Players Association obtained by ESPN on Sunday said the company will bend to demands from players for changes in their uniforms.

But fans and players who have been grossed out by the islands of sweat on player uniforms, pants that offer a see-through experience and mismatched grays should not expect changes any time soon.

pic.twitter.com/9YBzgXpdm0

— Liam Fennessy (@LiamFennessy_) March 28, 2024

i don’t think i should be allowed to see through pants from section 210 pic.twitter.com/IrFXGH7izm

— greta (no longer suffering) (@2007warpedtour) April 4, 2024

Derek Law looks like he went shopping at the Uniform Depot before the #Nats game hoping to find anything that works.

How is this the big leagues? pic.twitter.com/iyzZQ9STUu

— Ryan Eades (@ryan2499) March 30, 2024

The revamped uniforms will be ready by the start of the 2025 season, the memo to the players said.

The MLBPA pinned the blame on Nike, which sold its Vapor Premier uniform as a great leap forward.

“This has been entirely a Nike issue,” it said. “At its core, what has happened here is that Nike was innovating something that didn’t need to be innovated.”

Fanatics, which makes the uniform, was treated more favorably than Nike.

The memo said the company “recognizes the vital importance of soliciting Player feedback, obtaining Player buy-in and not being afraid to have difficult conversations about jerseys or trading cards. Our hope is that, moving forward, Nike will take a similar approach.”

“We cautioned Nike against various changes when they previewed them in 2022, particularly regarding pants,” it said.

“MLB had been, and has been, aware of our concerns as well. Unfortunately, until recently Nike’s position has essentially boiled down to — ‘nothing to see here, Players will need to adjust,’” the memo said

ESPN reported that the companies, union and MLB declined to respond to requests for comment on its report.

“It’s worth pointing out what the memo is and isn’t,” Stephen J. Nesbitt and Mark Puleo of The Athletic wrote Sunday.

“It is, first and foremost, not a commitment directly from Nike,” they wrote. “(Nike did not respond to a request for comment.) It is the union updating players on perceived progress to that end.

“It also is not a promise to return to the uniforms from previous seasons. The Nike Vapor Premier is here to stay, as far as fabric and general jersey design are concerned.”

Earlier, as complaints were piling up, The Athletic said neither the league nor Nike wanted to rock the boat, hoping as the season began the issue would go away.

It would seem easy enough for MLB to declare the situation unacceptable and mandate changes. But this is a delicate dance of corporations with a partnership worth more than $1 billion. The offspring of the relationship is a problem child. But the league and its official uniform supplier, Nike, have been reluctant to take responsibility,” Nesbitt and Tyler Kepner wrote in an April 4 report.

A  February statement from the league suggested there were only “adjustments” to be made.

“Nike chose the letter sizing and picked the fabric that was used in these jerseys,” MLB said. “Fanatics has done a great job manufacturing everything to the exact specifications provided by Nike. As part of this significant transition, Nike will continue to explore necessary adjustments to certain elements of the new uniforms to meet the needs of MLB Clubs and players.”

The company said earlier this spring it was “testing different options to lessen the moisture-related aesthetic color differences.”

“We have isolated the issue,” Nike said concerning the mismatched grays, “and are exploring a solution to minimize it.”