Performance Innovation is Deeply EMOTIONAL (a Nike Case Study)

WHETHER YOU are a Dodgers fan, a Yankees fan, or indifferent to baseball, this case study is revealing.

The 2024 Baseball World Series kicks off this week, ending a season that began with high hopes and a botched uniform reset.

The repercussions are still felt today..

MLB aimed to make baseball faster and more engaging.

In 2023, they changed the rules to speed up the pace.

Come spring 2024, Nike introduced its Vapor Premier uniforms hoping to future-proof the game. Instead, it ignited swift and fierce backlash from players and fans alike.

The League, Nike, and supplier Fanatics quickly found themselves in crisis mode, with widespread criticism leading the MLB players' union to demand immediate changes.

First, let’s get something straight.

This isn’t a simple case of Nike “phoning it in.”

In 2018, a seasoned team of designers, developers, and merchandisers embarked on an ambitious project. Over several years, they conducted hundreds of body scans, developed multiple fabric options, and created various jersey prototypes, all tested with extensive player and team input.

“It was a very technological approach to outfitting players,” said Stephen Roche, Vice President MLB Authentic Collection/Global Consumer Products. “Everything was performance-driven.”

By 2020, they achieved widespread adoption, it's ready for execution.

But also in 2020, things took a turn. A new CEO enters with a mandate to cut costs. The resulting layoffs gut much of this original baseball product team.

Decades of baseball expertise leave the building.

Ultimately, Nike succeeded in creating faster, lighter, and more breathable uniforms.

However, they fell short of true innovation and league-wide adoption. Why?

Performance in baseball is deeply emotional—rooted in aesthetics, personal style, and authenticity.

This was unbelievably missing.

The lightweight fabric felt “papery,” it ripped easily, and caused embarrassing sweat stains; particularly on the road-gray uniforms.

Players also criticized the smaller letter sizes on their nameplates, calling them cheap-looking.

The pants fit was another glaring oversight.

Baseball culture places great importance on pant style.

Players fall into five style categories: knickers, tapered long pants, baggy long pants, baggy way-too-long pants, or "dirty mids."

These choices are deeply personal, signaling a player’s position, athleticism, and skill strengths.

Nike’s limited sizing options stripped players of their ability to customize their fit. The see-through material didn’t help either.

Fans echoed these sentiments, decrying the decline in quality and authenticity, especially with the option of a $425 price tag.

Negative comments flooded social media, signaling trouble for jersey sales.

Change always brings detractors, but successful innovation must offer clear advantages, align with user values and needs, and be easy to understand.

Nike missed the mark on players’ values like customization, quality, authenticity, and aesthetics.

In 2025, MLB will revert to the previous materials, larger lettering for player names, and full pants customization—or, to more of the same.

Six years of sweat an effort with no change in score.

I mark that as an unforced error.