With the most recent edition of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game in the books, league officials are reportedly considering returning to tradition and having players wear their own respective team uniform in the Midsummer Classic.
According to the Canadian Press, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Tuesday, July 16, that ditching American League and National League uniforms in favor of team uniforms might be on the table.
“I’m aware of the sentiment on this issue,” Manfred said. “I think where my head is on it, it’s something we’re going to have a conversation about coming out of the All-Star Game. We’ve got a lot of uniform things going on. And, obviously, the conversations have to involve the players first and foremost but Nike, some of our partners. But I am aware of the sentiment, and I do know why people kind of like that tradition.”
Players wore their individual team uniforms in All-Star Games from 1933 (AL) or 1934 (NL) until 2019, with teams in the same league as the host team wearing home whites and teams in the opposing league wearing road greys. The All-Star Game was cancelled due to COVID in 2020, and when it returned in 2021, league uniforms were instituted for the game itself; special league uniforms had been worn for the Home Run Derby from 1997 to 2017.
The 2021 MLS All-Star Game was held in Denver, Colorado, and featured NL players in white and AL players in navy blue. Both teams had each player’s team logo overtop of a red team abbreviation. The jersey colors and design were likely a holdover as the game was originally scheduled to be played in Atlanta.
The 2022 All-Star Game in Los Angeles almost reverted back to individual team uniforms. NL players wore white jerseys and AL players wore dark grey jerseys, both with their team wordmarks across the front in gold with black outlines. The jerseys didn’t have any other striping or embellishments, though, and the names and numbers on the back were in standard fonts.
For the 2023 All-Star Game in Seattle, the American League wore teal jerseys while the National League wore navy blue. This marked the first time “AMERICAN” and “NATIONAL” were used on jerseys in the All-Star Game itself instead of individual team identifiers. Both jerseys contained a “print that blends elements of its neighboring ocean, forests, topography and the movement of air.”
And then, of course, are the 2024 All-Star Game jerseys worn on Tuesday night in Arlington, Texas. The National League wore black jerseys with blue raglan sleeves, while the American League wore sand-colored jerseys with bright red raglan sleeves. One-color versions of each player’s team logo appeared on the left sleeve.
