In addition to being a sports-media junkie, I’m a sports-uniform snob. And in my not-so-humble opinion, the Cubs’ new alternate uniform has more in common with the dearly departed Montreal Expos than the Cubs or electric blues.
The duds — as in both definitions of the word — are part of a trend in sports that has gotten way out of hand. In pursuit of the precious dollar, teams are donning so many uniforms that some not only look silly, they’re unidentifiable.
Surely, you’ve turned on a game and wondered, even for a second, who the heck is playing. Then you look at the scorebug, hoping to see corresponding colors, but most only add to the confusion.
See the sports media connection?
When I first saw the Cubs’ alternate uniform, the baby-blue jersey color and the red number and font on the front conjured memories of the Expos, who wore a similar top from their inception in 1969 to 1991. The multicolored crown of the cap also is similar to that of the Expos.
The “C” in “Cubs” on the jersey and cap looks like a horseshoe. And if the Cubs are harkening back to their original baby-blue days in 1941-42 — they were the first modern major-league team to wear the color — why are the pants white?
Nevertheless, the jersey has been a hit with fans. Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney said on The Score that the team sold more of this jersey in the first week than it did the City Connect “Wrigleyville” jersey in the first year. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.
But how closely must fans pay attention to team wardrobes to know who’s who? The NBA has become comical for its uniforms and their designations: Association, City, Icon and Statement, and four teams have Classic jerseys, as well.
With NBA teams becoming so hard to identify, ESPN was thoughtful enough to change its scorebug a few years back to match each team’s jersey color, like most soccer broadcasts do. TNT and Chicago Sports Network don’t. Here’s hoping NBC and Prime Video do next season.
What was wrong with the home team always wearing white? Nowadays, you could see an NBA game with both teams essentially wearing home jerseys. Last week, the Warriors wore white (Association) at the Lakers, who wore yellow (Icon), which has been their home color forever.
When the NBA started this nonsense in 2017, the Bulls wore red (Icon) at home. Fans didn’t take to it because of their fond memories of seeing Michael Jordan’s Bulls in white. The team changed course and largely wears white at home. Good move.
I wish I could say the same for the NHL, which began having teams wear white on the road in 2003. Throughout my childhood, the Blackhawks wore white at home, and it was a treat to see those sweaters because only road games, in which the Hawks wore red, were televised.
It was delightful to see teams’ different colors come through town. But since the change — which was made to accommodate alternate home sweaters and boost their sales, of course — fans mostly see the same colors every home game: the Hawks in red, the opponent in white.
I’m a traditionalist. Aside from football, in which the home team chooses what color to wear, I like home teams in white. It took years for me to accept the Cubs’ royal-blue top and the White Sox’ black top (that’s a sharp jersey, and the diamond/sock sleeve patch is underrated).
That’s why all these MLB City Connect jerseys bother me so much. They’re all awful (though the Sox’ SouthSide set is the least awful). And more surely awful sets are coming this season, including for the Sox.
It’s part of the MLB-Nike agreement that calls for a “four plus one” package of uniforms: one home, one road, two alternates and a City Connect. Honestly, do teams need FIVE uniforms? So they can sell five times the jerseys, of course they do.
I’m happy for the Cubs that sales of the baby-blue jersey finally will allow Kenney to fill that wheelbarrow of cash he promised to dump at Theo Epstein’s office 10 years ago. Maybe they’ll put it toward Kyle Tucker.
Remote patrol
NBA reporter Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson’s first mini-documentary, “The Freezeout,” examines the 1985 All-Star Game, in which Isiah Thomas allegedly led a scheme to limit rookie Michael Jordan’s involvement. The show is available on Robinson’s YouTube channel, @ScoopB.
• The Cubs-Dodgers game Sunday will air at 6 p.m. on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball.” Karl Ravech, analysts David Cone and Eduardo Perez and reporter Buster Olney will call it.
• ESPN will air coverage of the WNBA Draft starting at 6 p.m. Monday with “WNBA Countdown.” The draft will begin at 6:30. The Sky’s first-round pick is No. 10 overall.
