For the Land: Cleveland Guardians Unveil New City Connect Uniform Collection

Cleveland Guardians unveiled their MLB City Connect Uniform via a video posted to their social media accounts late Sunday night.

Overall, the navy blue, red, and sandstone uniform draws most of its inspiration from the iconic Guardians of Traffic statues near Progressive Field (which also inspired the club’s newish “Guardians” name) while incorporating the team’s traditional colours, but in a bolder way. A welcome nod to the club’s ’80s-90s uniforms is also included.

The resiliency of a city, the pride of the ‘90s and the promise of a bright future.

Merch drop ➡️ 10AM ➡️ Guardians Team Store#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/ohgnt5KEGi

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 13, 2024

During a conversation with SportsLogos.Net, Jason Wiedemann, Vice President of Brand for the Cleveland Guardians, reflected on the importance of connecting with a younger audience. As we considered how to achieve this connection both to our city and our team, we knew that the design needed to be bold yet still feel like part of the Guardians’ uniform family. It was crucial for us to showcase not only what makes Cleveland unique but also highlight our organization’s attributes and personality traits. And, as always, we wanted to honor our rich history and traditions.

“It’s been my honor to serve you since 1901, and we just underwent a name change, in which tradition and history played a key role. “We wanted to make sure that’s included in this uniform, as well as to show where we are now and where we are headed, to bridge the past with the present.”

There is a red ‘Diamond C’ logo trimmed in blue on the front panel of the cap, a colour we see throughout the uniform in place of white, a blue crown, and a red visor, as well as the Guardians’ usual red ‘Diamond C’ cap logo. The real treat is hidden inside the sweatband of the cap, featuring striking red and blue striping, which is also seen on the jersey and pants. The undervisor includes blue sandstone pattern, the same pattern we see on the jersey…

Cleveland Guardians City Connect Baseball Jersey

Featuring a pattern inspired by the Guardians of Traffic statues, the jersey’s base features deep blue sandstone. In an Art Deco style reminiscent of the details on the Hope Memorial Bridge, Cleveland’s “t-shirt culture” is printed across the chest. This same style is also used for the numbers on the back of the jersey.

“The jersey’s pattern is supposed to mimic the natural wear and tear on the Guardian statues,” Wiedemann explained. Our historic red and blues have been part of our closet for most of our history, but we selected deeper shades of those colors instead.” This was to stick with that palette but go in a slightly different direction so that the shades are slightly different from what we have had.”

A nice throwback to the Cleveland Indians uniform from Major League is its bold blue and red stripes down each sleeve and the sides. The stripes (or braids, as the team calls them) contain elements from its design, including angular and chevron patterns. The back collar reads “EST. 1901,” marking the franchise’s first season, and the jock tag reads “THE LAND” in the same typeface as the franchise’s wordmark.

In an exciting choice that will surely please fans of the City Connect series, the pants have opted for a complementary sandstone hue rather than the traditional blue. This shade perfectly matches the new “CLE” wordmark on the jersey. Maintaining a cohesive appearance, the side of each pant leg features striping/braiding that mirrors that of the jersey. Additionally, the red socks showcase a new Baseball Guardian logo which can also be seen on other on-field gear, including dugout hoodies.

Cleveland Guardians City Connect Combo Hoodie Pants Cap

In contrast to most clubs, the Guardians didn’t begin the City Connect uniform process until late 2021, waiting until they had finalized their change of identity from Indians to Guardians.

A new name was announced for the Cleveland Guardians in July 2021, following 107 seasons as the Cleveland Indians. The Guardians basically rolled forward with the same uniforms the Indians used (with names and logos replaced accordingly). Their new City Connect uniform marks the first real Guardians-focused design for the team.

I knew this would be a great opportunity for us to tell more about what ‘the Guardians’ means to our city, why that name is meaningful to us. During the first six months of 2022, we focused a great deal on building on the qualities associated with the Guardians.

It will be the first time the Guardians will wear the new City Connect uniforms against the Minnesota Twins on Friday, May 17th. After a day to wear MLB’s special Armed Forces Day gear on Saturday, the City Connects will return on Sunday, May 19th. The Guardians will then wear this new set for every home Friday game for the remainder of the season.

A special City Connect celebration will take place on Friday at Progressive Field’s Gateway Plaza. It will include a performance by The Big Don Band, a pitch speed machine, prizes based on City Connect, face painting, balloon artists, and mascots. Additionally, a mural inspired by City Connect will be painted by local artist Lisa Quine; fans will be able to see the mural just inside the left field gate after entering the ballpark.

You may have noticed that almost every team has chosen to schedule their City Connect uniforms to be worn during Friday night home games; I don’t know the reason for that, but it makes for a colorful and interesting uniform viewing experience on Friday nights for those of us who subscribe to MLB TV.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be the fifth team to unveil the new City Connect uniform in 2024, following the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays, and Detroit Tigers. By the end of this season, 28 of the 30 MLB teams will have released a City Connect uniform, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins (June 10), St. Louis Cardinals, and Toronto Blue Jays (May 30).

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