Nike will be making changes to this year’s maligned uniforms for Major League Baseball (MLB) by the start of next season. The MLB Players Association has stated in a memo, seen by The Athletic, NBC News and ESPN, that designer Nike and manufacturer Fanatics will be restoring the large lettering on jersey tops and the tailoring options, seam stitch count and better zipper on the pants. Nike, as it had already told The Athletic, is, in addition, working to match the greys of the jerseys and pants and to keep sweat from showing.
The memo also absolves Fanatics. “This has been entirely a Nike issue,” it apparently reads, and: “At its core, what has happened here is that Nike was innovating something that didn’t need to be innovated.”
“Fanatics has been, and continues to be, a great partner with the Players and has been making the uniforms for the last eight years without issue,” the memo also reads.
Elsewhere, it says: “We cautioned Nike against various changes when they previewed them in 2022, particularly regarding pants […]. 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.’”
As The Athletic cautions, however, a memo from the players union does not amount to a statement, let alone a commitment, from Nike, which has declined to comment.
