Texas Rangers fans disgusted by team's City Connect outfits: "Must have had an elementary school contest on designing the uniforms"

After posting a 9-6 record in the early stages of the 2023 season, the Texas Rangers have surprised both fans and outside observers.

However, an unpleasant surprise was also in store for fans. As part of an agreement between MLB and Nike that began in 2021, certain teams have rolled out new "City Connect" uniforms. The new kits are meant to showcase explorative new designs that showcase the team's city.

According to the team, the uniforms are meant to showcase "Texas Spirit" and even feature an unidentified animal called a "Peagle" on the shoulder crest.

However, when the Texas Rangers released an image of their 2023 City Connect outfit, fans evidently did not share the team's enthusiasm for the design.

The new, white jerseys feature "TX" on the right breast, and the player numbers on the left. The jerseys are non-descript except for a spur half-heartedly stylizing the prints. This has led some to suggest that the uniforms were in fact designed by elementary school students as part of a project.

Moreover, the uniforms feature black pants, which are considered to be a rarity in the world of MLB uniforms, especially when juxtaposed against the white top half.

Several other teams, including the Chicago White Sox and the Rangers' cross-state rival, the Houston Astros, have debuted their own City Connect uniforms over the past couple of seasons.

While there can be no doubt that Texas Rangers fans are not impressed by the new uniforms, they are far from outliers. Nearly every team that has unveiled City Connect jerseys has faced significant pushback from their respective fanbases for altering the widely-recognized team brands.

Texas Rangers fans should not let City Connect uniforms distract from team's success

While the season is still in its early stages, Rangers fans likely never expected to see their team atop the standings in the AL West, even with the Astros and Los Angeles Angels looking rather threatening.

After finishing with a record of 68-94 in 2022, Rangers fans should be thanking their lucky stars, even if that means having to tolerate black pants.

About the author

Adrian Dorney is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda. Having worked over five years in the industry, Adrian strives to combine statistical analysis with the human side of baseball reporting. Since a lot of his briefs involve publishing content with urgency, he has perfected a process involving a combination of trustworthy sources and assessment with intuition.

His lifelong tryst with baseball began with growing up in Toronto and watching the Blue Jays regularly. His favorite player is Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr., and Jose Bautista's go-ahead home run in 2015 ALDS Game 5 remains his favorite baseball memory to date.

When not working, Adrian is constantly looking to learn new things and he also loves playing golf and chess.

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