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A16 SPORTS
Thursday 18 July 2024
MLB will consider whether to return to club uniforms in All-Star Game

By RONALD BLUM got a lot of uniform things
AP Baseball Writer going on. And, obviously,
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — the conversations have to
Major League Baseball will involve the players first and
consider going back to foremost but Nike, some of
having players wear their our partners. But I am aware
team uniforms for the All- of the sentiment, and I do
Star Game. know why people kind of
Club uniforms were used like that tradition.”
by the American League MLB and Nike were criti-
from 1933-2019 and by cized for club uniforms this
the National League from year and said in May that
1934-2019. When the game 2025 club outfits will have
resumed in 2021 following larger lettering on the back
the pandemic-related can- of jerseys and individual
cellation in 2020, MLB had pant customization. Players
started a uniform contract complained this year that
with Nike and Fanatics, and white pants worn by some
All-Stars were outfitted in teams are see-through
specially designed league enough to show tucked-in
uniforms that drew criticism jersey tops.
from traditionalists. American League players line up before the MLB All-Star baseball game, Tuesday, July 16, 2024, Regional sports networks
in Arlington, Texas.
This year’s AL uniforms had a Associated Press Manfred said a national
sandy base with red sleeves steaming package of lo-
and lettering and the NL “I’m aware of the sentiment ciation of America on Tues- going to have a conversa- cal television broadcasts is
had a navy base with light on this issue,” Manfred told day. “I think where my head tion about coming out of a future possibility.
blue sleeves and lettering. the Baseball Writers’ Asso- is on it, it’s something we’re the All-Star Game. We’ve “I could see a situation
where we grow into a 30-
club model. It might start
on the digital side, where
you have 14 or 15 clubs,
and, you start with a digital
product there as your first
alternative,” he said.
“I was in Sun Valley last week
and I did the whole speed-
dating thing with every-
body who’s ever streamed
anything. When you talk
to people in the streaming
business, they’re not really
interested in buying the
state of Wisconsin and two
counties in Michigan,” Man-
fred added. “They want to
be able to stream quite
frankly, all over the U.S. and
Canada but more broadly
internationally. So I think
those conversations are a
product of owners saying,
holy cow, the RSN business
is really deteriorating. We
know the future’s going to
be streaming.
What we’re hearing from
the streamers is they want
a more national product,
and we need to be respon-
sive to what people want to
buy.”
MLB took over production
of Arizona and San Diego
local television broadcasts
last year following the bank-
ruptcy of Diamond Sports’
Bally networks and said MLB
will be available as an op-
tion for teams looking for
new deals. He said Padres
game are approaching
40,000 subscribers, which
he called a good figure.q