Cardinals' Victory Blue jerseys fall victim to Fanatics debacle

The Fanatics jersey debacle continues to this day. After issues with fonts, color, fits, sizes, and even transparency this year, the producer's issues have now extended into June and are directly affecting the St. Louis Cardinals.

According to reports, The St. Louis Cardinals' Victory Blue jerseys that are worn on Saturday away games will not be available until at least June. Due to production and shipping issues, the team will be without one of their best-designed uniforms. The Victory Blue jerseys have been one of the most popular uniforms among fans since its re-introduction in 2019.

The Victory Blue Jerseys were brought back in 2019. The jerseys have their roots in the 1970's, and several noteworthy players including Lou Brock wore them in the 1980's. They ended up being retired in 1984. The organization re-introduced a blue jersey in the early 2000s, but it was markedly different from the vintage victory blue from the 1970s and 1980s.

Due to the delays in shipping and production, the Cardinals were forced to wear their simple road gray jerseys against the Dodgers last weekend in Los Angeles.

Several issues have arisen with Fanatics/Nike jerseys this winter. Cardinal fans in particular were extra worried due to concerns about the classic chain stitching possibly being removed. Bill DeWitt III assuaged these concerns in an interview with Uni-Watch.

"We are maintaining the chain-stitching next year with the new Nike template — I had to fight hard to keep it. But the compromise was that it will need to be applied to a patch, which will then be applied to the uniform."

Bill DeWitt III

While the chain stitching will remain, the delay in the production of the Victory Blue jerseys is disappointing. The team won't have them until at least June, so fans will have to wait to watch the lovely powder blue uniforms back on the field.

On the field, the team is already bringing back memories of the 1980's squad with its speed and defensive improvements. Seeing the vintage jerseys on the backs of speedsters like Victor Scott II and Masyn Winn while they blaze around the basepaths would be nostalgic. Sadly, we will have to wait at least 2 more months to experience that sight.