The Kansas City Royals City Connect uniforms were reportedly leaked shortly before they were scheduled to debut.
The Kansas City Royals are scheduled to debut their City Connect uniforms on April 30 against the New York Yankees, but the internet is seeing them ahead of time.
The cap from the new uniform was posted on Twitter by Joshua Brisco, which started a conversation among fans. The cap got mixed reviews; some fans loved it, while others hated it.
This fan compared the cap to previous caps from the Royals and seems glad to have an upgrade.
According to this fan, the intent was good but the execution could’ve been better.
Some think the caps are great as they are.
What is City Connect in MLB?
MLB City Connect is a program launched by Nike that “was created to celebrate the bond between each Club and its city. This uniform series explores the personality, values and customs that make each community and their residents unique” (via MLB). The program launched during the 2021 season and included seven teams.
Seven new teams will be included this season. The 2022 teams included are Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals. Each team will reveal their uniform sporadically from now through July.
The program was launched in an effort to make fan experience special and personal, as well as to engage a new generation of MLB fans. Nike VP of North America League Partnerships Sonja Henning released a statement describing the thought and intention behind City Connect.
“There’s nothing quite like the bond between baseball fans, their home teams, and their hometowns. We are thrilled to honor the history of each club while pushing the bounds of what a baseball jersey can be. We hope this series will continue to energize longtime fans — and bring a generation of new ones to the game.” -Sonja Henning, via MLB
City Connect was a successful and exciting event in 2021, and it will likely follow the same success in 2022.