Miami Marlins New Uniforms

As a baseball fan and designer I have a fondness for the baseball uniform. The sports long history has brought many wonderful uniforms and an equal amount of really ugly ones. As the Miami Marlins, formerly known as the Florida Marlins, introduced their new uniforms to the public, not a lot of people liked what they saw. The logo is a bit too simplistic, the type is a bit modern, the color scheme is a bit too much to look at are some of the complaints by baseball purist. I think these criticisms  are unfair and make it difficult for newer teams to establish their identiy in a league that is many decades old. How do you represent your team and your city, while adjusting to the different styles of today? Miami Marlins, Arizona  Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays  are all newer teams that have broken from the traditional baseball uniform of a two color scheme with serf and / or scripted type. They have radically different approaches that are representative of modern times. These teams don't have a past that they can look back at for history and inspiration.

The Miami Marlins are trying to represent their city with a color scheme that represents the vibrant community of Miami with art deco type. I can't blame them for wanting to represent the very details that Miami is defined by and yet it is held up to the scrutiny and disdain of the public. I see it as a radical and bold rebranding of a team that has been less appreciated by their very own fan base. Going into a new stadium with a completely new identity in a city that has a vibrant South American and Caribbean community should be exciting, but the Marlins are cursed by being located in a state that is home to half of the Major League baseball spring training facilities, and in Miami alone, a million or so Yankees and Mets fans. So they are criticized.  

Can the Miami Marlins have a solid and dedicated fan base? Can the owner and GM treat this team with a lot more dignity then they did the Florida Marlins? Not looking good.