The Chicago White Sox unveiled their new Nike City Connect Series uniforms on Monday evening. The uniform pays homage to two historic Chicago sports franchises.
The Chicago Bulls collaborated with the White Sox on this project to create this first-of-its-kind jersey. After the team’s first City Connect uniform became a major success around the league, the White Sox wanted to create something unique. Their new City Connect uniform will do just that, becoming the first on-field jersey to combine elements of an MLB and NBA team.
“One of the challenges we had coming out of having our first Southside City Connect jersey was how could you ever match it or top it,” White Sox Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer Brooks Boyer said. “One of the thoughts that was pushed right away was that no one has ever done a collaboration between a Major League Baseball team and an NBA team. In a market like Chicago with a history of both teams, how great would it be to be able to collaborate with our partners in the Bulls, along with Nike and Fanatics, to do something that is unique and very different.”
Both the White Sox and Bulls have specific elements throughout the uniform. The black and red colorway pays tribute to both franchises, and the pinstripes on the jersey serve as visual lineage to the Bulls’ iconic years in the 90’s and the White Sox history. The most subtle detail in the uniform comes in the neckline area, which includes all nine championships that both franchises have won in their histories. All three White Sox World Championships (1906, 1917, and 2005) are in white, and all six Bulls Championships (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998) are in red.
The White Sox are also set to become the first team to have two on-the-field caps. Both hats will be worn with these City Connect uniforms. One will be a pin-striped hat, while the other will be what the team is calling a “Chicago Bred Cap.”
“When we were working with New Era, Fanatics, and Nike, we were looking at what made the uniform,” Boyer said. “It was really hard to pick between these two, and that's why they came up with the option of having two. Interestingly enough, inside the cap, you'll be able to see that we have the jerseys of both teams represented, along with Southside around the rim of the hat, and then two Chicagos, so you know exactly where this is coming from. It’s exciting to be able to have two caps that we will be using throughout the next three years of City Connect 2.0.”
The White Sox are set to debut their new City Connect uniforms on Friday, May 2, at home against the Houston Astros. The team plans to wear these uniforms at all Friday games throughout the 2025 season.
Fans can start to purchase their new White Sox City Connect gear beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, at the White Sox Team Store or online at mlbshop.com.
“It has a little bit of a basketball jersey look because of the black sleeves, and that wordmark ‘Chicago’ has been across the Bulls chest,” Boyer said. “If you look back in our history, there's one like that for us as well. We thought that we represented what fans of Chicago would ultimately like. When you can work with great partners like Nike and Fanatics, and you can work with New Era from a cap perspective, we think that when you look at the entire uniform, it really brings both of those organizations together. And it's the first time we're going to see a collaboration between an MLB team and an NBA team on the field on Friday.”