The Red Sox will be wearing yellow and blue uniforms on Patriots' Day weekend

Heating up in the bullpen

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Young, diverse people are really into distance running. Everyone knows this.
And yellow.
When I pick my kid up from high school, 75% of the kids walking out of the school are wearing black. None are wearing yellow.
My 12 year-old's reaction was "Yuck!"
My 15 year-old's reaction was, "They're kind of cool. Look like the Brewers."
My reaction is, "WTF??? Why are we using another team's color pallette?"
You couldn't sell me one of these shirts if you put "50/Betts" or "19/Bradley Jr" on the back.
 

YTF

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Love them. And a bunch of stuff already sold out at the store, so the market has spoken!
I didn't notice anything sold out. Some items are listed as "Special Event Items" and don't seem to be available for shipping yet. Another thing that I didn't notice was a provision for personalizing the jersey with a number. $434.99 for a blank back jersey just like the players wear.
 

Manramsclan

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I see a UCLA cap. They used to use the straight up Boston 'B' on their old caps and I guess they have changed to the one in the picture up thread. I used to wonder how they got away with using that B but I assume that's why it changed.

Either way, it's not the colors that get me, is that the first thing I think of is UCLA not the Boston Marathon.

I pretty much hate all random colorways though. They could've done a lot of cool things with Red and another color, even on this uniform. Maybe a Green Monster color which is different from St. Paddy's day with a strong yellow and it would've been cool.

This is way off imo.
 

nvalvo

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No one is referencing John Wooden-era UCLA; we're referencing the modern day UCLA baseball uniform. I'm pretty sure all these Lids enthusiasts will be familiar.



It's a great point. The "Red Sox" are really a few things; the team, the business, the institution/brand. The players come and go, as we know. If the brand is also fungible, what's left? Are we now just rooting for the balance sheet?

Not to be too dramatic, but they're selling a small piece of the team's soul.

And besides, if they want to attract the youths, they could always just bust out the now ultra-modern turn ahead the clock uniforms. And actually, they probably should have, since I think those uniforms were supposed to the "throwing ahead" to 2021.

This is the kind of thing they need to stop doing: having the MLB in-house designers do the same schtick for each team's identity. Big logo at an angle! It probably looked great for one of them — the Rockies one was kind of cool — but everybody got the same treatment, and like 25 of them were dumb garbage.

This yellow uniform is more interesting. It departs further from the Red Sox visual identity, but does so in a way that actually says something meaningful.

That doesn't mean I like it. But it isn't stupid.
 

dirtynine

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I asked for this 7 years ago:
https://mwillis.com/a-red-sox-patriots-day-concept/

Not surprised it’s happening with Nike. I wish they blended the Sox and BAA/Marathon styles a bit more, but fully in favor. One thing that makes soccer jerseys great is that alternates can be anything - they don’t have to be in team colors. When the club’s brand is strong enough, as the Sox’s is, you can be very bold.
 

Bernie Carbohydrate

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We have a sport that is desperate to bring in younger fans. Bright colored unis attract eyeballs and the kids love this kind of stuff. I don’t see how wearing these for 2 days is a big deal.
Wait until the kids see our Payroll Efficiency Pennant! Next time I see a youngster in Fenway I’ll tell the of the legends of Foxx, Williams, Rice, Ortiz, and Verdugo.

If I buy enough yellow shirts will Mookie come home?
 

Lose Remerswaal

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I asked for this 7 years ago:
https://mwillis.com/a-red-sox-patriots-day-concept/

Not surprised it’s happening with Nike. I wish they blended the Sox and BAA/Marathon styles a bit more, but fully in favor. One thing that makes soccer jerseys great is that alternates can be anything - they don’t have to be in team colors. When the club’s brand is strong enough, as the Sox’s is, you can be very bold.
Now THAT’S the right blue. How hard would that have been?
 

nolasoxfan

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I’m a traditionalist when it comes to baseball and the Red Sox. These uniforms do not make me happy. That’s all I’ve got.
 

YTF

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I asked for this 7 years ago:
https://mwillis.com/a-red-sox-patriots-day-concept/

Not surprised it’s happening with Nike. I wish they blended the Sox and BAA/Marathon styles a bit more, but fully in favor. One thing that makes soccer jerseys great is that alternates can be anything - they don’t have to be in team colors. When the club’s brand is strong enough, as the Sox’s is, you can be very bold.
While I'm not a huge fan of endless alternate jerseys, this is extremely well done. It was mentioned above that Adidas has the rights to the marathon merch, but if it were possible to add a BAA/Marathon shoulder patch I would support this as the Sox forever marathon day uni.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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While I'm not a huge fan of endless alternate jerseys, this is extremely well done. It was mentioned above that Adidas has the rights to the marathon merch, but if it were possible to add a BAA/Marathon shoulder patch I would support this as the Sox forever marathon day uni.
If only it was a Marathon day uni at all.

