Nike is putting in a lot of work in the MLB. A little more than two years ago, they took over from Majestic as the primary maker of jerseys for all 30 Major League clubs. Now, they have a relatively new program involved similar to that of jerseys they work with in the NBA.
While it’s not quite at the NBA level, 12 teams in the MLB have a special alternate jersey to represent some of their antiquities with their home city or pay homage to part of the franchise’s past. It’s a program called the “City Connect”. So far, the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim each have their own City Connect jerseys.
We’ve heard what writers think about this new idea from Nike and how they view the new jerseys, but as a fan, what is there to look at and what to like/dislike? Here’s a quick breakdown of every team’s City Connect jersey (at least, those who currently have one):
Arizona Diamondbacks – Sonoran-sand colored jersey with greenish-black script “Serpientes” wordmark on the front, the first S almost looks similar to the snake shape of the Diamondbacks logo. I like the inclusion of the old DB that served as a part of Arizona’s logo from 2007 to 2015, and it’s a good tribute to the state’s Hispanic heritage.
Boston Red Sox – Yellow top with white pants, powder blue wordmark “Boston” on the chest. It harkens to Patriots’ Day and the Boston marathon, but yellow is a bit confusing for a primary color choice.
Chicago Cubs – Dark blue mixed with light blue, “Wrigleyville” on front. I also like the Chicago city flag-themed cap, while the Wrigleyville is a fitting tribute to the many neighborhoods of Chi-town.
Chicago White Sox – Black pinstripes all around, with “Southside” to represent its attitude. A very artistically-pleasing jersey.
Colorado Rockies – White shoulders with green mountain backdrop across the front and back with green pants on the jersey. Like Boston, Colorado using green is a bit confusing.
Houston Astros – A dark blue jersey with “Space City” inscribed in orange across the chest. I like the homage to Houston’s nickname, and the orbiting caps with the star-H are a plus as well.
Kansas City Royals – A dark blue jersey with white pants, mixed with shades of powder blue. Kansas City is known as the city of the fountains, and there’s only a slight reference to the nickname. Why not add more touches to the fountains like they have at Kauffman Stadium?
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – a cream-colored jersey with a surfing-inspired wordmark across the chest, paying homage to Southern California’s beaches. It’s not bad.
Los Angeles Dodgers – A celebration of Los Angeles’ Hispanic community with an all-blue design, “Los Dodgers” wordmark in white with red numerals, and also a love for art. Overall, a solid jersey.
Miami Marlins – a red jersey with white pants and white pinstripes, similar to that of the two World-Series winning teams of the late 90s and early 2000s. Also noted is an homage to the Cuban Sugar Kings team. Overall, it’s okay.
San Francisco Giants – A white and orange jersey, with a fading G near the left shoulder. It’s okay, but there’s a bit too much fog.
Washington Nationals – A grey jersey with a WSH wordmark outlined in red, and cherry blossoms under the word-marking. Nothing says springtime in Washington, D.C. like cherry blossoms, and the blossoms attached to the wordmark make this a very quirky yet attractive jersey.
With the “City Connect” program now in its second year, Nike is doing some experimentation to try and mix franchise history and city heritage to attract more fans to the game of baseball.
