Rob Manfred ripped over All-Star Game uniforms comment
Feb 17, 2019; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; MLB commissioner Rob Manfred addresses representatives from the grapefruit league during the annual spring training media day at Hilton in West Palm Beach. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Many MLB fans were once again upset over the uniforms at the All-Star Game on Tuesday night, but commissioner Rob Manfred remains quite pleased with the change.
For the second consecutive year, players wore uniforms that were specific to the All-Star Game rather than wearing the appropriate home or away uniform of the team they play for. The National League, which was the home team, wore white jerseys with their team’s name in gold letters on the front and their last name on the back. The American League wore charcoal grey.
I'm sorry but those AL All-star uniforms are not good. #AllStarGame pic.twitter.com/P7iG2idR8l
— George Montes (@george_montes) July 20, 2022
Manfred was asked about the uniforms prior to the game. He said he personally did not like when players wore all different uniforms during the All-Star Game.
If you’re bummed about the All-Stars not wearing their actual uniforms again, I asked Rob Manfred about it today. He praised Nike and added: “I never thought that a baseball team wearing different jerseys in a game was a particularly appealing look for us.”
— Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) July 19, 2022
The uniforms are all about the money, of course. Manfred can pretend he likes the new look better, but all that matters is revenue. Many fans were quick to bash the commissioner over his comment.
Rob Manfred really wishes everyone was wearing limited edition uniforms with corporate logos when they were gathered around Ted Williams in Fenway https://t.co/fDzanKLMJm
— Jaymes Langrehr (@JaymesL) July 20, 2022
Rob Manfred is a 🤡. All-stars need to wear their actual uniforms. That’s the best. This is sad. https://t.co/2fC9NNY7ZO
— Adam Schein (@AdamSchein) July 20, 2022
The worst #AmericanLeague uniforms of all time. Blame it on Manfred. Just garbage.#AllStarGame
— JT The Brick (@JTTheBrick) July 19, 2022
No Don Van Natta puff piece can save Rob Manfred from how stupid he looks (again) for letting All-Stars wear these crap uniforms.
— Jared Stillman (@JaredStillman) July 19, 2022
Manfred’s comments are dumb & the players should be wearing their actual team uniforms. https://t.co/sMO8RKuhkA
— Blog Red Machine (@blogredmachine) July 20, 2022
Individual team jerseys are not coming back anytime soon. Manfred added that sponsorship logo patches will also be added next year, calling it a revenue source that is “impossible for the sport to ignore over the long haul.”
Nike took over as MLB’s official jersey provider in 2020. That has led to several unique new looks, many of which have been shredded by fans. It seems like the majority want individual team jerseys to return to the All-Star Game, but Manfred will likely continue to ignore that.
