On Friday, Fanatics offered a different kind of transparency.
Introduced this spring by Major League Baseball’s uniform maker, the Fanatics have been widely publicized in recent weeks, in part because the players’ pants are so revealing. But Michael Rubin, the company’s CEO, said Friday that Fanatics is taking too much heat as fans and players, individually and as the MLBPA, have criticized Nike-designed uniforms.
“We’ve done exactly what they told us, they told us we did everything right, and now we get away with it every day,” Rubin said. he said at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Massachusetts. “It’s not fun. “Usually when I get beat, it’s because I did something really bad.”
Rubin, the former minority owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, joked that he would offer information about his background. for the audience“But I think everyone has read about it in the last two weeks.” He said his biggest takeaway from the situation was that Nike needed more approval from players before making major uniform changes.
“They had some players, not all,” Rubin said. “When you change something so old and nostalgic, you need everyone to be on board.”
Nike took over as MLB’s official uniform supplier ahead of the 2020 season, keeping Fanatics as the manufacturer. The Fanatics purchased Majestic Athletics, the league’s previous uniform supplier, in 2017, so Nike uniforms are now manufactured in the same Fanatics-owned facility in Easton, Pennsylvania, where the league’s uniforms have been manufactured since 2005.
“In this case, Nike designs everything, gives us the specifications and says, ‘Do this,’” Rubin said. “We did everything precisely. Nike and baseball say yes, you did everything we asked of you. Part of the uniform change is that people feel uncomfortable and it takes time to adapt. “
Rubin said he believes Nike apparel will improve over time.
Major League Baseball is working to improve uniforms, according to Tony Clark, head of the players’ union.
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(Foto: Justin Berle/Getty Images)
2024-05-09 06:40:31
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