The baseball season has yet to see its first pitch hurled, but MLB has already committed an error.
MLB has a uniform problem on its hands, as the new threads, designed by Nike and manufactured by Fanatics, have led to complaints from players, ridicule from fans and have become the butt of jokes from apparel competitors, such as Under Armour.
Arguably the most glaring issue with the new uniforms is the fact that the pants are somewhat see-through. Needless to say, it’s been a rough start to the spring for MLB. The league publicly addressed the uniform issues in a statement through the Wall Street Journal, denying a substantive change to the pants.
“The uniform pants have the same material and thickness as the uniform pants used last season. There were changes to the fabric of the jersey, not the pants,” MLB said in the statement.
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Players have voiced various complaints, from the see-through nature of the pants to the look of the numbering and lettering on the jerseys, through Tony Clark, the executive director of the MLB Players Association.
An MLB spokesperson told ESPN that Nike, Fanatics and MLB representatives have been making adjustments to the jerseys based on player requests made during spring training.
Nike inked a 10-year contract to become MLB’s official uniform supplier prior to the 2020 season.
