Every MLB team will have a noticeable uniform change this coming season, and it won’t be too difficult to miss.
Nike will be the official on-field uniform supplier for Major League Baseball, taking over a role that Majestic Athletic had held since 2004. And while Majestic was evidently content with a discreet company logo on the sleeve, Nike — as you should expect — is going a different direction.
GET READY FOR THE SWOOSH.
That’s right. Every MLB jersey will have the Nike logo on the front of the jersey. From the Miami Marlins to the New York Yankees, no team was able to avoid supplying Nike with premium real estate on the jersey.
There's the official image of the white jerseys for MLB this upcoming season. Full story here: https://t.co/qwIsxeC4DO pic.twitter.com/Z6NibdHB1u
— Conrad Burry đ´đđ¨ (@conradburry) December 9, 2019
And sure, it’s just a logo, and manufacturer logos get similar placement in the NBA, college sports and, oh, every major soccer league. Only the NFL relegated the swoosh to the sleeves.
But baseball is a game that clings irrationally to tradition. It managed to avoid a major corporate presence on uniforms for a century until the New Era logo’s addition to the caps sparked a mini-meltdown a couple years ago. So, it came as no surprise that MLB fans weren’t particularly pleased with the swoosh’s place on the front of the jersey.
Put the swoosh on the sleeve…doesnât look professional enough for the New York Yankees organization. Steinbrenner would say the same thing.
— Mike Gross (@23mikeg) December 9, 2019
Nike logo on front of #MLB jerseys will allow fans to blame that than their teams bad coaching or playing. pic.twitter.com/9ANYXc3ABk
— DNASportsTalk (@DNASportsTalk) December 9, 2019
The swoosh on the chest looks terrible. They couldn't put in on a sleeve?
— Adam (@acs614) December 9, 2019
New MLB jerseys with nike logo on the chest look tacky, like something you would get at a discount store, not an authentic jersey to be worn on the field by the players. https://t.co/UhqdBGw5x4
— Billy Ballas (@wballas) December 9, 2019
Yuck. Why not have the @Nike logo on the sleeve? Looks really bad on uniâs like #STLCards. Looks like swoosh is beating the bird over the head. pic.twitter.com/tRIgxqced3
— Dan (@SpencerDan) December 9, 2019
Put the Damn Nike Logo on the Sleeve @MLB looks just damn terrible having it on the front! pic.twitter.com/xV6xaHmygZ
— Will MacNeil (@RFWill149) December 9, 2019
The Nike logo would be fine on the sleeve. This isn't clean at all. https://t.co/e5y1t0HKNT
— Dr. #NoHubris (@tokarzontigers) December 9, 2019
Something as dumb as a Nike swish has just now threatened to ruin my day. https://t.co/8Aek5ayCRP
— crystal pepsi revival (@crushsong) December 9, 2019
Yeah, wonât be buying this. Pretty lame @Nike. #STLCards @Cardinals pic.twitter.com/xIuhyZmXEE
— Yadi Bobblehead (@Yadi_Bobblehead) December 9, 2019
That swoosh placement is awful. Nike's ruining another league, huh https://t.co/Can0LpaUkr
— Mr. Boourns (@SomeBadADR) December 9, 2019
The Nike logo on the front of all MLB uniforms is UGLY. Maybe put it on the sleeve. #mlb #nike #giants pic.twitter.com/zDU203Ek4s
— KMF003 (@TheRealKevinMF) December 9, 2019
Nike has ruined the Yankees jersey with the swoosh on the right chest đ¤Śââď¸
— Michael Deceglie (@Ayyomikey28) December 9, 2019
Would the Nike logo look better on the sleeves? Yes. Will fans eventually get used to it? Also, yes.
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