Blue Jays fan notes differences with MLB's much-maligned uniform change
Something isn’t quite right about MLB’s new uniforms for the 2024 season. The league recently unveiled their newly designed threads at Spring Training, and the reviews aren’t exactly glowing.
According to St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas, the uniforms are a far cry from the previous iterations. Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said: “I know everybody hates them.”
Aside from the player reviews in MLB’s official press release announcing the new Nike Premier jerseys, fans and players alike have universally panned these uniforms.
The people who have to wear these things every day have been the most vocal about the changes, but now that the retail versions of the new uniforms are rolling out, fans have become outspoken about the differences as well.
Mike Hauser is a Toronto Blue Jays fan who has a few authentic MLB jerseys in his own personal collection from the last few years, and even he’s discerned a stark difference in quality from year to year.
In his most recent YouTube video, Hauser explained the changes between a previous Nike replica jersey, a 2022 Nike Authentic jersey, and a 2024 Nike Vapor jersey.
“The biggest difference overall is the flat Jays logo,” Hauser told Daily Hive. “To anyone familiar with the previous authentic jerseys though, the 2024 Elite jersey material they used is much thinner. It’s nearly identical to the breathable side panels of the previous authentic, except instead of tiny triangle holes, they have used vertical tiny slit holes.
“I didn’t want to risk damaging the jersey, so I didn’t do any tests on its durability, but this elite material would make me nervous about it ripping, as it is much thinner.”
In his video, Hauser pointed out the side and bottom panelling in the previous jerseys, which is absent in the new Nike Vapor authentic jerseys. They replaced it with a different fabric altogether, one that’s actually 13 grams heavier than last year’s jersey according to his measurements.
On the Blue Jays jersey in particular, the biggest change is the lack of an embossed logo. The new version features a flat heat-pressed Blue Jays logo, whereas the previous model had a raised and stitched 3-D Blue Jays logo. Now the logo is as flat as a batting practice fastball.
Mike Hauser
It’s not just the feel, but the look of the jerseys is quite different, too. Now that Nike and Fanatics opted for the heat-pressed numbers and logos, the uniforms lack dimension, and that’s what makes them look “cheap,” as some have said.
The uniform template is also different. Lowering the MLB logo on the back has made the players’ names smaller and less defined on the fabric. Names that weren’t kerned before are stretched across the back to fit the template.
Last year vs this year’s replica jersey offerings from the fine folks at MLB, Nike & Fanatics. Last year’s being on the left and this year’s on the right.
I have a lot to say, so bear with me here.
Let’s just rip the bandaid off right away with this year’s new jersey offerings pic.twitter.com/3IShhlj0nL
— Bobby Mullins (@TheBobbyMullins) February 11, 2024
MLB and Nike now have three tiers of jerseys available for sale: the Nike Vapor Premier Elite, the Nike Vapor Premier Limited, and the Nike Vapor Premier Game. The Premier Limited has heat-pressed numbers (not stitched), and the Premier Game has screen-printed names and numbers on the back of the jersey.
At the bottom tier Premier Game level, the back of the jerseys look and feel more like a “shirsey” T-shirt giveaway than a jersey itself. The only stitched element on the Premier Limited jersey is the Nike embossed logo. Everything else is heat-pressed onto the fabric, unlike previous versions.
It would be one thing if these new authentic jerseys cost less, but the 2024 iteration costs more than previous models. Before tax, the new Nike authentic Blue Jays jerseys are priced at C$370.
Hauser was excited to see what the new Nike uniforms would look and feel like, but he was disappointed in the product and returned it to the Jays Shop for a refund.
“I already returned the elite jersey seen in my video,” Hauser said. “Even with the $138 savings from the sale Fanatics had available on February 4, the final price still came in at $377.40 after tax. The quality and look of this Elite jersey warrants no more cost than a replica, in my opinion.”
Instead, he opted to buy a game-worn authentic Blue Jays powder blue jersey that was on sale for only C$200, but the quality was much better at a fraction of the price of the 2024 Nike authentic Blue Jays jersey.
Merchandise is big business across Major League Baseball, and when fans are spending hundreds of dollars of their hard-earned money, they demand a quality product. That’s what Hauser and other fans were hoping, but what they got was a replica quality jersey at an authentic jersey price.
It’s one thing to mess with the fan gear, but when the players who wear these threads day in and day out speak negatively about the changes, that’s a big problem. It’s akin to George Costanza’s fictional crusade on Seinfeld to change the New York Yankees uniforms from polyester to cotton.
Maybe these changes seemed like a good idea in theory, but the player’s reviews speak for themselves. Sometimes, threads are better left in the hands of the people who wear the uniform.
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