Close your eyes, and conjure the Boston Red Sox. You probably see a pair of red socks, of course, and possibly a blue Boston “B.” For one of the most storied teams in baseball, these are timeless icons synonymous with history and tradition.
Well, Nike’s new “City Connect” uniform for the team, which debuts on the field April 17, features none of this stuff. Instead, the uniform is a rich yellow (or gold, according to the press release), with “Boston” written in modernist, light blue script.
“There may be traditionalists for whom this is not up their alley! We recognize that,” says Adam Grossman, chief marketing officer of the Red Sox. “We also recognize there will be a lot of other people who take notice who may love it. That’s part of the calculus of it.”Baseball has only dipped its toe into these jerseys. The first City Connect jersey to launch in the MLB is the Red Sox partnership you see here. City Connect jerseys will debut for the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, and San Francisco Giants later this year.
So where did that yellow and blue come from? Nike treated the Red Sox as a partner, but also as something of a client, as Nike researched Boston, and pitched the team with various designs. Over a three-year development process, these pitches were honed and pruned until the team selected this one jersey.“In the beginning, we’re coming with a blank slate,” says Wil Green, the senior creative director at Nike who spearheaded City Connect. “Every team is unique. Some get [to a choice] quicker, others we need to work through more options.”
For the Red Sox, the blue and yellow colors are born from Boston’s Boylston Street, the major artery of the city where the Boston Marathon takes place. The yellow and blue are ringers for the same colors used on the permanent finish line painted on the street. The “Boston” typeface, with its stenciled appearance, is meant to mirror the street paint itself. On the left sleeve you’ll see a racing bib, another nod to the marathon. Finally, the timing of the Boston Marathon generally lines up with Patriot’s Day, which is April 19 this year, and an important holiday in Boston. So the Boston City Connect jersey is a way to celebrate Patriot’s Day, the street, and the marathon in one. Yes, that’s a lot of references! And yes, it might seem a bit strange to connect baseball so closely to running, but Boston is well known for its marathon; it’s attended by half a million people every year.“Some fans will love it, and some fans won’t, just like moves we make on our roster,” says Grossman. “At the end of the day, our fans want us to win and to be entertained. If we do that, the rest of it will take care of itself.”