On the 28th (local time), the U.S. public broadcaster PBS shed light on the new uniforms in an article titled “Major League, Opening the Season with Paper Uniforms.” Recently, photos of sweat stains widely spread on Yankees players’ tops in a game between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros held at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, on the 29th. A baseball fan shared the photo on social media and wrote, “If you want to know how problematic the Panatics’ uniforms are, you can literally look at how soaked the Yankees players are.” Another controversy is the photos taken by MLB stars Shohei Ohtani (30) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (26) of the Los Angeles Dodgers during “Media Day.” Those who had their first official interview with the media ahead of the season’s opening on February 21 wore white uniform pants, but the pants were too thin to show the top inside the pants. The uniforms in question are new this year, and Nike and Panatix, famous American sports brands, were in charge of design and production, respectively. The two companies signed an official MLB uniform sponsorship contract worth $1 billion (about 1.34 trillion won) for 10 years from 2020.”It’s softer and lighter than the previous model, and it’s breathable and stretchable,” Nike explained. “We worked closely with players, teams, and leagues to make the most advanced uniforms in MLB history.” However, players are reportedly complaining about the lack of material and thin fabric.
“Some players said (the uniform) was like paper,” PBS said. “All Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trey Tiner said they hated uniforms.” MLB fans are raising issues with Panatix over Nike’s design. Panatix manufactures and sells uniforms and equipment in major U.S. sports leagues, including MLB. Previously, the company was criticized for being almost exclusively sold for being expensive considering the quality of its uniforms. Meanwhile, fans responded by saying it looked too cheap, “It was like a wet napkin,” and “It was embarrassing to see through.”
EJ SONG
US ASIA JOURNAL
