Nike Launches New MLB City Connect Uniform Series

[MDGP]

3 minutes ago, oldschoolvikings said:

 

What universe are you living in?

 

To be fair, that statement didn't say there weren't also many, many bad uniforms added, the proportion of good uniforms is considerably lower, but there ARE technically more good jerseys than before.

[Cujo]

Astros just released

 

[dont care]

2 hours ago, JerseyJimmy said:

I like the concept of "city" uniforms and I think these in particular look very good. more uniforms generally means more good uniforms, and in general I think most of the "traditional" uniform sets in baseball are boring as piss.

More uniforms also means more :censored: uniforms

[SCalderwood]

2 hours ago, DNAsports said:

This really doesn’t bother me in the slightest. It’s not like this is an 81 games a season thing.

 

 

I say this respectfully... but when the Nike took over the NBA and started introducing uniforms like this, I don't know how many people were really bothered by that, either.  But one problem is that in the NBA it's gotten to a point where there is really no rhyme or reason as to when teams are wearing which jerseys, and where they are wearing them.  An average team seems to have like 4 or 5 jerseys, and there doesn't seem to be any consistency in terms of how often, when, and where they are worn.  It makes the league seem like a joke when teams are seemingly just wearing whatever jerseys they want (even if it is a pre-planned uniform schedule), almost like all of the games are practice or pickup games where it doesn't really matter which team is wearing what particular colors, or even if they are wearing their actual team colors, as long as they are contrasting colors so the teams don't look the same (and yet the NBA/Nike even seem to screw that up sometimes, but that is a separate issue).

 

So I think people are kind of like... if that could happen in the NBA, why can't it happen in MLB?  These yellow jerseys might be a bad example because they seem to be tied to a specific event, so I don't think the Red Sox would ever end up wearing these particular jerseys for 81 games per season, but the general idea of these City Connect jerseys just seems to be a jersey that doesn't have to stick to team colors and just has something to do with the city of the team.

 

Here's maybe a better example of what I am trying to say - let's say the White Sox get a City Connect jersey and hat that prominently feature colors of the Chicago flag.  Those colors are not White Sox colors.  But in a vacuum it may end up being a cool-looking jersey and hat.  I could really see Nike doing something where they have the White Sox wear that uniform for like 20-25 games at home AND 20-25 games on the road. Maybe not this year, but in the very near future.  That may sound like an exaggeration but again based on what has happened in the NBA, that really doesn't seem impossible that Nike would have MLB teams doing that within a few years.  Again, it happened pretty quickly in the NBA, only took a few years.  So I think people are kind of worried about stuff like that happening.

[Digby]

4 hours ago, BBTV said:

They’re all the same. Cheering for one of these brands over any other is silly. 

 

As a reminder, the previous most egregious thing in Boston sports branding:

 

[Old School Fool]

[Digby]

5 hours ago, andrewharrington said:

Here’s the reference for the type choices. I  think it’s looked different in recent years, though.

 

 

They change it every year now, and Adidas also changes the jacket colors every year as well, though those are two different designs. When the NBA/Nike launched the City thing I always assumed we'd end up with a blue/yellow Celtics jersey. A real monkey's paw thing for me, it turns out.

[FiddySicks]

5 hours ago, andrewharrington said:

Here’s the reference for the type choices. I  think it’s looked different in recent years, though.

 

If I was king for a day, the front of the jerseys would say Our :censored:ing City. 

[DCarp1231]

2 hours ago, SCalderwood said:

 

 

-saving space-

I’m still not worried about it.

[Ridleylash]

Woof. The Nikeization process begins. How long until we get Statement, Earned, and such jerseys invading the MLB like rats? Yellow and blue don't work for the Red Sox. Worst part is, the current colors for the city's website would've looked perfectly fine as a Red Sox alt; 

 

A dark navy or light blue Red Sox jersey with white and red would be pretty nice-looking, IMO. A lot better than this abomination, at any rate.

[kimball]

I feel like I should be protesting this jersey with pitchforks and angry shaken fists in the air, but honestly ... my first reaction was ... "oh, it's Nike ............. I wonder if I have any of that leftover ham from Easter?"

[FroBroStudio]

Unpopular Opinion: This is actually a blessing in disguise for MLB. Especially considering the amount of teams that utilize blue, red, or both. Certain teams (Oakland, San Diego, Colorado, Seattle & Miami maybe) tend to stand out by color alone. Also, let's think of this Nike deal as an expansion of what MLB was in the 90's with stuff like Moving The Clock Forward and expansion teams utilizing gradients and teal.

 

All Nike needs to do is have a definite end to this program and not overreach like they did with the NBA. I think...

[O.C.D]

Awful. I can't decide what I dislike more; the uniforms or the sales pitch word salad.

[bcon_731]

Well hopefully Nike will have the foresight to give Miami the Teal overhaul everyone has been clamoring for.  

[Brian E]

3 hours ago, FroBroStudio said:

Unpopular Opinion: This is actually a blessing in disguise for MLB. Especially considering the amount of teams that utilize blue, red, or both. Certain teams (Oakland, San Diego, Colorado, Seattle & Miami maybe) tend to stand out by color alone. Also, let's think of this Nike deal as an expansion of what MLB was in the 90's with stuff like Moving The Clock Forward and expansion teams utilizing gradients and teal.

 

All Nike needs to do is have a definite end to this program and not overreach like they did with the NBA. I think...

 

this isn't the worst take. i, too, would welcome some non-blue-and-red looks. that said, i think there's probably a way to do it that doesn't completely heave a brand identity that has been cultivated for over a century directly in the path of a bus.

[Froob]

Looks like the Boston jerseys are staying for Patriot day. For a game or two, alright. I don’t really have a problem with them now that I know that they’re for the marathon.

[gosioux76]

36 minutes ago, Brian E said:

 

this isn't the worst take. i, too, would welcome some non-blue-and-red looks. that said, i think there's probably a way to do it that doesn't completely heave a brand identity that has been cultivated for over a century directly in the path of a bus.

 

No, it's not a bad take at all. But it's also tinged with that same degree of optimism that had some people thinking NHL helmet ads would be a one-season-and-done thing. Add Nike into the equation, and the precedent it set with the NBA, and the relentless cynicism becomes justified. 

 

There 100% is a way to expand MLB's color palette and jersey program without it becoming overkill. I just have 0% faith that Nike has any interest in showing restraint. 

[-Akronite-]

I don't trust the MLB or Nike to handle this properly, but I would say:

1) That Boston jersey looks good, despite it's lack of Red Soxishness.

2) If the program remains a single series type thing (rather than the NBA's system of every team prioritizing their new, off-brand jersey all season), then it wouldn't be a bad thing.

 

Again, don't trust them to stick to that and the slow creep of ads keeps getting worse. The swoosh alone is already horribly placed and takes away from a lot of great uniforms.

[buzzcut]

14 hours ago, SSmith48 said:

They have no restraint because of one thing:

Straight cash homey.

[MJWalker45]

21 hours ago, ManillaToad said:

 

They clearly haven't been watching baseball the past 2-3 years if they've been saying that

Or the 2016 world Series.