Cincinnati Reds City Connect Uniform
As the oldest professional franchise in baseball with a rich history spanning 154 years, the Cincinnati Reds have always celebrated their past. However, when it came to designing their City Connect uniforms in collaboration with Nike, the team decided to break away from tradition and embrace a futuristic aesthetic. The unveiling of the final design took place on Saturday, showcasing an all-black uniform with "Cincy" boldly emblazoned across the chest in a vibrant red and white font, giving it an infrared-style appearance. The purpose behind this bold departure from their previous uniforms was to appeal to a younger generation of fans.
The Reds' City Connect uniforms will make their debut during the series opener against the Yankees on Friday, and they will continue to be worn for all Friday home games throughout the remainder of the 2023 season. Ralph Mitchell, the club's vice president of communications and marketing, explained the inspiration behind the design choice: "We see Cincinnati as this vibrant, energetic city. It’s a cutting-edge city. We draw parallels from that to our current roster. We’re an energetic, young team. There’s a parallel path between the city and its evolution and the team and its evolution."
While the Reds have always cherished their history, they already took a nostalgic look back at their past uniform templates during their 150th anniversary season in 2019, where they sported multiple throwback uniforms. However, with the introduction of the MLB and Nike's City Connect program in 2021, the Reds aimed to create a forward-thinking look that would attract a new audience while still resonating with their existing fan base.
The Reds' City Connect uniform incorporates various key elements to create a cohesive and modern look. The black caps feature a contemporary 'C' logo in red, paying homage to the team's 1919-era caps from the Field of Dreams game in Iowa. The same logo also appears on the sleeve. The batting helmets mirror the caps' design with a sleek matte black finish.
The jersey lettering is designed to resemble illuminated neon lights, incorporating flashes of "infrared" red color. The pants feature five "wavelength lines" along the sides, symbolizing progress and lighting the way to the future. Nike explains that this contemporary piping represents moving forward and what lies ahead.
Inside the jersey's collar, the team proudly displays the city's Latin motto, "Juncta Juvant," which translates to "Strength in unity." Additionally, a modernized buckeye leaf, similar in style to the lettering and logos, represents the state of Ohio.
Forgus highlighted the vibrant red color used in the uniform, stating, "That color of red, if you look at it against our standard red, it’s much hotter. You needed it to come across as more luminescent."
Before the official unveiling, a select group of Reds players had the opportunity to preview their new uniforms during a top-secret photo shoot held at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona, during Spring Training. Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene expressed his excitement, stating, "The black and red is really cool. It will be cool to have black uniforms... The fact that they went all black is perfect."
By joining the City Connect program, the Reds become the 18th team to reveal their unique uniforms
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