From poorly made, cheap uniform material to the biggest contract in baseball, the MLB has raised a ton of controversy in 2024.
Cheap Uniform Materials
Baseball fans were quick to notice a change in uniforms at the beginning of the season. Pants and shirts seemed sloppier and cheaper, not up to the previous MLB standard. Correspondingly on some players, pants seemed see-through and considered “provocative”, which caused an outrage. Shirts got rid of piping and linings, which previously made them look clean.
Additionally, the MLB addressed this complaint, stating, “This has been entirely a Nike issue. At it’s core, what has happened here is that Nike was innovating something that didn’t need to be innovated.”
The MLB will fix these changes and they will start in the 2025 season.
Shohei Ohtani’s gambling scandal
Shohei Ohtani, a popular face in the MLB, was involved in a gambling scandal back in March. His former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, plead guilty to bank and tax fraud. He admitted to stealing more than $16 million from Ohtani to support his sports gambling.
Currently, the law in California states that sports betting is illegal. Previously, Mizuhara has lost over $40 million in sports betting. Ohtani has stated he knew nothing about his interpreter’s gambling addiction and his payments.
Furthermore, Mizuhara was caught impersonating Ohtani, so bank employees could transfer Ohtani’s money to Mizuhara’s account. Mizuhara is potentially looking to face 30 years behind bars.
The Athletics leave Oakland
The Athletics said goodbye to their home field, the Coliseum, on September 26th, 2024. Despite their below-average seasons the past few years, fans came out to watch their team play for the last time in Oakland.
Starting 2025, the Athletics will begin playing in Las Vegas. The team had previously had issues with trying to revamp the Coliseum, and in the end, decided to switch locations.
Juan Soto’s overpay
Baseball fans around the country were outraged by the announcement of the biggest contract in MLB history on December 11, 2024. The Mets signed Juan Soto for a 15-year, $765 million contract. Soto’s contract is $65 million more than Ohtani, who is a two-way player.
Many angry Yankee fans took to the internet to slander the player. Most complaints are: why is Juan Soto, a one-way player who can barely play the field, consuming more money than players like Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge?
Joseph Vitale is an avid Yankee fan and a junior at Colonia High School. “Soto not signing with the Yankees was a blessing in disguise.” Joe believes, “If the Yankees had signed Soto, they wouldn’t have had the budget to sign anyone else. So it would’ve been a weak team, even with Soto around.”
Some Mets fans seem to not be entirely happy about Soto’s signing with the Mets, either. “I can’t take my family to a game because they’re too expensive.” Vito Spina, a long-time Mets fan from Middletown, New Jersey, expresses his concerns. “This contract is going to raise prices even more.”
Let’s see what the 2025 season brings to baseball fans!
