There is a lot of excitement around the Boston Red Sox this season. It hasn't been the smoothest spring training, but with Rafael Devers' trade threat in the rearview mirror and Garrett Crochet set to take the mound on Opening Day, the vibes are high. Craig Breslow actually did stuff this winter, which puts Boston squarely on a level with a weakened New York Yankees team in the AL East.
It shouldn't to too difficult to find points of celebration with the on-field product, but the larger brand initiatives in Boston threaten to undermine the high spirits in Beantown. Few fandoms are more steeped in tradition than Bostonians. The Red Sox are a historic club with a long track record of doing things a certain way. The harsh newness of an unknowable future comes for us all, however, whether we like it or not.
Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy recently made comments about Boston's upcoming City Connect uniform reveal. After generating plenty of backlash with those ugly yellow-blue jerseys last season, it would appear the Red Sox have not learned their lesson. Boston isn't playing it safe, and it sounds like there will be a very clear source of inspiration for the new threads.
"There might be a theme with a certain wall in left field," Kennedy said.
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Red Sox expected to unveil City Connect uniforms inspired by the Green Monster, much to fans' chagrin
Okay, so... this isn't going to make folks happy. The fans are already letting off steam on social media. Some organizations can get away with reinventing the wheel, so to speak. Take the 'Miami Vice' uniforms the Heat keep cashing in on. But, when you're the Boston Red Sox of Fenway Park, it's probably best to stick to the same general color scheme and calligraphic style.
Kennedy, in a classically naive and ill-conceived bit of CEO PR speak, was quick to remind older, traditional fans that this isn't actually for them.
"I can tell you that they will be controversial," he said.
He then went on to drop the hammer.
"I always have to remind people like my dad and others, these uniforms are not for you. They are for the players and for the next generation of fans."
Look, no professional sports league needs to reach out to younger fans more than MLB. It's an epidemic. I grew up on baseball. It is America's pastime for a reason, so finding ways to include and intrigue the next generation is an admirable goal. But, that doesn't mean we need to see nine green humanoids peppering the baseball diamond at Fenway every other Friday. There's a difference between embracing the future and disrespecting the past. There is also a difference between beauty and ugliness, and I'm going to get ahead of the curve here and assume that Boston's City Connect uniforms will fall in the latter category. Just a hunch.
Honestly, sometimes it feels like these team CEOs just shouldn't talk to the media. Or at least, they shouldn't talk about what fans do and don't need. That almost never ends well.