With language-heritage jerseys all the rage in pro sports these days it was only a matter of time before somebody gave English a turn.
SportsLogos.Net has learned that the San Diego Padres, the lone holder of a non-English nickname in Major League Baseball, will be that team when on May 4th (Cinco de Cuatro!) they will wear special uniforms which read “The Padres” across the front instead of the regular Spanish-language “Padres” uniforms.
“The Padres have a fairly sizeable English-speaking fanbase”, Padres spokesman Andrew Fountain explained to us in an email. “We thought it was only appropriate if we finally paid tribute to all of those loyal, dedicated, English-speaking fans with this special one-game-only jersey.”
The jersey will be based off of the Padres’ classic 1978 home uniform design, the brown-and-gold colour scheme is said to be a favourite among the club’s English fans. The game-worn uniforms will be auctioned off during the game and presented to each of the lucky high bidders by the players themselves following the final out.
The uniforms are just part of the festivities planned for “English Heritage Night”; before the game there will be an on-field performance of “Fool’s Overture” by classic rock legends Supertramp, as well as various art displays, cultural exhibits, and special themed food for sale throughout PETCO Park’s concession stands.
San Diego joins teams such as the Arizona Diamondbacks (Los Dbacks), New York Mets (Los Mets), and Houston Astros (Los Astros) as big league clubs who have worn alternate language jerseys for a game. The practice is also common in the NBA where the Phoenix Suns (Los Suns) and Chicago Bulls (Los Bulls) wear Spanish uniforms at least once per season.
It is not yet known if the Padres opponents that night, the Arizona Diamondbacks, will join in on the special English jersey fun by wearing road uniforms with “The Arizona” across the front, but they totally should.
UPDATE (Apr 1/14 3:17pm ET):
Yes, this was an April Fool’s joke, although I’m starting to wish it were real because it’d be hilarious.
To answer one point made by many in the comments here, on Facebook, and on Twitter. I very much realize the English version of “Padres” would be “Fathers”, however when you see a team wear their Spanish-version uniforms what do the majority of them say? “Los Bulls”, “Los Marlins”, “Los Mets”, “Los Suns”, etc. etc. The joke I was making (and really, I have to explain this?) was to show how ridiculous that naming convention is by doing it in English with “The Padres” and “The Arizona”.
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