How many years do teams have to wear City Connect uniforms for?

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The Philadelphia Phillies will finally get a City Connect uniform in 2024, reportedly along with the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays. The Phillies haven’t yet announced a date for when the City Connect uniforms will be unveiled, but they are indeed coming at some point this season.

Obviously, the Phillies have spent years designing and producing their City Connect uniforms, so the hope from the organization is they will be well-received when they are introduced. Both Kyle Pagan of Crossing Broad and Todd Zolecki of MLB.com have hinted that the design will have some connection to the City of Philadelphia’s blue and yellow flag, which can be seen below flying in center field at Citizens Bank Park.

A tad nicer at Citizens Bank Park today, as the Phillies try to move within two wins of adding a third red flag. pic.twitter.com/avnJo5ovRe

— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) November 1, 2022

But of the 20 teams who currently have City Connect uniforms, less than half — and that’s probably being generous — have been well-received. And at least one team seems to already be planning their exit strategy from the program.

The Washington Nationals introduced a cherry blossom-themed City Connect uniform in 2022, and they have actually been given pretty strong reviews by most. But apparently someone in a high place isn’t a fan, because MLB.com‘s Jessica Camerato reports that the Nationals plan to wear their City Connect uniforms for home games played on Fridays and Saturdays in 2024. After that “they will be retired from regular wear.”

What’s crazy — beyond the Nationals City Connect uniforms being legitimately good in the eyes of most — is that they weren’t even part of the first class in Nike’s program in 2021. The Nationals introduced their’s in March of 2022. And it looks like they’ll be worn for three seasons and shelved after that. That sets a precedent for any team that may be a reluctant participant in the program, and/or receives negative feedback once the City Connects are unveiled. Wear the uniforms for three years, and then if you don’t like them, you are free.

It’s something to keep in mind for Phillies fans that aren’t optimistic about what their City Connect uniforms will look like. The Phillies won’t be tied to these uniforms forever. Maybe if the City Connect jerseys aren’t ultimately popular, the polarizing red jerseys they are ditching to make room in the rotation could be back at some point in the future.

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