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By Megan ArmstrongShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberPrefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.

The uniform reveal is always a tricky game.

The Kansas City Royals found that out the hard way on Thursday.

Eight teams officially unveiled new City Connect uniforms for the 2026 MLB season: the Royals, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, and Texas Rangers.

The Royals' 2025 City Connect uniforms were widely met with disgust on social media.

Under MLB's X (formerly Twitter) post, a user named Jakob said the Royals' City Connect "looks like a cheap vape company." He wasn't the only one to make that comparison, as someone else wrote, "That hat really looks like a vape pen."

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A user named Alyssa wrote: "Did they create these in MLB The Show's uniform creator?" along with a garbage bin emoji. Someone else went so far as tosay the uniform looks like "a glorified gender reveal party."

Over on Instagram, MLB and the Royals' joint post was similarly flooded with criticism.

"Ooh! This uniform certainly matches how they've been playing lately. Fun but not serious."

"Looks like the Baskin-Robbins softball team."

"Giving Royal Caribbean."

For reference, Kansas City's official city logo has been a light-blue-and-fuchsia fountain for decades.

It should be noted that some fans liked the new City Connect uniform and were confused by the hate, but the overwhelming sentiment was unfavorable.

"The city’s official City of Fountains logo inspired a fuchsia-to-blue gradient that highlights Kansas City’s iconic waterways," MLB's official description of the design reads. "A new twist on the 'R' logo pays homage to the team's original 1969 mark, and a heart logo reflects Kansas City’s placement in the country’s heartland."

See a detailed explanation of all the design elements here, and judge the Royals' City Connect for yourself below.

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