"I know everyone hates them" - Phillies star Trea Turner becomes latest to criticize new Nike MLB jerseys amid fan backlash
Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner has shared his thoughts on the new Nike jerseys that have become a hot topic among MLB fans for all the wrong reasons. The Jerseys have faced a lot of backlash from the MLB community, and Turner didn't exactly side with the league in his comments. He told the media on Friday:
"I know everyone hates them. We all liked what we had. We understand business, but I think everyone wanted to keep it the same way, for the most part, with some tweaks here or there."
Trea Turner wasn't the only Phillies player to speak up, as pitcher Matt Strahm also commented:
"Don't fix what's not broken. The looks of it, it just looks different. The names are smaller on the back."
The MLB released a video earlier this month, which featured players raving about the jerseys. That seems to have been somewhat premature, based on the reactions from players like Trea Turner and the majority of fans.
"We gave players a first taste of the new Nike Vapor Premier uniforms at last year’s #AllStarGame in Seattle. Here’s what they had to say." - MLB
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred shared his thoughts on jerseys before feedback from Phillies' star Trea Turner
Change is often resisted in sports before slowly being accepted over time as people get used to it. That is certainly what MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is hoping will happen here, and he told reporters on Thursday:
"In baseball, any new initiative, there's going to be some negative feedback. First and most important, these are Nike jerseys. So we entered this partnership with Nike because of who they are and the kinds of products that they use. Everything they've done for us so far has been absolutely, 100% successful across the board.
"The jerseys are different. They're designed to be performance wear as opposed to what has traditionally been worn. So they are going to be different, but they have been tested more extensively than any jersey in any sport."
We will see if fans grow accustomed to the jerseys and perhaps one day even start to like them. That, however, seems a while off at this stage.