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As Expected, The New MLB Uniforms, Brought To You By Nike And Fanatics, Were A Horrible Sight During Opening Weekend

The baseball world got a first hand look at the new MLB uniforms, brought to us by Nike and manufactured by Fanatics over the weekend as the 2024 season officially started. The results were as just as horrible as everyone already expected.

Throughout Spring Training, players and MLB fans alike expressed how awful the new uniforms were, citing they were cheap, the name plates were extra small, and the pants in some cases, were completely see through – all of which turned out to be true. 

Here in Philadelphia, we saw first hand how bad the name plates are this season compared to year's past. You can see that comparison in the featured image above. We also witnessed how Nike and Fanatics botched the "parchment" or "cream" Sunday alternate jerseys for the Phillies, which now appear to be see through and more of a piss yellow than what we had before. 

MLB Uniforms: Phillies Cream Has Been Butchered.

Reviews are in on new Nike and Fanatics jerseys for Major League Baseball and they aren't good, so who's to blame?

The Massacre Continues: Phillies lose chain-linked embroidered patches on front of uniforms in 2024 as Nike continues to butcher MLB jerseys

Trea Turner says 'everyone hates' new Nike Vapor Premier jerseys, Matt Strahm doesn't understand why MLB would approve such drastic changes

The Phillies aren't the only team suffering from the jersey updates.

Yankees players are literally sweating through the new uniforms, providing a horrible visual for the players and anyone actually watching the games. Check these photos out, it's literally disgusting. I honestly thought someone dumped buckets of water on these guys but apparently, that's just the threads looking cheaper than ever.

Also worth noting, this was a March game in Houston! Just wait until the Yankees are playing in the Bronx on a 90+ degree afternoon. It's going to be a complete disaster.

Yankees sweat right through new jerseys..In March Small Lettering Continues to be the WORST 2023 Uniforms vs 2024 Uniforms

Well, at least Michael Rubin took this one on the chin and accepted accountability for the poor MLB jerseys that his very own Fanatics company was in charge of manufacturing. 

Sike. Rubin literally said that he was doing exactly what he was told by Nike and Major League Baseball and pushed all blame to them, rather than Fanatics, who was in charge of manufacturing the jerseys. 

(The Athletic) "We've purely been doing exactly as we're told — we've been told we've done everything exactly right — and we're getting the s— kicked out of ourselves every day right now,"

"That's not fun. Normally when I get beat up it's because I actually did something wrong."

"In this particular case, Nike designs everything, hands us a spec and says, 'Make this,'" Rubin said. "We have made everything exactly to the spec. Nike and baseball would say, yes, you've done everything we've asked you to do. Part of changing a uniform is people get uncomfortable, and it takes time (to adjust)."

Rubin said he thinks Nike's uniforms will be regarded as an improvement over time.

While I understand his point, I'm fairly confident that Rubin himself would have been posting all over social media about how Fanatics crushed the jerseys if they turned out differently. 

Speaking of Major League Baseball and Nike, here's what Commissioner Rob Manfred had to say about the new uniforms, saying that they are eventually going to be very popular among players and fans. 

"I think after people wear them a little bit, they are going to be very popular" 

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred

Okay yeah, sorry baseball fans – it appears that we are completely screwed. The fact that Rubin and Manfred are both running with the narrative that fans and players "will like them overtime" is ridiculous.

Think About It: Why roll out jerseys that you know were absolute shit, market and sell them at ballparks across America, and then say "well, you know what, they aren't great yet but you'll grow to like them…" when the evidence that they are in fact, dog shit, is clear as day? 

And that's assuming that MLB teams received their jerseys in time for the start of the 2024 season. The Seattle Mariners don't even have one of their uniforms yet and played Sunday without their signature cream jerseys. 

Maybe Nike, Major League Baseball, and Fanatics realized how badly they butchered the color for the Phillies and delayed the Mariners? Honestly that would be the only good reason for not having them ready for the start of the regular season. 

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Phillies Unveil City Connect Jerseys: 'It's Sick. It Screams Philly'

After dropping off their 9-year-old son, Angel Figueroa Jr., at school Friday morning, Angel Sr. And Cynthia excitedly rushed to Citizens Bank Park. The married couple from Port Richmond was first in line to purchase merchandise from the Phillies' new Nike City Connect jersey collection.

They arrived more than two hours before the doors at the team store opened to the public at 10 a.M., signaling a new chapter for the franchise.

"I've been a Phillies fan my whole life, so this is something new. I'm excited," said Angel Figueroa, who works for the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office. "I think it's sick. It screams Philly. That's the best thing about it."

» READ MORE: Phillies say more ads at Citizens Bank Park are linked to 'giant payroll;' uniform sponsor is coming

The City Connect jersey features a color combination consisting of light blue, midnight blue, and yellow, with "PHILLY" inscribed across the front. The Liberty Bell and the city's skyline with yellow stars are affixed on the cap.

The Phillies will wear the City Connect jerseys for every Friday home game throughout the season, beginning April 12 against the Pirates.

A sign detailing the new jersey inside the store read: "Bang The Drum with the Phillies 2024 MLB x City Connect Jerseys. Featuring a logo with a rebellious attitude, streaks of gold like the cracks of the Liberty Bell that light the pathway toward greatness, and a colorway that harnesses the fight and pride of the city's iconic flag that lets you say it with your chest."

