MLBPA targets Nike in memo released to players regarding 2024 MLB uniform fiasco, says changes will be made ‘no later than the start of 2025 season’

Major League Baseball plans on fixing their uniform mess with Nike after changes to the jerseys and pants were made at the beginning of the 2024 season – sparking widespread criticism from players and fans.

According to an ESPN report by Jeff Passan, the MLBPA distributed a memo to its players revealing that Major League Baseball will make a number of changes to the “Nike Vapor Premiere” uniforms that made their debut at the start of the 2024 season.

In a memo released to players, the MLBPA placed full-blame on Nike – the company responsible for the new uniforms after agreeing to a 10-year, $1 billion deal with MLB to become the league’s official uniform supplier in 2019.

MLBPA memo to players regarding Nike uniforms

“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.'”

“This has been entirely a Nike issue,” the memo to players read. “At its core, what has happened here is that Nike was innovating something that didn’t need to be innovated.” [ESPN]

Note: Fanatics, the company that manufactured the uniforms for Nike – has incorrectly received almost all of the public and player scrutiny over the first few months of the 2024 MLB regular season.

Michael Rubin on MLB uniform criticism: ‘[Fanatics] is getting the sh-t kicked out of us’ >>

The new uniforms, designed by Nike and manufactured by Fanatics have been heavily criticized over the first few months of the 2024 season by fans and players alike.

According to the report, Nike will begin to make necessary updates “no later than the start of the 2025 season”.

The new MLB uniforms, brought to you by Nike and Fanatics, were a horrible sight during Opening Weekend >>

The changes will include larger lettering on the back of jerseys, correcting the color mismatches between tops and bottoms, and addressing the actual material, which we have all witnessed to be inefficient when dealing with sweat and tears. 

The shrinking of the letter size on players’ name plates gave jerseys a “cheap look”.

Nike also changed a bunch of “high-quality” features including how team’s logos were applied onto the jerseys. Most notably here in Philadelphia, the “Phillies” logo across the front of the jersey lost the iconic chain-linked embroidery.

MLB Uniform Uprising: Bryce Harper wears pre-2024 Phillies cream jersey during Saturday’s game against the Pirates >>

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