The Phillies’ City Connect jerseys are officially out. Reviews are mixed.
Over a hundred fans lined up outside of the New Era team store at Citizens Bank Park to be among the first to grab one. Some Phillies fans love the new, unique look. But others, not so much.
The long-awaited Phillies City Connect jersey was officially unveiled on Friday, and yes — it’s the same as the much-maligned leak from January.
Over a hundred fans lined up outside of the New Era team store at Citizens Bank Park to be among the first to grab one of the new jerseys, so some Phillies fans love the new, unique look. But others are still wary after the full release.
The jerseys are light blue, dark blue, and yellow, in honor of the Philadelphia city flag. “PHILLY” adorns the front of the jersey, and the cap features the Liberty Bell and the city skyline.
But the font used for the “PHILLY” wordmark on the front of the jersey also features on back of the jersey for the numbers, and some look better than others. Trea Turner’s number seven jersey specifically drew criticism for a number that looked more like a question mark than a seven.
The jerseys came out just before the earthquake hit Philadelphia — and some said that it was a sign from the universe that the City Connect jerseys are terrible.
Or was the earthquake actually caused by the collective anger of Philadelphians at the look of the jersey?
Many made the comparison to the Eagles’ hated 1934 throwback uniforms, which were also blue and yellow...
...and to the similarly-colored Philadelphia Union.
The Phillies will wear these 12 times in 2024 — on every Friday home game — so fans who don’t love them right now, they might grow on you, especially if the Phillies start winning in them. But at least for now, it doesn’t seem like the whole city is sold on this new “Unapologetically Philly” look.