Upon launch, the team store had City Connect jerseys for 10 players available for purchase: Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, Alec Bohm, Aaron Nola, and Zack Wheeler.

"It's been three years in the making," said Howard Smith, the Phillies' vice president of business affairs. "When our owner, John Middleton, came back and told us it was approved, it was about tapping into a new audience, primarily younger.

» READ MORE: Murphy: Please, MLB, no more April baseball. Start the season in May.

"Ultimately, the colors that you see are about connecting to the city through the lens of our flag. We have the oldest flag in the United States. The City of Brotherly Love memento is on the crest of the flag. … It's been a great project. This place is going to feel special as fans continue to buy into the project."

While more than a hundred fans lined up for the City Connect unveiling, a majority of them already were aware of what the jersey looked like because of a leak that first circulated in January. The jersey received mixed reviews across social media. But that didn't stop the diehards from bracing 40-degree temperatures and a surprise earthquake that shook the region moments after the unveiling.

Jason Hickey, a Norristown native and poker dealer at Live! Casino, made sure to stop by the team store to buy a Harper City Connect jersey ahead of his Friday afternoon shift across the street.

"It's something new to reinvigorate the fandom," Hickey said. "I saw the leak and some people were [ticked] off, but I thought they were pretty cool, so I had to get here. Every home game, [Live! Casino workers] get to wear a Phillies jersey during our shifts. It's a little bit of an investment, but I guarantee none of my coworkers will have these today."

Adam Schemmer was third in line behind the Figueroas after he made the one-hour drive from his home in Trenton. Schemmer's fandom was sparked as a youth thanks to his late grandfather, Ray Robbins, who admired Phillies Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.

"This is a special moment," Schemmer said. "The past couple of years, there's been a lot of hype around the team. I feel like the success is going to continue. As long as we have Bryce Harper and [manager] Rob Thomson, the boys will be OK. Hopefully there's plenty to cheer about with these City Connects."

Why New MLB Jerseys Are Already Drawing Scrutiny

(AP) — What players are wearing has garnered as much attention as what they're doing at spring training.

Major League Baseball teams are wearing newly designed uniforms this year aimed at improving performance and helping players stay cool throughout games in the summer months. The new gear, designed by Nike and manufactured by Fanatics, has drawn mixed reviews from players.

"I know everyone hates them," Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said Friday. "We all liked what we had. We understand business, but I think everyone wanted to keep it the same way, for the most part, with some tweaks here or there."

Nike has been designing MLB uniforms since 2020 and Fanatics has been manufacturing them since 2017, but this is the first year for the Nike Vapor Premier jerseys

MLB officials say these uniforms improve mobility by providing 25% more stretch and also will dry 28% faster. The lettering, sleeve emblems and numbering are less bulky in an attempt to make uniforms more breathable and comfortable.

Goodyear, Arizona, Wednesday, February 14, 2024 – Shohei Ohtani, wearing the new MLB jersey, warms up near the batting cage before taking some swings during Dodgers spring training. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Commissioner Rob Manfred says he expects criticism to fade.

"In baseball, any new initiative, there's going to be some negative feedback," Manfred said Thursday. "First and most important, these are Nike jerseys. So we entered this partnership with Nike because of who they are and the kinds of products that they use. Everything they've done for us so far has been absolutely, 100% successful across the board.

"The jerseys are different. They're designed to be performance wear as opposed to what has traditionally been worn. So they are going to be different, but they have been tested more extensively than any jersey in any sport."

Fanatics representatives declined comment. Nike didn't respond to an email sent to its media relations office.

Manfred noted feedback was positive when these uniforms were introduced at last year's All-Star Game.

MLB released a video Tuesday showing players raving about the new uniforms during the All-Star Game. MLB also issued a news release about the new gear this week that included testimonials from St. Louis third baseman Nolan Arenado, Baltimore catcher Adley Rutschman and Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., the reigning NL MVP.

"It's almost like wearing my favorite fitted T-shirt out on the field – and so easy to move around in," Arenado said in a statement released by MLB.

But when players started wearing them this week, many complained.

"Don't fix what's not broken," Phillies pitcher Matt Strahm said. "The looks of it, it just looks different. The names are smaller on the back."

Dave Meluni, an associate teaching professor for Syracuse's department of sports management, mentioned issues that could keep fans from buying the jerseys. Meluni said qualities that might help the jerseys improve performance by being more breathable and lightweight could make them less appealing to consumers.

"There's a look that they're cheaper," Meluni said. "And then you go to buy them and they're not."

Meluni said colors appear faded on jerseys for some teams, such as the Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners.

While complaints about the uniforms have received plenty of attention this week, some players have offered praise.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder and three-time AL MVP Mike Trout said in an X post that "Change can be good and I'm a big fan of these!!!"

"Somehow this feels even more authentic than the ones that we've been wearing, to be honest," Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward said in a video on the team's X account as he wore his new jersey. "The material feels that much nicer. It feels like it's going to breathe better, and I think the really cool part for the fans – the numbers on the back having that different texture."

Manfred's confident more players will come around.

"So I think after people wear them a little bit, they're going to be really popular," Manfred said.

And the players who would prefer the previous uniform designs realize they don't have much choice in the matter.

"It is what it is," Strahm said. "Deal with what we've got. Anytime you change something, there's a learning curve and adjustment period. How many people in America get to choose their work uniforms?"

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