They're wearing them Saturday and Sunday, but not on Monday. That day will be the now traditional "Boston" jerseys.
 

YTF

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If only it was a Marathon day uni at all.

They're wearing them Saturday and Sunday, but not on Monday. That day will be the now traditional "Boston" jerseys.
Yes I'm fully aware, I'm just saying that I think dirtynine's concept is very well done and in the spirit of the City Connect idea, I would support that BAA/Marathon/Boston mashup as the official Marathon day uni. Keep the Sox traditional look with "Boston" on the front of the jersey, in the proper font, done in official marathon colors. Seeing the Adidas has the rights to the marathon logo, go with the 617 patch and perhaps Boston Strong beneath it.
 

YTF

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If anyone is interested I lifted this...

In MLB, these alternates will be called the “City Connect” series, and the Red Sox are just the first of seven teams to get the Nike treatment this year. The Red Sox (today), Marlins (May 21), White Sox (June 5), Cubs (June 12), Diamondbacks (June 18), Giants (July 9) and the Dodgers (late August) have their reveal dates already scheduled. And every team will get a jersey by the end of the 2023 season.

...from this article...
https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2021/04/06/the-cubs-are-one-of-seven-mlb-teams-getting-special-city-jerseys-this-year/
Can't wait to see what gems the other teams will be sporting.
 

Deweys New Stance

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I started following the Sox in the summer of '75. They had switched a couple years earlier to the V-neck pullovers and sansabelts (following a trend that started a couple years prior) and that season had gone to the red caps with blue bills. These were the first major changes to the look of their uniform set in over 40 years. As an 11-year old I loved the new look, especially the caps, but I wonder what the old-timers back then thought of them; probably not unlike the reaction here to these unis. I recall Bill Lee wasn't a fan. I still love the caps and like the idea of bringing that look back every few years as a throwback, but I was also glad as a teenager when they went back to their traditional navy cap, button-front belted look in '79. I read once that they went back to the old style in part because it was less expensive, which would make sense with cheapskates Sullivan and LeRoux in charge. I think I was glad just to make a clean break from the era that ended with the BF Dent Game.

So now I'm an old guy who really dislikes the big expansion of alt jerseys for what seems like a quarter century now. With that said, I don't hate these as a limited-use alternate; at least they have simple, clean lines and a bright color palette. Dirtynine's fantastic concept would have been much better. My biggest objection to most of the alt-jersey concepts teams come up with these days are just how overcrowded, busy and flat out ugly they are, particularly when MLB tries to jam their existing logos and colors into a new template. The worst, most hideous examples of this are the camouflage and stars & stripes abominations that teams have worn for years on Memorial Day and the Fourth. I'll take this concept over those eyesores any day.

If it was just about the colors, they also could have gone with 1936 Boston Bees throwbacks:
40049
 

OCD SS

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I'm against using faux stencil fonts, but because I've been using stencils in artwork and have noticed a general consolidation in how they get made; there used to be lots of individual manufacturers, but now everybody carries the same thing (go look at your local home depot or hardware store) with a light green label... no stencils use round 'O's (for reasons of kerning)

No one has had their kids ask "what's an area code?"

Overall I can't be bothered to get upset about this, but I like DirtyNine's version a lot, but with the new version and font I think a darker blue would be better.
 

Awesome Fossum

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I think what offends me most about the uniforms is the way they're presented as "City Connect". The idea being that as a way to strengthen the connection between the team and the city, a third party (?) is going to come up with a new uniform that's disconnected (?) from the team's brand.

It's completely backward, and totally undercuts the Red Sox as a club in favor of MLB Boston as a franchise. Or even worse, since this is originally an NBA thing, in favor of Nike Baseball Boston. It accomplishes the exact opposite of what it is ostensibly supposed to do.

If they called it the Nike "Cash Grab" series, at least they wouldn't be telling us it's raining while they're pissing on us.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Our long regional nightmare is over. The unis are now just a distant memory...until they come up with a new reason to wear them.
 

