Back when I was writing every day about uniforms, I’d frequently hear from sportswriters requesting a quote or insight for a uni-related article they were working on. Those requests pretty much stopped after I retired from uni writing two years ago, but yesterday I was contacted by a writer from a major sports media outlet. He wanted to know what I thought about the Yankees possibly wearing their navy BP jerseys as alternate jerseys for road games — something the players have been lobbying for.
Implicit in this question is the notion that the Yankees are somehow in a different uniform category than all the other teams. But are they really? Let’s consider:
When the silly Players’ Weekend uniforms were announced in 2017, everyone said, “Sure, everyone else will wear that nonsense, but NOT THE YANKEES.” But they did.
Those Players’ Weekend jerseys had nicknames on the back. Once again, everyone said, “Sure, everyone else will go with nicknames, but NOT THE YANKEES.” But they did.
A few years later, when it was announced that the Nike logo would begin appearing on the chest of MLB jerseys, everyone said, “Maybe for other teams, but NOT THE YANKEES.” Wrong.
A few years after that, when teams were permitted to start selling advertising space on their jersey sleeves, everyone said, “Sure, some teams will sell out, but NOT THE YANKEES.” Wrong again.
And so on. It’s true that the Yankees don’t have NOBs, and they also don’t have a City Connect uniform. (Neither do the A’s.) But the idea that their visual program is somehow more rarefied or sacred than anyone else’s, or that they’re somehow above all the silliness that permeates the rest of the MLB merch machine, rings hollow these days. They’ve worn the camo, stars/stripes, and pink uniforms just like everyone else, they wear the ridiculous batting helmet ads for overseas and postseason games just like everyone else, and these days they even allow beards just like everyone else, so why not allow alternate uniforms while they’re at it? It’s hard to apply a purity test to something that long ago became adulterated.
To be clear: I’m not saying I want the Yankees to start wearing alternate uniforms. But in light of all the other things they’ve done, I don’t think it would be such a big deal. That’s pretty much what I told the writer who was asking for my take on the situation.