NEW YORK – Major League Baseball players have the option of wearing a “Black Lives Matter” or “United For Change” patch on the sleeve of a jersey on the opening day of the season with pandemic delay.
Additionally, teams have the option of stamping an inverted MLB logo with “BLM” or “United for Change” on the back of the pitcher’s mound during opening weekend games.
After discussions between the commissioner’s office and the Major League Baseball Players Association, The Players Alliance, and individual players, each player may wear a bracelet with an inverted MLB logo on which the batter is black, the first use of said logo.
Each player may also wear a Black Lives Matter batting practice jersey or a jersey designed or obtained by the player or his team.
MLB is also lifting cleat restrictions for this season, giving players permission to put social justice and cause messages on their spikes.
Jersey patches would go in the left sleeve unless a team has an existing patch there, in which case the new one would go in the right sleeve. Special patches will be worn Thursday and Friday.
The initiatives starting Thursday were designed to allow players to show support for social justice in general, and for diversity and inclusion in baseball. They were deliberately made flexible, allowing players to make individual decisions.
T-shirts with special messages and bracelets can be worn throughout the season.
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