The Los Angeles Dodgers released a special edition of their classic uniform in an effort to honor the city’s Latino community, but missed the mark for some.
The front of the special jersey unveiled for use this weekend reads “Los Dodgers,” while the accurate translation into Spanish would be “Los Doyers.”
“The Dodgers sought to celebrate their culture of baseball, which is heavily connected and influenced by Los Angeles’ Latino community,” Nike senior creative director Wil Green told the Los Angeles Times.
The new uniform features blue jerseys and blue pants, a first in the franchise’s 138-year history. The team will wear the special uniform in its series with the New York Mets. In addition, the team’s iconic cap design has been changed to also read “Los Dodgers”.
According to TheWrap.com, some fans said the new uniforms missed the mark (and a major opportunity in the Hispanic marketplace). “That’s because Latino fans have referred to the team as “Los Doyers,” not “Los Dodgers,” for decades. In fact, “Los Doyers” has graced countless pieces of unlicensed merchandise, and Nike integrating the already-popular phrase into the new uniforms seemed like a no-brainer,” the report stated. According to the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office records, the Dodgers hold the trademark to “Los Doyers.”
The uniforms are part of Nike’s “City Connect” initiative, with designs aimed at reflecting a team’s link to its home city. Other teams involved include the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks.
“The Dodger uniform is an iconic part of the franchise’s identity. While our traditional look has and will always be worn by the franchise-great players, the City Connect program offered us the opportunity to recognize the impact and importance of our multicultural fanbase,” said Lon Rosen, Dodger Executive VP and Chief Marketing Officer in a news release unveiling the new uniforms.
Doug McKain, a blogger for the Dodgers Nation Twitter page tweeted Thursday, “I see a lot of ppl wanting the City Connect unis to say ‘Los Doyers’. They did trademark it and Nike has produced merch with ‘Los Doyers’ on it, BUT the iconic ‘Dodgers’ script is a big reason why the Dodgers uniforms is one of the best in all of sports.”
Numerous Dodgers supporters took to Twitter to show their displeasure. Kali Markez posted, “You could of at least done Los Doyers, since most 1st generation of immigrants fans or fans that fell in love with the Dodgers because of Fernando Valenzuela in the 80s. Many Latinos know the Dodgers as The Doyers”
Jorge Castillo was more direct. “If you’re really trying to “connect with the city,” then you make it “Los Doyers.” These are so lazy,” he tweeted Thursday.
Looks like “Los Doyers” fans will have to get used to those extra letters for the time being. Nike has said the Dodgers and other teams would “keep and wear their City Connect design for several seasons,” Yahoo.com reports.
Neither the Dodgers organization nor Nike responded to requests for comment from Newsmax.
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