Fanatics' Michael Rubin deflected blame for the awful new MLB jerseys

Fanatics founder Michael Rubin had to answer for the new, and much-maligned, MLB jerseys on Friday and tried his best to explain why his company isn’t to blame.

The jerseys have been criticized by players as cheap-looking since the start of spring training. Then it became clear the pants presented an even bigger issue — the new material used was more or less see-through when worn.

At the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference on Friday, Rubin commented on the Fanatics-produced uniforms and said they were providing what Nike requested this year.

“We’re purely doing exactly as we’ve been told, and we’ve been told we’re doing everything exactly right.” Rubin said. “And we’re getting the [expletive] kicked out of us. So that’s not fun.”

The CEO went on to explain all the specs came from Nike, which received input from the players.

Per the Associated Press:

Rubin said uniforms were made to the specifications set by MLB and Nike. Fanatics has been making the baseball uniform since 2017, he said; Fanatics bought the company that has been making the uniforms since 2005, so there has been no real change in the manufacturer in almost two decades.

Rubin said Nike made changes “for all the right reasons” after getting feedback from players who wanted material more breathable and stretchable.

That probably won’t satisfy the union, which on Thursday reiterated a request for alterations to the uniforms before Opening Day at the end of March.