Under Armour Trolls Nike & Fanatics For MLB Pants Debacle
Baseball fans who are not on social media have missed a major sartorial snafu this week in MLB. The situation started earlier this month when Nike (with the help of Fanatics) rolled out new jersey templates for players that were visibly cheap.
Concerned fans were rightfully worried about how the new threads would look on the field. But the situation worsened when pictures from the team's media days showed players wearing pants that were almost translucent.
Embarrassing images showing more than anyone wanted to see started circulating on social media. Even MLBPA executive director Tony Clark commented on the issue, "The universal concern is the pant."
Not only do the new pants barely keep the players covered, but there is a supply shortage, according to The Athletic. The Cincinnati Reds instructed its players to wear last year's pants for the rest of Spring Training.
Nike and the league insist that only the jerseys are new and the pants are the same as last season. But in a new age of aggressive social media teams, Under Armour seized the opportunity to throw shade at the pants debacle.
On Friday evening, Under Armour posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) a picture of its white baseball pants with the caption, "We got you covered." Angry baseball fans helped get the post to nearly 39,000 likes at the time of this article.
The post is a reminder of what could have been for Under Armour and MLB. In December 2016, the Maryland-based brand announced a ten-year deal for the uniform and on-field apparel with the league that was set to begin in 2020.
However, Under Armour backed out of the deal by May 2018 to save the company $50 million. Nike would swoop in to complete its trifecta of uniform rights deal for all three major American sports.
Under Armour has maintained a strong presence in MLB despite losing the uniform deal. The brand represented 10% of players in the 2023 season, including stars like Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper and the New York Yankees' newly acquired outfielder Juan Soto.
With all the drama on and off of the field, there will be much to discuss in this upcoming MLB season. Stay locked into FanNationKicks.com for all your footwear and apparel news from the sports world.
