MLB’s New, Ridiculous See-Through Pants Go Viral For The Wrong Reasons: ‘Ain’t No Way’
Major League Baseball has a real problem on its hands and, uh, legs.
Instead of the sports news cycle focusing on the return of baseball, the Dodgers' impressive spring training performance and new players on new teams, media's been consumed by the on-field jerseys. And not in a good way.
The initial criticisms focused on the jersey tops, specifically that the letters and numbers for most teams looked comically small. Fans were first to react by comparing last year's fabrication to this year's, but players quickly jumped in too. Several anonymous players said the new jerseys looked "cheap," with one saying they looked like replicas from "T.J. Maxx." There's been frustration with the lack of customization options, thinness of material and fit. Discussion has gotten so loud that MLB felt the need to respond, with a thinly disguised press release issued this week.
READ: MLB Desperately Defends New Jerseys After Rampant Nike/Fanatics Criticism
But now they have potentially an even bigger issue: see through pants.
Team photo day images and more media access have made the problem even more obvious, with some images clearly showing Nike's jersey tag through the pants fabric.
Not great!
Feb 21, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (left) and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto pose for a portrait during media day at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Can MLB Fix The Uniforms And Pants Before Opening Day?
It's rare for players to openly discuss their dissatisfaction with something as generally unimportant as uniforms. Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said as far as he knows, "everyone hates them."
"I know everyone hates them," Turner said. "We all liked what we had. We understand business, but I think everyone wanted to keep it the same way, for the most part, with some tweaks here or there."
One fan responded to an image on X with a simple "ain't no way." Sums it up pretty well.
The issue with the pants isn't exclusive to this season, some of the older white pants weren't entirely opaque last year, but the problem this year seems much more obvious. And in combination with frustration over the jersey tops, it's turned the situation into a laughingstock.
Nike issued a statement defending its process, claiming their new set is "the most advanced uniforms in the history of MLB."
That may be the case, but based on the reaction so far, players would have gladly traded a bit of weight and less flexibility for thicker fabric that does a better job of hiding what they're wearing under their pants. Even the number fabrication, where the front and back numbers are now perforated, looks worse on television, losing a bit of the three-dimensional look and reflective quality of the older-style fabrics.
The Nike/MLB partnership clearly has not gone the way either party expected, and given the rampant frustration, it's not impossible that the league tells teams to wear the old pants for the start of the season. With another entirely new jersey set built for 2025. Or maybe we'll just learn a lot more about professional baseball players than we ever wanted to know.