MLB Admits Disastrous Rollout of New Nike Uniforms Amid Quality Concerns and Player Complaints

MLB’s bold move with new uniforms this season has backfired significantly, as the league now acknowledges in a memo obtained by ESPN. The issues with Nike-Fanatics uniforms have been apparent since their debut, including small lettering on players’ backs, see-through pants prone to embarrassingly ripping at unfortunate locations and an unpleasant “sweating” effect that gives them the appearance of discount apparel purchased from ecommerce retailers like Temu. The league has promised changes by 2025 at the latest due to concerns raised by players who have been complaining about the poor quality for months, while Nike’s experimental Viper Premier textiles received more criticism than Fanatics uniforms due to their lower level of functionality in comparison to MLB’s previous supplier. The memo also revealed that league officials had warned Nike against making specific modifications as far back as 2019, which drew particular objections from the company regarding new pants designs presented during a preview event last year. “We cautioned Nike against various changes when they previewed them in [20]22,” said the memo obtained by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The league acknowledged that Fanatics has been an excellent partner with players, consistently seeking feedback and avoiding confrontational discussions about uniforms or trading cards unlike Nike who adopted a dismissive attitude towards complaints regarding new products (“Players will need to adjust”). New York Mets player Brandon Nimmo also criticized the company’s inability to get colors right on black-and-blue uniform designs, highlighting how the billion dollar industry failed at sourcing basic pants from an international apparel supplier that is supposedly a leader in its field.