Angels, Rangers Hats Pulled from Fan Shops Over Accidental Vulgarities
Introduction to the Controversy
The MLB regular season will start soon, which means a slew of new merchandise and hats are being released. That includes a line of New Era caps, which, for a couple of teams, have already been removed from their fan shops amid potentially vulgar appearances.
The Issue with the Designs
The hats, part of New Era’s Overlap 5950 collection, superimposed the logo of each team over the team’s name. The mashup may seem innocuous and simple, but fans were quick to point out the less-than-ideal wording some of the designs created.
Affected Teams
Texas Rangers
Take, for example, the Texas Rangers hat. By superimposing the Rangers’ “T” logo over its “Texas” wordmark, the hat appeared to be labeled with a vulgar Spanish word used for women’s breasts, ESPN reported Monday. That hat is no longer available via the MLB or the Rangers’ online stores.
Los Angeles Angels
As of Tuesday, it appears an additional hat has also been removed from online fan stores. The Los Angeles Angels hat—“Anaels,” per the design—is no longer available. However, as The Athletic reports, it can still be found via Fanatics on eBay.
Other Teams
The Houston Astros hat — which seemed to read “Ashos” — was still available. There are other potentially confusing designs, though none nearly as vulgar. The Arizona Diamondbacks hat could be read as “Ariana” while the design for the Seattle Mariners looks more like “Masers.” The Chicago Cubs hat, on the other hand, is nearly perfect, with the “C” logo largely covering the fourth letter in the city’s name. By covering up most of the vowels in Miami, the Marlins hat has been construed as “MMmi,” as some fans noted on X.
Reaction from New Era and MLB
New Era and the impacted Teams have not commented on the potentially confusing designs. The MLB declined to comment, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Past Design Mishaps
Hat design mishaps have happened before, of course. Last year, an unfortunate New Era cap for the Oakland A’s featured layered logos that seemed to add an extra "s" after "A’s." Earlier this year, the MLB unveiled green and orange hats for every team ahead of St. Patrick’s Day. They all contained four-leaf clovers which, as SFGate explains, are not associated with the holiday’s history — instead, they should have been shamrocks, which have only three leaves. The San Francisco Giants were on the receiving end of an error last month when the New Era spring training caps were unveiled. A specific trucker hat featured the logo of the Florida-based Grapefruit League, where 15 MLB teams play during spring. The Giants, however, play in the Cactus League in Arizona. The mislabeled hats were pulled from MLB’s website and replaced a short time later, SFGate reported.
Conclusion
The removal of the Angels and Rangers hats from fan shops due to accidental vulgarities is a reminder of the importance of careful design and attention to detail in merchandise production. As the MLB season approaches, fans will be eager to get their hands on new gear, and it’s crucial that teams and manufacturers ensure that their products are respectful and appropriate for all audiences.
FAQs
Q: Which teams’ hats were removed from fan shops?
A: The Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers hats were removed due to accidental vulgarities in their designs.
Q: What was the issue with the designs?
A: The hats superimposed the team logo over the team name, creating unintended and potentially vulgar words.
Q: Are the hats still available for purchase?
A: The Angels hat can still be found via Fanatics on eBay, but it is no longer available on the MLB or team websites. The Rangers hat is no longer available on the MLB or team websites.
Q: Have there been similar design mishaps in the past?
A: Yes, there have been instances of design errors in MLB merchandise, including a mislabeled hat for the San Francisco Giants and a hat for the Oakland A’s with an extra "s" in the logo.
The MLB regular season will start soon, which means a slew of new merchandise and hats are being released. That includes a line of New Era caps, which, for a couple of teams, have already been removed from their fan shops amid potentially vulgar appearances.
