November 23, 2024

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MLB changes uniforms after months of complaints, union memo says: 'This has been entirely Nike's problem'

MLB changes uniforms after months of complaints, union memo says: 'This has been entirely Nike's problem'

MLB will make corrections to its uniforms after months of complaints, according to a memo distributed to players from the MLB Players Association.

Among the many changes, patches will address players' pants – which appeared to be see-through – as well as the size of the lettering on jerseys, jerseys and mismatched shirts.

“We recognize that this has been a time-consuming process for the players and could have been completely avoided,” the union’s memo said.

The changes will be made by the start of the 2025 season at the latest. News of the memo was first reported by ESPN.

The issues with the uniforms were first noticed and talked about at spring training, where Nike's new Vapor Premier uniforms were widely criticized for their design and feel. MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark said in February that the pants were a “global concern” for the league.

“This was a Nike-wide issue,” Sunday's memo said. “In essence, what happened here is that Nike was inventing something that didn't need to be invented.”

The union's memo also credited Fanatics, the company responsible for manufacturing the uniforms, for listening to players' comments.

“Our hope is that Nike will, in the future, adopt a similar approach,” the memo said.

“As many of you know, concern about Nike's changes is nothing new. We warned Nike of various changes when previewing them in 2022, especially regarding pants. MLB has been, and continues to be, aware of our concerns as well. Unfortunately, until recently Nike's stance has basically been that there's nothing to see here, players will need to adapt.

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Nike, Fanatics and MLB declined to comment.

This story will be updated.

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(Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)