Phillies’ missing uniforms is a bad look for Fanatics, especially in light of new Bryce Harper partnership
The Philadelphia Phillies have some of the best uniforms in Major League Baseball, but for the time being, they’ll be outfit repeaters (Lizzie McGuire fans know).
Over their first weekend of the 2022 season, the Phillies wore their red pinstripes instead of the clean cream fits. While both are home attire, the change is notable because the cream uniforms are reserved for home day games, which all three games of the opening series were.
But this weekend, the Phillies wore their stripes for all three games, and according to Phillies EVP Dave Buck, they’re not the only uniforms the club is waiting on. The iconic retro powder blues, worn for Thursday home games, are also no-shows, and Buck says they have no idea when either will arrive:
"“They weren’t able to deliver the uniforms in time. It’s a shame because our fans really like them. But the supplier [Fanatics] is backed up and doing the best they can.”"
The uniform snafu also comes days after the report that MLB, the MLBPA, and the NFL were among those investing in the latest round of Fanatics funding, which totals $1.5 billion. MLB first invested in 2017 and along with the other investing leagues, now owns a small percentage of the company, which was recently valued at $27 billion.
In 2021, Fanatics lured MLB away from Topps after 70 years, and despite retaining exclusive trading card licensing rights, they then purchased Topps for a reported $500M earlier this year. In addition to their exclusive licensing deals on official team merchandise for MLB, they have the same deals with the NFL, NHL, NBA, and many colleges and universities. Clearly, they have a lot going on.
All in all, not a great look for Fanatics, especially since they just entered into a new multi-year partnership with Bryce Harper.
They should probably make sure he has something to wear.
Don’t panic, but Nick Castellanos just bought Ben Simmons’ Philadelphia house
Newest Philadelphia Phillies star Nick Castellanos has reportedly purchased the home of unpopular former 76er, Ben Simmons, recently traded to the Nets.