Thoughts on the Mets’ City Connect jerseys

New uniform release day: A day when every New York Mets fan transforms into a Vogue fashion critic. In this season of never-ending uniform fiascos from the Nike and Fanatics duo, the Mets finally had their turn to release a City Connect jersey. The City Connect concept, which aims to connect the jersey to the city more than the team, has gotten some mixed reviews to say the least. There are some wins, with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels coming to mind, and some downright head scratchers like the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants. After years of speculation on what direction the Mets were going to go in with their jerseys, the look finally dropped on Friday afternoon.

The jersey, in comparison to some of the other City Connect jersey, is just fine. Not mouth-droppingly amazing, but also not turn off the tv-worthy either. The cinematic release of the jersey was absolutely top notch, and helped tell the story of why the jersey was designed that way. The inspiration for the jersey is the transportation systems that make up New York City, the subways the fans ride, the bridges they take, and the sidewalks that they walk on. It is hard to see without being up close, but the pinstripes that adorn the jersey are made of the subway symbols. This inspiration is evident on the design of the hat, which features the span of the Queensboro Bridge across the front. The most popular criticism of the jersey has been that due to the coloring of the jersey, it looks more like a New York Yankee jersey than a Mets jersey. While the gray coloring on a jersey often evokes a road jersey (the Mets, much like the Yankees, do a sweet gray), this color is dark enough to differentiate from a road gray without getting dark enough to cross into Chicago White Sox territory.

The biggest and most notable aspect of the jersey is the NYC placed across the front. Another early complaint that has been registered has been that it should have read Queens on the chest instead. However, the Mets are making a statement by claiming all five boroughs on their jersey instead of just the one they play in. For years, the team has played little brother to the Yankees with their storied history and spending might. Ever since Steve Cohen has been in town, there has been a shift in the attitude of Mets fans, an aire of possibility that the Mets could overtake the Yankees and rule the city. While the Cohen era has only given fans the 2022 regular season to brag about, there is still optimism that his ownership will eventually catapult the team into elite status. Yes, the jersey could have said “Queens” on the front, but why limit yourself to one borough when your aim is to rule the city?

Another interesting aspect about the jerseys is that they had the input from players like Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo. It is a small part of the game, but the fact that the players are comfortable and enjoying the jersey that they’re wearing could help give them a confidence boost when wearing the jerseys. The notion always seems to work for the Boston Red Sox, who seem to go on an annual winning streak wearing their Boston Marathon-inspired jerseys.

Despite a successful launch, there is still one important hill this jersey has to climb before it can join the regular rotation of uniforms: will they show up well on TV? This is the most important determinant when considering adding a jersey for the long-term. This factor has doomed the widely-anticipated Washington Nationals cherry blossom-inspired uniform. The details on that jersey were so intricate that they were lost when broadcasted on TV, leading to a jersey that was too gray. The Nationals are already planning on retiring the jersey after this season, despite releasing it in 2022.

The Mets are scheduled to wear these jerseys for all of their remaining Saturday home games, except for the Darryl Strawberry jersey retirement day. There have also been reports that the team is letting players determine how much they wear the jersey beyond their scheduled Saturdays, so don’t be surprised if the team wears them on a more consistent basis. At the end of the day, the cinematic release of the jersey and the attention to detail behind it are all about convincing the team to purchase more merchandise, but Mets fans can rest easy knowing that the jersey is at least tolerable to the eye.