Some people argue that Major League Baseball has scrubbed out all individual player distinctiveness over the last few years. But now, a collaboration between the MLB Players Association and Major League Baseball might add a little color to at least one weekend in August.
The players’ union and the league recently announced 'Players Weekend'—to be held during the games of August 25-27. Baseball fans got a glimpse of what to expect on last night's Sunday Night Baseball telecast on ESPN (at the site of the Little World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania) between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals. Players will be permitted to attach a nickname on the back of their jerseys (Majestic Athletic), in addition to donning distinctively-designed and colored spikes, bats, catcher’s masks, compression sleeves and wristbands.
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| Source: MLB Communications via Twitter |
Another cool factor is that players will get to inscribe the names of persons or associations influential to their growth on a uniform patch. This patch will appear on the right-hand sleeve for Players Weekend—and could also incorporate a display of players progressing from youth competitions to Major League Baseball. In a remarkable split from conventional MLB fare, the innovative logo will also be visible on helmets and jackets—in place of MLB’s standard batter logo. The new uniforms will feature specially-designed socks from Stance and unique caps from New Era. Throughout the pre-game workout sessions and post game press conferences, the players will wear t-shirts emphasizing a cause or charity of their preference.
Fans will also have access to virtual betting stations open to the public. In fact, click here to place your MLB bets at williamhill.com or visit their favorite portal via the internet.
Numerous players will be ambassadors for Players Weekend to endorse the events on social media—using the hash tag: #PlayersWeekend. These include players such as Chris Young of the Red Sox, Christian Yelich of the Miami Marlins, CC Sabathia of the Yankees, Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs, Manny Machado of the Orioles, Francisco Lindor of the Cleveland Indians, Ender Inciarte of the Atlanta Braves, Nelson Cruz of the Seattle Mariners, Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays, Javier Baez of the Cubs and Yonder Alonso of the Mariners. The weekend will also include a charitable component. Used jerseys from the games will be offered on online auctions with the proceeds donated to charities like the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation. MLBPA and MLB already made a $30 million commitment for "improving the caliber, effectiveness and availability of amateur baseball and softball programs across the United States and Canada."