After seeing the Boston Red Sox's Boston Marathon-inspired yellow-and-blue City Connect jerseys during their series against the White Sox in Fenway Park in April, fans began speculating what Nike and the White Sox might use for inspiration when they get their turn.
The answer? Themselves.
The White Sox unveiled their new spin-off uniforms this morning in a social media blitz ...
... and here's a closer look at the elements:
How are we feeling about them? Here are my quick impressions:
PROS
White pinstripes on dark fabric: They're a nice Sox spin on an homage to the Chicago American Giants, whose most famous uniforms were dark blue with white pinstripes. This might've been unintentional on Nike's part, because the White Sox's press release doesn't mention this.
The White Sox City Connect Jersey features a design that celebrates a team mindset centered on grit and drive that is synonymous with the White Sox and the team’s fan culture. Proudly displaying “Southside” in the White Sox Gothic script across the jersey’s chest, the graphic nods to the organization’s storied history of the ballpark’s Chicago location that transformed over a century into a team identity.
The dark grey uniform draws inspiration from Chicago’s well-known Greystone architectural style. Providing a fresh take on the iconic White Sox pinstripes, the color scheme and pattern create texture to symbolize the team’s brand identity and pay tribute to the look that has permeated through Hip Hop and youth culture.
The patch: I mourned the loss of the Diamond Sock on the White Sox's road grays, so it's nice to see them survive the jump to a different uniform.
Numbers: When you go to a game at Coors Field, you soon realize that the only thing distinguishing a White Sox jersey from a Rockies jersey from the back is a hint of purple on the latter. That made it way too easy to imagine the White Sox acquiring Nolan Arenado, and that road only leads to disappointment. I wouldn't mind seeing a more distinct name/numbering approach, and you can see the effect on a double-digit number like Dallas Keuchel's.
CONS
Southside as one word: "South Side" is two words. "Southside" makes it seem like these were repurposed from another city, or a movie that didn't have MLB licensing. Mashing them together makes it easier to see other things, like "Smithfield" or "Smashmouth." If Smash Mouth adopts this look at their merch table, you'll know this is a dead end.
The Chicago Tribune "C": The Trib didn't staff a beat writer for the Sox for multiple seasons!
Black and white: It feels like the throwbacks and special edition uniforms are a reason to experiment with colors you don't normally associate with the club. The grayscale Players Weekend uniforms from two years ago were disappointing for the same reason.
All in all, I'm underwhelmed. I suppose I'd rather see a wild swing at something audacious/garish if they're designed to be redesigned after a year three years. These look like they're designed to sell at Chicago Sports Depot, which they will be starting today. That's probably the point for the Sox, but it feels like it misses an opportunity. The White Sox are no strangers to revisiting themselves, and often to their detriment, so I think I welcome the signs of outward inspiration.
