Dick Vitale wants MLB players to wear team jerseys in All-Star Game

Famed college basketball analyst Dick Vitale can be added to the growing list of people who do not like the uniforms players wear during the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

Shortly after the American League’s 5-3 victory during the 2024 Midsummer Classic on Tuesday, Vitale jumped on X (formerly Twitter) to shout out the Junior Circuit’s recent dominance.

He also called for MLB to do away with custom jerseys in the All-Star Game.

“The American League continues the domination of the All – Star game winning 10 of last 11 as they r victorious 5-3 tonight . Oh please let the players WEAR THEIR TEAM UNIFORMS

The American League continues the domination of the All – Star game winning 10 of last 11 as they r victorious 5-3 tonight . Oh please let the players WEAR THEIR TEAM UNIFORMS .

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) July 17, 2024

Vitale was not the only person to make this point on Tuesday night. Nine-time MLB All-Star and 1983 All-Star Game MVP Fred Lynn denounced the custom jerseys during the game.

In sports like football, basketball and hockey, there’s a practical need for the players to wear the same jerseys. Players are making passes to each other and need to easily be able to spot their teammates, often from several yards away. That’s not at all the case in baseball. Yes, in the field, players do need to make throws to their teammates. The difference, of course, is that those throws are being made to players at stationary bases.

Of course, the real purpose of the custom jerseys isn’t to make the game easier but to make money. If there’s a market for them, MLB will be hard-pressed to do away with them — although it has been discussed.

For nearly the entirety of the All-Star Game’s history, players wore the jerseys of the team they were representing. Players began wearing the custom jerseys, which are supposed to symbolize either the All-Star Game’s home team or city, in 2021.

[Dick Vitale on X]