Today, the Boston Red Sox unveiled a new jersey. It is part of the “City Connect” series from uniform makers Nike. The Sox will be joined by six other teams this season, all debuting their jerseys at different times. Nike claims the motivation behind the new jerseys is to provide teams the chance to push their designs into new areas and honor some aspect of the hometown. In reality, we all know what this is about: selling more merch.

Some people are upset by the Red Sox design, their main problem with it being that it contains no red. Kind of odd considering that red is sort of important to the theme of Red Sox. Other people see it for what it obviously is: MLB trying to cash in on “streetwear” and offer more alternatives to people who might purchase a hat or jersey. Here’s what it looks like:

Ummmm…. OK. I guess that’s fine?

The Red Sox have cleverly tried to sidestep any criticism of the money grab by claiming the color scheme “honors” the Boston Marathon. Blue and yellow are two colors closely associated not just with the race but also the Boston Strong movement that arose after the marathon bombing. By implying a connection to those events, it makes it hard to talk about the uni with any negativity, as it would seem like the critic is dishonoring the tragedy. Smart move, frankly.

That’s not to say that the Red Sox don’t have a legit connection to the Boston Marathon. One thing that most people outside of the Northeast don’t know about is Patriot’s Day. It’s a Massachusetts holiday that takes place on the third Monday of April. Other states recognize the day (the beginning of the Revolutionary War) but only in Boston is it an event. A lot of people get the day off from work (or employers understand that it’s going to be a more relaxed day at the office). It has always been the day of the Boston Marathon and since 1959 the Red Sox have played at home. The weather is usually nice and it’s kind of the kick-off to BBQs, beers outside, and baseball season.

That’s why the Marathon Bombing was such an affront to the provincial citizens of Boston. Not just the loss of life and maiming, but that attack struck at the core of something sacred. It’s why, when the police were looking for the suspects, the city and surrounding areas closed up shop voluntarily. The mayor and governor didn’t invoke any official authority to shut the city down. They simply asked people to stay inside so they could look for them. And you know what half a million pissed-off Bostonians did? They stayed inside so the cops could catch the fuckers.

As Red Sox legend David Ortiz put it: this was our fucking city.

So, on some level, it does make sense that the Sox would want to honor the marathon by selling some merch. Are the profits going to a charity? Nah.

This isn’t new in sports. For years now, the NBA has allowed teams to have many alternate jerseys. They were, in fact, at the forefront of this movement. NBA teams don’t even have traditionally named home and away jerseys anymore. Those terms have been replaced by words like “ Icon, Association, City, Statement, and Earned.” Some teams have jerseys for holidays. Some teams have Spanish jerseys. Some NBA teams have even tried to make uniforms with sleeves a thing (it hasn’t caught on). You can see why. It’s much easier for a fan to wear a t-shirt-like jersey than the traditional tank top.

For some fans, it feels like both a betrayal of tradition and an obscene attempt to make a little more money off your supporters. And to them, I say, yes. It is both of those things. It is consumerism run amok. It is putting profits above tradition. But I would also add: who cares?

Since when have the major sports leagues in America been paragons of fan-friendly morality? You’re talking about leagues who gleefully hold cities hostage to get taxpayer-funded stadiums while the billionaire owners rake in millions in profits. These are people who cling to outmoded policies like “blackout restrictions” and deny their fans the chance to actually watch their teams. These are people who have ticket prices so high that working-class fans can never go to games and charge $8 for hot dogs. These new uniforms are the perfect representatives of what a modern franchise is now: a moneymaking enterprise.

To be clear, sports franchises are well within their rights to do whatever they want. Personally, I’d love to see a team really go for it and have a new uniform for every single game. It would fly in the face of what a “uniform” is but once you’ve crossed the half dozen uniforms threshold, I think we’ve already lost the plot. Might as well make it interesting.

It is time for fans to accept the the “good old days” are never coming back. Gone are the days of $10 bleacher seats and being able to bring your kids to a game for under $60. Sports are BIG BUSINESS now and do not care about fans. They care about your money and how much of it they can get from you. In some ways, it’s sad that these public trusts have been taken over by people who don’t really care about anything but a bottom line. But that’s life in America.

Now, where can I get one of these hats?

Selling Out