Current:Home > MarketsMLB's jersey controversy isn't the first uproar over new uniforms: Check out NBA, NFL gaffes -AssetVision
MLB's jersey controversy isn't the first uproar over new uniforms: Check out NBA, NFL gaffes
View
Date:2025-04-13 00:04:46
Hall of Fame football player Deion Sanders once said, "If you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you play good.”
MLB players, however, are not feeling too good at the start of spring training following the release of Nike's new Vapor Premier uniform, which has been slammed by many players and the MLBPA for its poor quality.
"They cheaped it, cheap, cheap, cheap all the way down," pitcher Rich Hill said on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast last week. “The quality has just gone out the window and I think that’s unfortunate.
The MLB is the latest professional sports league in the headlines over a jersey controversy, but it is not the first uproar over new uniforms and certainly won't be the last. Here's a look at some other uniform controversies:
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY:Here's a look at the worst (and best!) alternate jerseys in sports
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
MLB's jerseys, 'see-through' pants look 'cheap'
The MLB unveiled its new Nike uniforms last week and they received less than stellar reviews. The jerseys, manufactured by Fanatics, are "engineered to improve mobility, moisture management and fit," MLB said, but the threads have drawn criticism over the cheap look, small lettering and limited customization options.
"It’s something that players have earned the right to work their entire life to get to this point and now just to be kind of a jersey off of the rack," Hill added. "There’s no difference between the average consumer buying that uniform and the major league player wearing that uniform, especially when it comes to certain measurements that the player should have.”
Philadelphia Phillies veteran reliever Jeff Hoffman compared the new jerseys to “a T-shirt or a gym shirt.”
“It looks like a replica,” Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward added, per The Athletic. “It feels kind of like papery. It could be great when you’re out there sweating, it may be breathable. But I haven’t had that opportunity yet to try that out. But from the looks of it, it doesn’t look like a $450 jersey."
MLB JERSEY CONTROVERSY:MLBPA says players are 'frustrated' and want it fixed before season
MORE FRUSTRATION: MLBPA says players concerned with see-through pants
It's not just the top half of the uniform that is drawing controversy. Another layer — or lack thereof — was added when players began to sport the full uniform for photo days, where it was easy to see the tucked in part of the jersey through the pants.
"A lot of the rhetoric is confirmation that the pants are see-through," MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said Thursday. "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."
NBA's sleeved jerseys 'ugly,' 'awful,' 'not good'
The NBA rolled out sleeved jerseys in 2013, but the new uniforms didn't have the support of the league's biggest star. Lebron James said he's "not a big fan of the jerseys" because they limited his range of motion and restricted his shot.
"Every time I shoot it feels like it's just pulling right up underneath my arm. I already don't have much room for error on my jump shot. It's definitely not a good thing," James said in March 2014 following an off-night in the Heat's 111-87 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, where he shot 6-for-18 from the field and 0-for-three from three.
His displeasure for the sleeved jerseys carried into the next season after he returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers. This time, however, James didn't need words. After missing a three-point shot during the Cavaliers' home matchup against the New York Knicks in November 2015, James ripped the sleeves off his form-fitting jersey. Cleveland went on to win 96-86, but James shot 9-for-23 from the field and 1-for-5 from three.
LEBRON JAMES tears open sleeves on too-tight jersey
James isn't the only one who took issue with the sleeved jerseys.
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry said they were "ugly jerseys" in 2013. Dirk Nowitzki didn't hold back on social media, writing on Christmas Day 2013, "Call me old school but these jerseys with sleeves are awful." Later that night, Robin Lopez said there "needs to be a mass burning of these sleeved nba jerseys."
The sleeved jerseys, which were created to boost merchandise sales by appealing to fans who opted for a comfortable, T-shirt feel versus a sleeveless jersey, were phased out in 2017 after the NBA's partnership with Adidas expired and the league signed with Nike.
NFL's contoured jerseys give lineman 'big ole love handles'
The NFL signed a partnership with Nike in 2012 to supply jerseys and apparel for the league following the league's deal with Reebok. Nike created a "body-contoured fit" jersey, which featured fabric with "four-way stretch capability providing players with a shrink-wrap type fit," a Buffalo Bills press release said.
Although the new jerseys were designed to increase speed, they didn't go over well with NFL lineman.
"There's not too much you can do with a tight jersey and tight pants," Green Bay Packers' DT B.J. Raji said at the time.
San Francisco 49ers guard Alex Boone added, "I hate them. They are built for thin guys. It makes me look like I have big old love handles. It makes me look fat, and I'm not fat."
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Officer shoots suspect who stabbed 2 with knife outside Atlanta train station, authorities say
- Tanzania’s main opposition party holds first major protest in several years, after ban was lifted
- 'Barbie' receives 8 Oscar nominations, but was that Kenough?
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- The Smiths guitarist calls for Donald Trump to 'shut down' using band's music at rallies
- Biden sending senior West Wing aides Mike Donilon, Jennifer O'Malley Dillon to oversee 2024 reelection campaign
- Alabama inmate waiting to hear court ruling on scheduled nitrogen gas execution
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Kentucky lawmakers resume debate over reopening road in the heart of the state Capitol complex
Ranking
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Score This $628 Michael Kors Crossbody for Just $99 and More Jaw-Dropping Finds Up to 84% Off
- Biden to speak at United Auto Workers conference as he woos blue-collar vote in battleground states
- A Historic and Devastating Drought in the Amazon Was Caused by Climate Change, Researchers Say
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- Ryan Gosling criticizes Oscars for Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig snub: 'I'm disappointed'
- Online retailer eBay is cutting 1,000 jobs. It’s the latest tech company to reduce its workforce
- Latest federal court order favors right to carry guns in some New Mexico public parks
Recommendation
$73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
More than 70 are dead after an unregulated gold mine collapsed in Mali, an official says
North Carolina technology company Bandwidth leaves incentive agreement with the state
Watch the 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' official trailer including Aang in action
Intellectuals vs. The Internet
A fire in China’s Jiangxi province kills at least 25 people, local officials say
Japan’s exports surge 10% in December on strong demand for autos, revived trade with China
Bills fans donate to charity benefitting stray cats after Bass misses field goal in playoff loss