The White Sox‘s latest City Connect uniform is the best of both worlds for local fans.
The first-of-its-kind on-field uniform combines the stories of two iconic Chicago sports franchises — the White Sox and Bulls — featuring pinstripes reflective of a shared design element for both teams.
It’s the first on-field jersey combining brand elements from both MLB and the NBA. The White Sox’ threads will debut on Friday against the Houston Astros.
“The Bulls were proud to contribute to the White Sox efforts and to be a part of creating the first-ever MLB jersey to feature NBA team marks,” Jon Shoemaker, executive director, creative services at the Bulls, said in a news release. “While collaborating with the White Sox on the design, our shared goal was clear that we wanted to honor our city and its great fans with an MLB jersey that reflects our mutual connection to and love for Chicago.
“We added visual elements that both teams share, like pinstripes, as well as details that are unique to the Bulls, like the ‘Chicago’ wordmark and our signature red and black.”
Michael Jordan and the Bulls debuted the alternate black pinstripe uniforms in 1995, making them one of the more iconic threads in NBA history. The Bulls went a then-record 72-10 that season and won the championship. The franchise has continued to wear the uniforms since.
The wordmark is similar to what appears on the Bulls’ current black statement uniforms and what the White Sox wore in the 1930s.
A newly-designed winged sock appears on the “bred” cap and sleeve. It draws inspiration from the White Sox era of the 1950s. Four Chicago stars adorn the eyelets. On the inside of the hat is white with black pinstripes and “Southside” referencing the White Sox’ first City Connect jersey. Bold red pinstripes on a black base are similar to the Bulls jersey.
The White Sox are also the first MLB team with two separate City Connect caps. The second cap includes the red and black pinstripes from the uniform alongside four stars representing Chicago’s heritage.
In a nod to the White Sox’ previous design, “Southside” appears around the sleeve and down the pant leg. The neckline of the uniform features the Bulls and White Sox’ nine combined championships.