NEWSLETTER
I remember a time when Ben Zobrist — of all players — received a formal warning and faced a fine from Major League Baseball, all because he wore … gasp! All black cleats (a violation of MLB’s uniform regulations). Fortunately, baseball has come a long way since then, cracking open the door for the individuality of players to shine through the way it does to the benefit of the NFL and NBA.
One such example of that progress was “Players Weekend.”
In 2017, 2018, and 2019, MLB set aside one weekend a year in which players were allowed to sport custom-designed gear like cleats, batting gloves, wrist bats, sleeves, masks, bats, etc. Better than that, they designed alternative/creative jerseys (except that one year they just did black and white…) that had player nicknames on the back instead of just last names. Honestly, I remember thinking it was pretty cool.
Players Weekend is Coming Back!
Well, according to Jesse Rogers at ESPN, Players weekend is coming back!
For the first time since 2019, MLB will dedicate three days in August to players, focusing on showcasing them beyond their stats and on-field performances, according to a release distributed Thursday.
From Aug. 16-18, a different aspect of players’ lives will be highlighted through in-stadium events, game broadcasts and social media.
Day 1 (Aug. 16) will feature their personalities, friendships and off-the-field interests. Day 2 will focus on their charitable causes, and Day 3 will celebrate the people who helped them on their path to the big leagues, including parents, coaches and other mentors.
But there’s a big but. While players will reportedly wear special New Era caps featuring each guy’s uniform number and a “youthful design,” there will not be specially designed uniforms and there will be no player nicknames. BOOOOOOO. BOOOO. Boo.
While I appreciate the return of players weekend, pretty much the only thing I remember about the last one was the jerseys and nicknames. So this seems like a whiff. And seeing as MLB has had … a uniform issue on their hands, and must be selling fewer than normal, you’d think they take this opportunity to get their act together and ball out with something cool. Alas. One day I’ll stop expecting MLB to do things right.
In any case, this is still going to be cool, and I’m looking forward to it. MLB needs to do anything it can to promote its players, who are, frankly, not nearly as famous as star players in the NFL and NBA. And this is at least another tiny step in the right direction.
