MLBPA Executive Director Calls Out MLB’s See-Through Pants Amid Uniform Controversy

Julia StumbaughFebruary 22, 2024

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

MLBPA executive director Tony Clark says conversations with players at more than six Spring Training camps have confirmed that the transparency of MLB’s new uniform pants is considered a problem.

“A lot of the rhetoric is confirmation that the pants are see through,” Clark said, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. “It’s been an ongoing conversation where each day has yielded something new that doesn’t seem to make as much as sense as you would like it.”

MLB’s new uniforms, which were designed by Nike and produced by Fanatics, drew attention on social media due to the way players’ tucked-in shirts can be seen through the fabric of the pants in photographs.

“It’s disappointing that we’ve landed in a place where the uniforms are the topic of discussion,” Clark said.

Mark J. Rebilas @rebilasphotoShohei Ohtani poses for a portrait during Los Angeles Dodgers photo day at Camelback Ranch. #dodgers #mlb #springtraining

📸 @rebilasphoto pic.twitter.com/Kg1zdBc9Vo

Clark said the MLBPA will continue to “engage those that are involved and determine next steps forward” to see if any uniform changes can be made before Opening Day, per Rogers.

Clark said Tuesday that he was “frustrated” by the uniform changes after speaking with Los Angeles Angels players at camp, The Athletic’s Sam Blum reported.

Those conversations occurred after several Angels players lambasted the uniforms in public comments last week. Outfielder Taylor Ward said the uniform “looks like a replica” and feels “papery,” while reliever Carlos Estévez said it felt “like I’m wearing someone else’s pants,” according to The Athletic’s Stephen J. Nesbitt.

Clark said after speaking with the Angels that there was an “ongoing dialogue” between the players’ union and the other parties involved in creating the uniforms.

“Hopefully, we can get some things done over the course of the next six weeks of spring training,” Clark said earlier this week, per Blum. “Because I’d hate to be in a place where we’re still having conversations about some of the challenges we have in that regard once the lights come on.”

The deal, which runs through 2030, involves Fanatics manufacturing designs made by Nike, according to Uni Watch’s Paul Lukas. That process has been in place for four years, so the design changes this season were instituted by Nike, not Fanatics, Lukas noted.

That’s a different situation than in the NHL, where Fanatics will not only be manufacturing but also designing uniforms starting in the 2024-25 season. Hockey executives might be keeping an eye on the clash between the MLB, the players’ union and uniform designers as they wait to see what their own league’s jersey changes will look like next season.