How Did the Mets Settle on Black Uniforms?
From SABR member Paul Lukas at ESPN.com on May 12:
Even if you’re colorblind, the biggest uniform trend of the past dozen years or so is easy enough to see.
Uni Watch is of course referring to the relentless use of black by teams whose standard color schemes had never included black. Call it marketing, call it trend-hopping, call it what the kids are into these days, but here at Uni Watch HQ we call it BFBS — black for black’s sake.
Nowhere has BFBS been more controversial than in the case of the New York Mets. They were among the earliest and most enthusiastic ebony adopters back in the late 1990s (see the sidebar on this page for details on all the BFBS elements they added at that time) and remain one of the most black-happy teams today. And while some Mets fans have embraced the dark side, plenty of others — including a certain uniform columnist — cried foul at the get-go and haven’t shut up about it since, resulting in a robust debate that continues to this day.
<snip>
But throughout this 13-year black-and-blue war, one question has gone unanswered: What was the genesis of the Mets’ BFBS program? Did it start with team owner Fred Wilpon? Equipment manager Charlie Samuels? Some grunt in the marketing department? The MLB Properties office?
At long last, Uni Watch has the answer. And it’s a revealing story — not just about the Mets, but about how uniform decisions get made in general.
Read the full article here: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=lukas/110512_new_york_mets_black_uniforms&sportCat=mlb
Originally published: May 12, 2011. Last Updated: May 12, 2011.