Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin is pushing back against the backlash the company received after MLB’s new uniforms were widely ridiculed.
The uniforms, designed by Nike and manufactured by Fanatics, have a variety of problems, including an overall poor appearance, small fonts for last names, and see-through pants.
Speaking Friday at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, Rubin said he believes the company is being unfairly blamed.
“We’ve been doing exactly what we’ve been told – we’ve been told we’ve done everything right – and now we’re pushing stress out of ourselves every day,” Rubin said. Featured by The Athletic.
“That’s not funny. Usually when I get hit, it’s because I actually did something wrong.”
He reiterated previously reported claims that Fanatics was manufacturing the uniforms following exact instructions from Nike.
“In this particular case, Nike designs everything, gives us specs and says, ‘Make this,'” Rubin continued. “We made everything exactly to spec. Nike and the baseball world will say, ‘Yes, you did everything we asked.’ Changing uniforms can make people uncomfortable and it takes time. ”
The MLB Players Association is one of the chorus of critics of the new design, and Rubin acknowledged that perhaps not enough players were on board before the drastic changes were made. .
“We brought in certain players, not everyone,” Rubin revealed. “When you change something that’s so old and nostalgic, everyone has to buy in.”
He believed that once people got used to the new uniform, it would be seen as an improvement over the past.
