"Easily the best so far" - Fans sing the praises of Tampa Bay Rays new City Connect jerseys as AL East club unveils new look
On Monday, the Tampa Bay Rays became the 23rd MLB team ever to unveil their City Connect jerseys. After several other teams released their new styles to muted responses, the Rays' design evoked some of the most positive receptions yet.
City Connect jerseys were first released in 2021. As part of a partnership between the league and Nike, the jerseys serve as a fourth alternate uniform, and seek to reflect the unique cultural identities of the various cities of the teams that they stand to represent.
"The Tampa Bay Rays revealed their City Connect uniforms. @RaysBaseball" - FOX Sports: MLB
The Tampa Bay Rays' black City Connect jerseys come with green name stiching and feature a pattern of a skateboard in a nod to the skateboarding culture present in Tampa. Additionally, the jerseys feature the Sunshine-Skyway Bridge, a local landmark that connects Tampa to nearby St. Petersburg, where the Rays play.
Several fans took to social media to praise the off-color design:
Despite the strong endorsement that the Tampa Bay Rays have ostensibly received, other fanbases have not been so cordial. Earlier this month, the New York Mets revealed a grey City Connect scheme, which did little to win over fans who were loyal to the teams existing white, blue, and orange array.
"These are fire" - claimed one fan
"I live the TB area and these CC unis are almost as cool as my team's" - added another
"CLEAN" - typed another commentor
The Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies are the only other teams to have released their designs so far this season, and both were met with protest. Six more teams are slated to release their own City Connect patterns this season, with the Detroit Tigers slated to release their own design in the first week of May.
Additional comments on the post were as follows:
"The only ones that look good"
"I'm actually pleasantly surprised"
"Those r really cool unis"
Tampa Bay Rays are embracing their new look
The City Connect drop marks the first Rays uniform to say "Tampa Bay" since 2007. Speaking at the release event, Warren Hypes, Tampa Bay Rays Vice President, Creative & Brand, claimed:
"We’re a team that represents not one city but a region, so connecting that community is so important in this story. One of the most iconic things here in Tampa Bay is the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. I think that’s such a great example of connectivity and connecting the region together.”
The team will wear the City Connect jerseys for the first time on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers.