The 2023 MLB All-Star Game is currently underway on Tuesday, and the game has been an entertaining one with a number of highlight plays on both sides. Unfortunately, fans are irked with one thing in particular, which is the uniforms that both teams are wearing.
The American League is donning teal-colored jerseys while the National League is in black, and there isn’t anything particularly wrong with either jersey scheme.
Instead, fans are upset that the MLB has gone away from allowing players to wear their own team jerseys, which has been the case since the league partnered with Nike in 2021 to create custom All-Star Game jerseys.
Fans voiced their frustrations with the league refusing to revert to the old-style uniforms on social media.
These #MLBAllStarGame uniforms are awful. Not one redeeming quality. Bring back the teams' uniforms.
— Jeff Agrest #🟦 (@JeffAgrest) July 12, 2023
These All Star Game unis are brutal…let these dudes wear their actual team uniforms that have some sort All-Star recognition/marks on them. You don’t have to continuously try to reinvent the wheel. #AllStarGame2023
— Victor Rojas (@VictorRojas) July 12, 2023
What All-Star Game uniforms should be. pic.twitter.com/Sa1W8XnGxy
— Batting Stance Guy (@BattingStanceG) July 12, 2023
The MLB All-Star Game is best when players wear their team uniforms. pic.twitter.com/jwUW1k8Gzr
— NFL Fashion Advice (@fashion_nfl) July 11, 2023
please please ditch All-Star Game jerseys and just wear team uniforms!
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) July 11, 2023
Annual reminder:
MLB All-Star Games are better when players wear their team’s uniform. pic.twitter.com/FTIQcWXlRk
— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) July 12, 2023
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has spoken about this in the past, and it doesn’t sounds like things are going to change back anytime soon.
“I never thought that a baseball team wearing different jerseys in a game was a particularly appealing look for us,” Manfred said nearly a year ago about team jersey’s in 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
Manfred may not feel that team jerseys in the game is a good luck for the league, but the fans, who the All-Star Game is supposed to be played for, seem to overwhelmingly disagree with him.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.