The Rays appear to be working towards fixing the biggest complaint fans have with their uniforms — the absence of any jersey that says “Tampa Bay” across the front.
Maybe.
When asked on Twitter if the Rays will ever have a road jersey that says “Tampa Bay,” the official account of the Rays coyly responded “yes,” but also hinted it could be well down the road.
Ever is a long time. The answer is yes. https://t.co/iVWhJ0UqxA
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) April 26, 2016
The Rays are one of the few teams in MLB who don’t have a jersey with their location spelled out on one of their main jerseys.
The Rays do have “TB” on the caps. And there are the fauxback 1970s uniforms which are an official alternate and do have “Tampa Bay” in a smaller font above “Rays.”
This is also not the first time we have heard this idea mentioned. Way back in 2007, there was a report that the Rays’ first alternate to be used with the new blue uniforms was to be a jersey with “Tampa Bay” across the front and it was supposed to debut in 2009. For some reason, that never happened.
However, there was also a comment made last year that suggested the Rays had changes in store for the uniforms and that the sunburst and Carolina blue color would be featured more prominently. We have already seen that in the new spring training uniforms, but might the Rays have more changes in store for their regular unis?
That the Rays have shunned the use of “Tampa Bay” is not surprising. The team is very marketing- and logo-conscious and that means promoting their brand. That brand is “Rays” and the team wants to appeal to people beyond Tampa and St. Pete.
Still, fans love their area and to them there is civic pride (body-of-water pride?) in wearing your home on your jersey. As much as the Rays would like to promote their logo, they and MLB are missing out on revenue by not having a TB jersey.
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As the last picture (from spring training) above demonstrates, the missing uniform in the Rays regular season set is the light blue jersey with the gray pants for road Sundays. Put Tampa Bay on there, everybody is happy and you have the sweetest uniform in all of baseball.
Time for a complete uniform overhaul. Keep the name, but change the rest. No matter the jersey color, these are some of the most bland uniforms in the league. That said... Do not go all d-backs/Oregon on us.
Tampa Bay should've already been on the road jerseys a long time ago, but I hope they're not scheming to put the dumb flash mark thingie on the hats. That needs to stay "TB".
Since 2007 this has been kicked around? How could it take so long to make a decision that shouldn't take all that much pondering. Simply add a short with "Tampa Bay" on it. As long as it isn't as bland as the Yankees away unis, it could only be a win...
So you all want a realistic down to earth show that's completely off the wall and swarming with magic robots??
Incorporate yellow into the piping of the uniforms. Get rid of the starburst-ray completely.
I don't care what kind of uniforms the Rays wear, as long as they beat the Yankees in these big games ! They play their best against the Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Orioles, then blow games against the Yankees .