MLB's City Connect uniforms have changed the future of fashion in baseball

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MLB's City Connect uniforms have changed the future of fashion in baseball

This season's seven City Connect uniforms were polarizing among fans, but Major League Baseball considers them a success.The Nike alternates, according to league officials, are not only here to stay -- there will be 23 others by the end of 2023 -- they are helping to set the stage for even more radical designs in the future.To get more news about custom nfl jerseys, you can visit buyviagraonline24hours.com official website.

In April, the Boston Red Sox became the first team to unveil a City Connect uniform, with a jersey that tossed out the color of red completely in favor of yellow and blue, a homage to Patriots' Day and the Boston Marathon. The Red Sox were followed by the Miami Marlins, who paid tribute to Cuba's Sugar Kings; the Chicago White Sox, who went with an all-black pinstriped look and a gothic "Southside" font; the Chicago Cubs, who gave a shout out to the Wrigleyville neighborhood that surrounds their ballpark; the Arizona Diamondbacks, who created gold uniforms with "Los Serpientes" emblazoned across the chest; and the San Francisco Giants, who gave a nod to the Golden Gate Bridge. The final team on this year's list, the Los Angeles Dodgers, revealed its take on Thursday.
While the looks rattled some traditionalists, they proved to be a hit. Not including the Dodgers' late-breaking addition to the series, each team's jerseys sold out. As sales surpassed projections, the league couldn't keep City Connect merchandise in stock, in small part due to global supply chain issues. Those strong sales -- and all the buzz the series has generated -- have MLB teams looking at their uniforms in a different way.

"They're getting a little more aggressive where they've been a little more traditional," MLB chief revenue officer Noah Garden said. "They see what's happened. They see the conversation that's out there. They see the overwhelming positive support and they see it attracting an audience they want to attract, which is a younger demographic that is more fashion forward, loves the game, but may not be as traditional."Some teams, like the Marlins and Diamondbacks, are incorporating the uniforms into their regular mix. All 30 MLB teams are expected to have a City Connect jersey by the end of the 2023 season. The popularity of the inaugural group of uniforms has clubs jumping headfirst into the series, including some of the most conservative teams. According to league sources, the New York Yankees -- whose uniform, with some minor exceptions, has remained untouched for generations -- initially expressed hesitation about City Connect designs. Now, sources said, they are aggressively pursuing an alternate.

"The City Connect uniforms were familiar by design, as any changes to our uniform are significant. The Dodgers uniform has gone largely unchanged since the team moved to Los Angeles in 1958," said Dodgers executive vice president and chief marketing officer Lon Rosen. "We don't have a third jersey, we don't wear different jerseys based on days of the week or the pitchers' preference, so an all blue uniform with spray paint accents and anything but our iconic L.A. cap are drastic changes for us."

Other teams, sources said, have already scrapped plans for more conservative City Connect designs in favor of more fashion-forward looks.

"It's definitely more open from clubs, definitely more engaged in the process and definitely more excited about their launch," Garden said. "Now we've got clubs that were like, 'I'll do it three years down the road,' to, 'How do I do it next year?'"

While some have criticized City Connect as a cash grab, Garden disputed that, saying that merchandise sales represent a small portion of the league's overall revenue. City Connect, Garden said, is more about using fashion to better market the sport.

"When I look at merchandise, I look at it less about how many we're selling, because at the end of the day that number, in relation to ticket sales and everything else we do, is really not a huge number," Garden said. "It's more about marketing the product. When you see somebody with a Yankees hat on or a Yankees jersey on, or a Red Sox hat or jersey, they're marketing the product for us. The more people wearing that product, the more relevant you are."