Philadelphia Phillies fans have been waiting with anticipation for the team's new City Connect jerseys to be revealed ever since it was announced that this would be the season we'd finally see how Nike connects baseball and the Phillies to the city of Philadelphia, and vice versa. And oof, what a whiff.
On Wednesday morning, X user Mo (@Gottagoto_MOs) posted what looks like a leaked version of the Phillies' City Connect jerseys to be used this summer and, unfortunately, in subsequent years.
And it's worse than we could have imagined.
Nike has come under fire before from other fan bases for their City Connect designs, but the designers outdid themselves for this one. If it's real, there will be some disappointed Phillies fans this season. And if there's a fan base you don't want to disappoint, it's Philadelphia.
You can see for yourself the supposed leaked design below:
Were the Phillies city connect jerseys just leaked through eBay? @Fanatics @Phillies @philliesNEstore @Nike pic.twitter.com/kUnyOcT3kR
— Mo (@Gottagoto_MOs) January 31, 2024
So, we get the blue and yellow taken from the city flag of Philadelphia, but after that, things go downhill, and fast. The two-tone seems unnecessary. And the lettering? We'd like to hear an explanation.
Is this design legitimate?
If you're skeptical about whether this is a legitimate leak or someone just trolling Phillies fans, Mo offers some analysis of why they think it's for real. They refer to the new Nike "limited" template, the accuracy of the MLB and Nike logos, and the packaging and price tags.
Few reasons why I think this is legit
— Mo (@Gottagoto_MOs) January 31, 2024
1. This jersey is in the new Nike “limited” template for baseball in 2024
2. MLB and Nike logos are correct which counterfeit jerseys usually get wrong
3. The packaging and price tags all look correct pic.twitter.com/PdW5pl7Fbs
Another reason to believe this design is legit is that the concept of using the city's flag was already leaked at the beginning of the year.
How did Phillies fans react after the leak reveal?
As you can imagine, Phillies fans' initial reaction to the design was not positive, to say the least.
One fan, user David Meatmachine (@atmeatm), said it looks "disgraceful," although they go on to say they should wear it once and never again. We don't know if we think the players should be subjected to it even a single time.
Even more disgraceful than I thought it would look. Wear it once and never again—it’s that atrocious.
— David Meatmachine (@atmeatm) January 31, 2024
User Pat Morgan (@thepatmorgan) calls it gross. We couldn't agree more.
that ain’t it… gross.
— Pat Morgan (@thepatmorgan) January 31, 2024
Matt Miller (@MattyMillz85) had been looking forward to the jersey release, but not anymore. They certainly are stinking up the joint, Matt.
I was looking forward to these since the city connects were coming out and let me tell you, these STINK
— Matt Miller (@MattyMillz85) January 31, 2024
User Bell (@YNWABell) made the astute observation that they look like the jersey worn by a softball team. Not that there's anything wrong with a softball jersey, but only if it's worn by a softball team.
Looks like a softball team Jersey
— Bell (@YNWABell) January 31, 2024
And finally, one of the funnier observations comes from kyle (@kbeatt), who notes that the split "I" obviously wasn't designed with Nick Castellanos and Alec Bohm in mind.
Why the split "I"? They will look terrible when Castellanos or Bohm have their top buttons undone. Their jerseys will say "PHIILLY".
— kyle (@kbeatt) January 31, 2024
For now, all Phillies fans can do is sit back and wait for the official reveal from MLB and Nike, with their fingers crossed that this is a well done troll job.
Get your barf bag ready just in case, though.