It was only a matter of time before most Major League Baseball clubs were forced to wear Nike’s mostly God awful “City Connect” uniforms.
Nike’s City Connect program was designed to sell more merchandise mesh the cultural identity of a city/state/region and its respective ballclub. Half of the league is currently wearing some form of the marketing ploy uniforms. Some are solid, like to Colorado Rockies‘ evergreen get up, the Miami Marlins‘ Cuban inspired duds, or the Washington Nationals‘ cherry blossoms unis. Others, looking’ at you Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, and San Francisco Giants, are just plain “blah.”
Up until this season, the Phillies escaped the clutches of Nike’s City Connect grasp but that all changed with an early December report. MLB was forcing the Phillies to ditch their red “getaway” tops and forcing the team to don City Connection uniforms in 2024. Speculation began to run rampant about what look the Fightins might use for their City Connect duds. Would it be a mashup of uniforms past, or perhaps a revival of the awesomely awful “Saturday Night Specials,” or perhaps a nod to the Phillie Phanatic? No, that would make too much sense!
Instead, we’re likely getting this:
Were the Phillies city connect jerseys just leaked through eBay? @Fanatics @Phillies @philliesNEstore @Nike pic.twitter.com/kUnyOcT3kR
— Mo (@Gottagoto_MOs) January 31, 2024
Horrendous. But is it real?
This is likely legit according to uniform aficionado Paul Lukas of Uni-Watch. Lukas notes most City Connect uniforms that have leaked online via eBay or MLB Shop have turned out to be real. And all signs are point to this being the Phillies City Connect uniform top. The blue and yellow motif matches the general City Connect concept that the Phillies are reportedly going to employ to tie into the Philadelphia city flag.
Here’s a closer look at some of the other elements of the leaked jersey.
Philadelphia Skyline on the Collar
An outline of the city skyline is present on the inside collar of the leaked jersey. This element meshes with other uniforms in the City Connect program. A closer look at the tag under the collar appears to match Nike’s newest merchandise.
LOVE Logo and Liberty Bell Incorporated on Sleeve Patch
As you can see from the picture above, the famous “LOVE” statue from Philadelphia Love Park and the Liberty Bell are part of the sleeve patch. The “LOVE” statue and the Liberty Bell are synonymous with the city of Philadelphia.
The Jock Tag Looks Legit
That jock tag looks legit and matches Nike’s newest jerseys. Sigh.
Final Thoughts
Ugh, this leak is likely real and that makes it even worse. As Mo AKA the dude that found these on eBay points out, everything about the jerseys point to being correct. The Nike logos are correct, the packaging, and the price tag look good too. Knockoff jerseys don’t look like that. Perhaps this a way for MLB, Nike, and the Phillies to “test” the reaction of the fans. The leak has received overwhelmingly negative reactions and maybe that will force the trio to make change (probably not).
Phillies city connect jersey looks HOT pic.twitter.com/yYmMI48gGR
— Chris OIIey (@chrisoIIey) January 31, 2024
I know we’re all dunking on the Phillies city connect jersey, but there’s maybe nothing that connects more with my childhood experience than the Phillies wearing a 1998 Forman Mills jersey https://t.co/joGBmmfk49
— Chris OIIey (@chrisoIIey) January 31, 2024
If this is actually the Phillies City Connect then we need to start a petition or something. Nike’s jersey designs for the NBA and MLB keep getting progressively worse. Why would you want an MLB franchise to look like a little league travel team? pic.twitter.com/fyjewp4YQM
— Mike DeStefano (@_DeStefano) January 31, 2024
LOL
— Broad St. Baseball – Talkin’ Philly ⚾️ & Beyond! (@BaseballBroadSt) January 31, 2024
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