Major League Baseball plans to modify its Nike uniforms by the start of the 2025 season following complaints this spring from players and fans, according to a report from ESPN.
The changes will include restoring larger lettering on the nameplates and correcting for mismatched gray tops and bottoms, pants that are sometimes see-through and fabric that looks different when players sweat. The changes were detailed in a memo distributed to players by the MLB Players Association on Sunday and will take affect by the beginning of 2025.
The report says the memo blamed Nike and its new performance-focused Vapor Premier uniform. The union declined comment to The Associated Press.
“This has been entirely a Nike issue,” the memo to players read. “At its core, what has happened here is that Nike was innovating something that didn’t need to be innovated.”
The union said Fanatics, which manufactures the Nike-designed uniforms, was not to blame. The memo said Fanatics “recognizes the vital importance of soliciting Player feedback, obtaining Player buy-in and not being afraid to have difficult conversations about jerseys or trading cards. Our hope is that, moving forward, Nike will take a similar approach.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch (29) celebrates after scoring on a single by Matt Mervis during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon works against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
ROME (AP) — More competition days, more tickets sold, more TV time, more money.
For tennis organizers, the long-sought upgrade of tournaments in Madrid and Rome — expanding them from eight days to nearly two weeks — has been a bonanza.
For the players? Well, they haven’t been nearly as enthusiastic.
With Madrid and Rome following already established two-week events in Indian Wells and Miami, several of the highest-ranked players — the ones who consistently reach the final stages of these tournaments — are growing weary of spending so much more time on the road.
“You got to be some type of superhero to be consistent back-to-back 10 days in each event getting to the very end of it,” recent Monte Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas said in Rome.
What bothers the top players is that these Masters-level tournaments are being modeled after Grand Slams but they’re still not as prestigious as the Grand Slams: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
In essence, the tournaments in Madrid and Rome are merely warmups for Roland Garros.
“We wanted more drama and then we stretched the drama a bit too much, where it kind of becomes like the ‘telenova’ that was too many seasons,” said Victoria Azarenka, who was formerly ranked No. 1. “Hopefully we make some adjustments, because it’s too long."
Next year, the Cincinnati Open — a warmup for the U.S. Open — will also be expanded to the two-week format, which increases the draws from 64 to 96 players.
“People want to watch top players play against each other, week in and week out. … There is a market for that, but there has to be a thought to make sure we do take care of our players,” Azarenka said.
The top 32 seeds in the expanded events get byes to the second round, and all players get days off between matches — which is a change from the old format.
“The two-week Masters 1000 events is great for players that are ranked between 50 and 100 in the world because they get a chance to play a main-draw event at a Masters 1000 event. It’s not great for top-10 players,” fifth-ranked Alexander Zverev said.
“Yes, you do get told you have a day in between, you don’t have to play every day. At the end of the day that’s not resting. Resting is when you’re spending time at home, when you’re sleeping in your own bed, maybe with your family, maybe with your dogs, maybe with your kids if you have kids, right? ... A day between matches, if you’re at a different place, that’s not resting. If you’re trying to make semifinals or finals of every event, you’re just away a lot longer, and you have to work a lot more.”
The schedule has been a hot topic lately because of injuries to the men's tour’s two top young players, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, even if their injuries might not be a direct result of the longer tournaments.
Sinner (injured hip) and Alcaraz (right forearm) both withdrew from Rome.
But injuries to top players are nothing new.
“I like this two-week format,” fourth-ranked Daniil Medvedev said. “I like when there is a day off. … I don’t think injuries would come from this format.”
Added 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, “At the end the players want to make money. The tournaments want to make money. Then it’s all (a) cycle that comes together. We accept that role.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Serbia's Novak Djokovic serves the ball to Chile's Alejandro Tabilo as spectators are reflected in a glass dividers on the stands at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Spain's Rafael Nadal serves the ball to Belgium's Zizou Bergs at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Russia's Daniil Medvedev returns the ball to Serbia's Hamad Medjedovic at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP Photo/{photograper)
Victoria Azarenka reacts during her match against Danielle Collins of the US at the Italian Open tennis tournament at Rome's Foro Italico, Wednesday, May 15, 2024.Collins beat Azarenka 6-4, 6-3. (AP Photo/Antonietta Baldassarre)
Germany's Alexander Zverev returns the ball to Italy's Luciano Darderi at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates with fans after winning a match against Germany's Angelique Kerber at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
