The Seattle Mariners were forced to make a big change with their merchandise sales this week after receiving backlash from players.
With a weekend series upcoming against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Mariners felt it would be a good idea to stock their team store with Blue Jays gear. They obviously expect fans from north of the border to make the trip to Seattle and wanted to maximize their profits.
The Mariners Team Store has dedicated an entire rack for Blue Jays gear ahead of this weekend’s series. pic.twitter.com/vxssYZbe25
— Mariner Muse (@MarinerMuse) July 17, 2023
The decision did not sit well with Mariners players. Pitcher Paul Sewald and shortstop JP Crawford made their feelings known via social media.
What the hell is this @MarinersStore https://t.co/xtTre6lQ2g
— Paul Sewald (@ItsPaulSewald) July 18, 2023
Damn smh https://t.co/JBLOM8I1Sa
— jp crawford (@jp_crawford) July 18, 2023
The complaints were taken seriously, it appears. A new photo of the same clothing rack surfaced on Wednesday, and it showed that the Blue Jays merchandise had been replaced with Mariners gear.
After a couple of Mariners players voiced their displeasure, the #BlueJays merch has been removed ahead of the series in Seattle this weekend.
( @Softykjr) https://t.co/WeC0lTdY00 pic.twitter.com/ky9IPKBb3f— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) July 19, 2023
Some would say Mariners players were being a bit too sensitive. MLB teams share revenue and fans travel from all over to go to games, so selling visiting team gear isn’t exactly treason. Obviously, it was a big enough deal internally that the Mariners felt they had to pull the Blue Jays swag off the shelves.