Philip Jeff Frye

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My initial response to this was that there wouldn't be many given the short selling season for this schlock, but now I'm thinking the leftovers will get scooped up on Fanatics at incrementally decreased pricing as the season wears on.
I noticed several people in the stands during yesterday's telecast wearing them. I wondered if they were Red Sox/Nike/NESN plants, or at least fans wearing giveaways, to try to convince people that these are popular and selling well, so you'd better get yours while you can! I'm sure we can count on NESN highlighting anybody in the stands dressed like that all season long.
 

YTF

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I noticed several people in the stands during yesterday's telecast wearing them. I wondered if they were Red Sox/Nike/NESN plants, or at least fans wearing giveaways, to try to convince people that these are popular and selling well, so you'd better get yours while you can! I'm sure we can count on NESN highlighting anybody in the stands dressed like that all season long.
I'm sure the Nike advertising budget allows for this. I'm anxious to see what's going to be revealed for the other 6 teams that will be participating in City Connect this season.
 

EllisTheRimMan

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They look like some sort of neighborhood knucklehead softball team in those Uni’s. I was expecting to see a Keg at first base. I still may buy me some swag... cause it really is unprecedented in being a truly hideous baseball uniform from head to toe. I’m getting some yellow stirrup socks I may frame and hang in my man cave.

40367
 

Kliq

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I kind of liked the uniforms. I know that the average age of a SoSH poster is 85, but I was surprised to see so much dislike for them.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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I kind of liked the uniforms. I know that the average age of a SoSH poster is 85, but I was surprised to see so much dislike for them.
I'm not 85 (halfway there though). I didn't dislike them, at least not as much as some, but I definitely did not like them. I'm usually indifferent to alternate uniforms. I have no objections to the red jerseys or the blue jerseys or even the green ones (as long as they stay a St Patrick's tradition only). The only cap I objected to were the white ones they tried in the late 90s. I guess I'm just not a big fan of going outside the traditional palette of the team's colors. I get why they did it, especially honoring the Marathon, but it's just not for me.
 

Awesome Fossum

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The problem, IMO, isn't that they're ugly. I think they're fine enough in a vacuum. It's just not a Red Sox uniform. And if the Red Sox were the ones getting creative and made something stupid, at least it would be a Red Sox mistake. This is Nike's reimagination of the Boston MLB franchise.
 

ookami7m

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The problem, IMO, isn't that they're ugly. I think they're fine enough in a vacuum. It's just not a Red Sox uniform. And if the Red Sox were the ones getting creative and made something stupid, at least it would be a Red Sox mistake. This is Nike's reimagination of the Boston MLB franchise.
This 1000% - It's not a Boston uniform. There just isn't enough to tie it to what we all know as a Red Sox uniform. If this was the new UCLA uniform or any other franchise I probably wouldn't have raised an eyebrow. The yellow hat isn't bad at all in a vaccuum.
 

Kliq

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The current regular Red Sox uniforms, at least for young people, are considered very, very boring. There is a reason the NBA has trended in the direction of more bright, neon-style uniforms. Do they all look great? I don't think so, but they are what is in fashion and similar to the popular athletic attire worn by young people today. The Red Sox (and yeah I know it was designed by Nike but it wasn't foisted upon them, they chose to go with it) attempted to design a uniform with bright and unconventional colors, and attempted to tie it in with Patriots Day and the BAA as well, which is a unique tradition in sports. For all I know it has been successful; my sister is a manager at Olympia Sports and told me that the stuff was flying off the shelves all weekend and they were completely sold out.

The pearl clutching about it not being a "Red Sox" uniform because it uses a different color scheme is kind of dramatic. I'm not saying you have to like it, but it was an honest attempt to try and get more people (particularly younger fans) interested in buying and wearing Red Sox garb, and that is a good thing.
 

Awesome Fossum

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I'm definitely being dramatic. No argument there.



There's no doubt they're taking their lead from the NBA. I guess I would like to see evidence that there's a casual relation between the NBA's popularity with young people and their uniform policies. I'm an old man of 36, but I can't help but think the NBA succeeds in spite of their uniforms and not because of them.

Not that this is the most important point, but I wholly reject that the Red Sox designed this uniform. Nike approached MLB with this concept, the Red Sox (along with the Marlins, Cubs, White Sox, DBacks, Giants, and Dodgers) agreed to participate, and Nike executed it. And maybe that's a distinction without a difference, but it seems like if all we're really doing here is rooting for laundry, you should at least not outsource the laundry.

I think it's very telling that the Yankees are not participating, when I'm sure they were #1 on Nike's wish list. The Yankees have always been extremely protective of their brand, and it pays dividends.