MLB news: In defense of new jerseys, Acuña ranked best player, Blake Snell chase

  • Yankees, Giants emerge on Blake Snell front
  • Ronald Acuña Jr. named MLB's best player
  • MLB executives defend much-maligned jersey change
Chicago White Sox v Atlanta Braves
Chicago White Sox v Atlanta Braves / Brandon Sloter/GettyImages
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MLB news: Executives defend new jerseys amid backlash

The new MLB jerseys from Nike (by way of Fanatics) are... really bad. There's no way around it. All the charm is lost. The names are smaller. The logos are no longer stitched on. The jerseys look cheap, artificially "sporty," and far less rugged than before.

Not to get all "old man yells at cloud" about sports uniforms, but sometimes we just need to appreciate the simple pleasures in life. MLB executives have mounted a defense of the uniforms, citing the "performance-driven" goals behind the changes. The jerseys are meant to be more comfortable in the game and more attuned to the athletic requirements of a professional sport.

Or something like that. But honestly, just stop. Baseball has been played at the professional level in America for well over a century at this point. Never were the previous jerseys maligned for their poor performance, their lack of moisture-wick technology or sleek faux-modern design. The MLB has turned their uniforms into those vanilla suburban neighborhoods you see where every house is made from the same white plastic wood. It sucks! It lacks character! What are we doing here?

The MLBPA has already lobbed complaints at Nike.

"I think that the performance wear might feel nice, but the look of it is like a knockoff jersey from T.J.Maxx," one veteran Baltimore Orioles player told The Baltimore Banner.

It looks like a cheap replica. It looks like the knockoff Bryce Harper jersey I definitely did not purchase from overseas. No, that's actually not true. The Phillies logo was still stitched on the knockoff.

It's not too late to reverse course (it probably is)! But, Nike and the MLB should be taking notes from players (who actually wear the jerseys) and fans (who actually purchase the jerseys). Hopefully these Vapor Premier thingamabobs don't last long.

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