Chicago Cubs' alternate City Connect jerseys unveiled

ByJOON LEE
June 8, 2021, 10:59 AM

The unveiling of MLB and Nike's City Connect uniforms continued on Tuesday with the introduction of the new Chicago Cubs alternate uniforms, which will be worn for the first time on Saturday at Wrigley Field against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The uniforms are mostly navy blue with light blue accents to evoke the Chicago flag. They also feature "Wrigleyville" across the front in a font similar to the ballpark's marquee. The city's 77 neighborhoods are acknowledged with their names on the sleeves of dugout and bullpen jackets.

"We're aware of the impact we have not only on the neighborhood surrounding us, but on all of Chicago's 77 neighborhoods," said Cubs vice president of marketing Lauren Fritts in a press release. "Cubs fans don't just reside on the North Side."

The jersey's left sleeve features a patch of the Chicago municipal device -- a circle with a Y inside it, symbolizing the north, south and main branches of the Chicago River, which converge at Wolf Point. The symbol is subtly featured on buildings throughout the city. The four six-pointed red stars represent the Chicago flag.

The star is also present with the iconic Cubs "C" on the cap. The line "Respect Our Neighborhood" is stitched above the jersey's size tag.

The Cubs will also spotlight nine local organizations and youth programs, including the Youth Chicago Authors, the Test Positive Aware Network, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, Healthy Hot Free Meals, SkyART, Inter-American Magnet School, Inner-City Muslim Action network, New Life Centers of Chicagoland and UCAN Chicago.

The jerseys were previously leaked online last Friday and received a lukewarm response from fans on social media. MLB and Nike will unveil three more City Connect uniforms this season, with the Arizona Diamondbacks scheduled for June 18, the San Francisco Giants scheduled for July 9 and the Dodgers scheduled for August.