Major League Baseball is going to give players the option of having a "Black Lives Matter" or "United For Change" patch on the sleeves of their jerseys for Opening Day. In addition, teams also have the option of having a "Black Lives Matter" or "United For Change" logo on the back of the pitcher's mound.
"I've been considering it, especially here over the last week. But as a team, we're having conversations in our clubhouse over the last two days. I know the Yankees are doing the same thing," Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle told the Associated Press. "I think it's really important for for us as a league to echo what other sports leagues have done so far. We've seen the MLS. We've seen NASCAR. We've seen Formula One make really powerful statements."
Jersey patches are going to be placed on the left sleeve of the jerseys unless that particular team has a patch already in place in that spot. Players can wear these patches on their uniforms for Thursday and Friday's games.
Players are also permitted to wear a wristband with an inverted MLB logo where the silhouetted batter is black. It's the first time that the logo will be used by the league. In addition, every MLB player will be permitted to wear a "Black Lives Matter" batting practice t-shirt. Those t-shirts can be worn throughout the entire 2020 season.
The league is also planning on lifting their cleat restrictions, which gives players the opportunity to display positive messages for various social justice causes.
In addition, the Boston Red Sox are displaying a "Black Lives Matter" billboard next to Fenway Park, which faces the Massachusetts Pike. The letters are in Red So front with the team's logo being included.
Following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police department, the Red Sox displayed a "Black Lives Matter" message on the Green Monster scoreboard.
#BLACKLIVESMATTER pic.twitter.com/bnHZuyo6Qs
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 23, 2020
