Fanatics shifts jersey production to personal protective equipment

As the United States continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, MLB uniform supplier Fanatics is shifting production of jerseys to personal protective equipment–with the distinctive pinstriping of baseball duds, of course.

Fanatics has devoted manufacturing capabilities in its Easton, PA plant to masks and hospital gowns:

We’re proud to partner with @MLB to support emergency personnel who are fighting against COVID-19 and face a need for masks and hospital gowns. We’re utilizing our manufacturing plant in Easton, PA to make masks and gowns out of the same jersey fabric that the players wear pic.twitter.com/5jEg1B2iUa

— Fanatics (@Fanatics) March 26, 2020

This is not an ideal situation, of course: If you were to choose the best materials for personal protective equipment, you would not start with the polyester mesh used for jerseys. But at a time when personal protective equipment like face masks and hospital gowns are in short supply, every little bit helps, and these masks and gowns are aimed rated at Level 1, which means they are deployed in low-risk situations. If it matters, the pinstripes come from New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies home jerseys, with the gear earmarked for Pennsylvania-area hospitals. The goal is to hit 5,000 masks and gowns a day, with more requests for masks.

Photos courtesy Fanatics, via Twitter.

With hourly news about the spread of the coronavirus impacting the sports-business and facilities industries, it’s more important than ever to stay up with the latest news in the venues industry. That’s why we’re launching a new Venues Digest newsletter focusing on coronavirus information across the ballparks, arenas, stadiums, theater and performing-arts worlds. For now it will appear daily, and for now it will be free of charge. Sign up here.

RELATED STORIES: MLB, MLBPA reach agreement on 2020 season details; Happy Opening Day–at home; Could we see a second spring training this year?; Doubleheaders May Be on the Docket at Start of MLB Season; MLB to Pay MiLB Players Spring Training Per Diems; MLB, MLBPA Negotiating Service Time, Draft; Truist Grant Extends Relief to MLB, MiLB Game-Day Workers; MiLB Teams Lose Non-Gameday Events Amidst Pandemic; Ballpark Parking Lots Could Help During Coronavirus Pandemic; MLB Teams Donate $30M Toward Game-Day Employees; Sandy Alderson: MLB Needs to Enter Total Shutdown; It’s Official: Don’t Look for MLB Until Memorial Day; MLB Teams Order Non-Roster Players Home, Shut Down Workouts; More MLB Teams Announce Plans to Aid Game-Day Employees; Telecommuting in Baseball’s Front Offices the New Reality; MLB, MiLB Season Openers Could Be Delayed to May; Surprise! Spring Training’s Canceled. What’s Next?; MLB Season Delayed For Two Weeks, MiLB Season Indefinitely