Major League Baseball is dealing with an issue with its latest rollout of uniforms made by Nike that have baseball players up in arms. The athletes complain that the latest uniforms look like replicas and feel cheap compared to previous uniforms, and the pants are see-through.
The new uniforms, by Nike and manufactured by Fanatics, were described as “performance jerseys” when MLB Commissioner Rob
Manfred introduced them at last year’s All-Star Game. While many players said that the uniforms are lighter, they also said the “eggshell color” of the pants creates a see-through effect.“It’s disappointing that we’ve landed in a place where the uniforms are the topic of discussion,” MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark said last week. “Each conversation with the guys is yielding more information with what we’re seeing.”
MLB announced that the Nike Vapor Premier jersey will “improve mobility, moisture management and fit while keeping sustainability in mind — bringing inspiration and innovation to athletes.” The high-performance fabric (from at least 90% recycled polyester yarns) with moisture-wicking Dri-Fit ADV technology is supposed to keep players cooler during the games.
“A lot of the rhetoric is confirmation that the pants are see-through,” Clark said. “It’s been an ongoing conversation where each day has yielded something new that doesn’t seem to make as much sense as you would like it.”
Clark has stated that some teams will have to get their pants elsewhere until the issue is resolved. The players’ executive director even said that one of the players said he may have to purchase spare pants from Dick’s Sporting Goods.
“Universal concern is the pants,” Clark said.
Meanwhile, Nike has released a statement about the issue that players are having with the newly designed uniforms.
“The quality and the performance of our product is of the utmost importance to us. We will continue to work with MLB, the players and our manufacturing partner to address player uniforms.”