The New York Yankees are teasing a change to their appearance for the first time in over a century by adopting a new alternate uniform. Players on the team are pushing for the team to adopt the navy blue batting practice jerseys with 'NEW YORK' across the chest in grey letters. The Yankees wear this jersey in spring training as well.
While the 'new' jersey is one that the players and fans are already familiar with, it would mark the first time the Yankees added a new uniform to their rotation since 1918. The iconic home pinstripe uniform was adopted in 1915. The road grey uniforms - which are essentially the inverse of the batting practice jerseys - were incorporated in 1918. While there have been minor changes to these jerseys, they have largely remained unchanged.
'There's a lot of tradition here, the most iconic jersey there is in sports, pretty much,' slugger Giancarlo Stanton said (via the New York Post). 'But it doesn't mean that every once in a while you can't change something up, especially on the road.'
The Yankees have not officially signed off on such a change, but owner Hal Steinbrenner has been willing to compromise on some of the franchise's most stringent appearance policies. Last season, Steinbrenner amended the team's facial hair policy which prevented players from having beards. Back in 2023, he allowed a change to the uniforms by having a sponsored patch from Starr Insurance placed on the sleeves.
'I'm all about tradition, but we got a patch on our sleeves,' said team captain Aaron Judge. 'I got nothing for you till it happens.' Judge added that he believes this will not have an effect on the team only wearing the pinstripes at home.
The news of the impending change drew mixed reactions from fans on social media - some irate, some welcoming the change. 'What a f***ing disgrace,' one infuriated fan said. 'S***ty a**, disgusting piece of s*** city connects jerseys are next. Pandora Jar is now open. What a disgrace.' Another wrote, 'If George [Steinbrenner] wasn't already spinning in his grave watching his son [Hal] flush the remnants of his team's legacy down the drain, he is now.' 'I won't watch a single game that they wear them. Yanks are above that nonsense,' another comment read.
Others were in favor of the change: 'I am so in on this I don't care,' wrote one Yankees fan. Another posted, 'THIS IS GOING TO GET #THOSE PEOPLE MAD,' with plenty of laughing emojis. 'Love it! Why are so many people complaining? The navy blues are nice!' said another fan.
