The Kansas City Royals debuted their new jersey patches on Wednesday, and were met with a mixed response.
The Royals will feature a red QT patch on their arms through the 2024 season, advertising the team’s partnership with QuikTrip, a convenience store chain with many locations across the South and Midwest.
In addition to the patch, the Royals and QuikTrip are teaming up to launch “Hit the Books,” a program aiming to improve literacy rates for students in the Kansas City community.
While the partnership certainly comes with a good cause attached, fans were split on the execution of the jersey patch—especially when it came to aesthetics, as QuikTrip’s prominent red branding clashed somewhat harshly with the Royals’ blue.
I'm not trying to be negative, but that is abominable. There has to be another way to have an on-field presence.
— Brian Sandvig (@Brian_Sandvig) February 21, 2024
Genuinely, irredeemably hideous https://t.co/RHEN0ssFXS
— Patrick Daugherty (@RotoPat) February 21, 2024
Could’ve made it smaller….or literally maybe Blue? https://t.co/A1atMEEIBO pic.twitter.com/5cbiefHAyb
— Kasey Reed (@KaseyReed24) February 21, 2024
These patches should match uniform color, at minimum. The Mets did it with their sponsor. https://t.co/RcSbn8laYm
— D.J. Short (@djshort) February 21, 2024
That said, there were also plenty of fans that spoke out in support of the partnership, noting that it was good to see a popular brand in the region investing in its community, even if the colors clashed a bit.
The patch clashes something awful with the uniform, but it’s QuikTrip, which is just so delightfully funny to me that I’ll allow it https://t.co/WIQGyYzvLc
— Matt LaMar (@LaMar_Matt) February 21, 2024
Love quiktrip. Love the Royals. Love youth literacy. But this is an eyesore https://t.co/WknYw2qmtS
— Kalon Fullerton (@cowlonfull) February 21, 2024
Full co-sign on this as a KC and QT enthusiast https://t.co/PlUuuphOVa
— Coach (@JayDSarkar) February 21, 2024
✅ good cause
✅ fitting regional sponsor
✅ funny smiles in the photo
I approve https://t.co/A8qwXmOIhY— Bayou Billy Butler 🌾 (bayoubillybutler.bsky) (@BayouBillButler) February 21, 2024
love this. absolutely hilarious local partnership. also very very cool that it’s investing in the community https://t.co/CHx0aaX3oU
— platinum sombrero (@platinombrero) February 21, 2024
MLB uniforms have received quite a bit of attention heading into the 2024 season. Designed by Nike and produced by Fanatics, the new kits have been criticized for reasons both comical and genuinely frustrating.
While the larger uniform problems may persist, the Royals might consider taking a page out of the Mets’ playbook with regard to their jersey patch.
Last year, the Mets announced a partnership with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, which included a large red and white patch on players’ arms. After the initial designed was critiqued—notably for featuring the colors of the rival Phillies—the Mets changed course, altering the design to fit better on the sleeve and feature their own team’s blue and orange.
Given how many Kansas City fans were positive about the partnership but down on the design, the Royals might want to look into making a similar change.