MLB considers return to club uniforms at All-Star Game

ARLINGTON, Texas — Major League Baseball is considering allowing players to wear their team uniforms again at the All-Star Game.

Club uniforms were used by the American League from 1933 to 2019 and by the National League from 1934 to 2019. When play resumed in 2021 after being canceled due to the pandemic in 2020, MLB had a uniform deal with Nike and Fanatics, and the All-Stars were outfitted in specially designed league uniforms that drew criticism from traditionalists.

The AL uniforms this year had a sand colored base with red sleeves and lettering and the NL uniforms had a navy blue base with light blue sleeves and lettering.

“I’m aware of the sentiment on this issue,” Manfred told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Tuesday. “I think we’ll be talking about it after the All-Star Game. We have a lot of things going on about uniforms. And obviously the conversations have to involve the players first and foremost, but also Nike and some of our partners. But I’m aware of the sentiment and I know why people kind of like this tradition.”

MLB and Nike have faced criticism for their team uniforms this year, saying in May that team uniforms in 2025 will feature larger lettering on the back of jerseys and custom pant adjustments. Players complained this year that some teams’ white pants were so see-through that you could see the tucked-in jersey tops.

Manfred said a nationwide streaming package with local TV shows is possible in the future.

“I could imagine a situation where we grow to a 30-club model. It could start on the digital side, where you have 14 or 15 clubs, and you start there with a digital product as the first alternative,” he said.

“I was in Sun Valley last week and I was speed dating everyone who’s ever streamed anything. If you talk to people in the streaming business, they’re not really interested in buying the state of Wisconsin and two counties in Michigan,” Manfred added. “They want to be able to stream, frankly, all over the U.S. and Canada, but generally internationally. So I think these conversations are the result of owners saying, gosh, the RSN business is really getting worse. We know the future is streaming. What we’re hearing from the streamers is that they want a more national product, and we need to respond to what people want to buy.”

MLB took over production of the local television broadcasts in Arizona and San Diego last year after the bankruptcy of Diamond Sports’ Bally networks and said MLB will be available as an option for teams seeking new contracts. He said the Padres games have nearly 40,000 subscribers, which he called a good number.

“However, the revenue is not as high as with the RSNs,” Manfred said. “The RSNs were a great business. A lot of people were paying for programs they didn’t necessarily want. And without that bundling concept, it’s hard to get that kind of revenue.”

Although the offense is at a nearly half-century low, it has recovered since the start of the season.

“The decline in offense is something we’re paying close attention to and will continue to monitor to decide if we think we need to do something. You hear a lot of talk about the dominance of pitching in the game. That’s absolutely true.”

Following the success of the June 20 game between San Francisco and St. Louis at Rickwood Field, Manfred said MLB would return to the ballpark in Birmingham, Alabama, but the “exact form” has not yet been determined.

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