Current:Home > StocksMLB's jersey controversy isn't the first uproar over new uniforms: Check out NBA, NFL gaffes -Infinite Edge Learning
MLB's jersey controversy isn't the first uproar over new uniforms: Check out NBA, NFL gaffes
View
Date:2025-04-15 18:07:02
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! (4193)
Related
- Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
- Storied football rivalry in Maine takes on extra significance in wake of shooting
- Man charged with killing Tupac Shakur in Vegas faces murder arraignment without hiring an attorney
- Bankrupt and loving it: Welcome to the lucrative world of undead brands
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Miami-Dade police officer charged in sexual abuse involving 3 children; attorney says he's innocent
- The US has strongly backed Israel’s war against Hamas. The allies don’t seem to know what comes next
- Montana’s psychiatric hospital is poorly run and neglect has hastened patient deaths, lawsuit says
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- I Bond interest rate hits 5.27% with fixed rate boost: What investors should know
Ranking
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Newspaper publisher and reporter arrested and accused of revealing grand jury information
- Defamation lawsuit vs. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones dismissed
- Céline Dion Enjoys Rare Public Outing With Her Sons Amid Health Battle
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Yes, they've already picked the Rockefeller Center's giant Christmas tree for 2023
- House weighs censure efforts against Rashida Tlaib and Marjorie Taylor Greene over their rhetoric
- Live updates | Israel’s troops advance as diplomatic efforts aim to at least pause Gaza fighting
Recommendation
Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
King Charles III acknowledges 'unjustifiable acts of violence' against Kenyans during Commonwealth visit
Proof a Larsa Pippen, Marcus Jordan Engagement Is Just Around the Corner
Memphis police officer charged in Tyre Nichols death to change plea in federal criminal case
Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
Dexter Wade's mom seeks federal probe after he's killed by Mississippi police car, buried without her knowing
Maine considers closing loophole that allows foreign government spending on referendums
The American Cancer Society says more people should get screened for lung cancer