Whenever a Philly teen walks into any sports complex, it is exactly like a kid walking into a candy store. Every time, there is excitement, something new, something fresh. That is exactly what the Philadelphia Phillies are trying to do with their new jersey. 

On April 5th, the Phillies’ Instagram page revealed a new team uniform they will wear this season. 

With this New Jersey, each piece, each part, has a special meaning. It has a meaning, whether it be respect, care, brotherly love, or bluntness. 

The entire uniform reflects our history as a community. The colors blue and yellow represent our city flag, “unchanged since its inception.”

 Across the chest is written “Philly” in our very own lettering from the country’s founding documents. Inside of the letters is the crack from the liberty bell. The imperfectness of this all expresses the individualism of the world today, no matter where it is. 

The collar holds a skyline of Philadelphia in a bright blue color for our hard-working blue-collar workers in Philly. And on the sleeve, they call it “Our Heart on Our Sleeve.” The word love along with the liberty bell for the O is for our “LOVE” sculpture which shows our brotherly love. Along with “The City Of Brotherly Love.” 

The hat captures the entirety of what Philadelphia stands for. The Liberty Bell and our city’s skyline are in the dead center of the hat. 

The meaning behind each piece is exactly what every 7th grader to elder stands for. At the beginning of middle school, everyone is looking for themselves and looking for an outlet for how to express themselves. Watching sports and understanding why people do it makes you feel at ease. 

Seeing a group of people becoming a community and working hard to fight for what they want inspires every young person to do what they want. Having an incredibly changed uniform proves to the kids watching that they do not have to look the same as always to be the person they have always been. 

Another factor this new jersey brings is the city of Philadelphia. Anyone around that area holds Philly close to their heart; it is a piece of them. Adding that piece of them into a uniform, they see everywhere helps them feel that they are important to the team and that they scream and fight over every week. 

No matter what, Philadephia stands for being you and being free with whatever you want. This uniform captures every aspect of what it means to be Philadelphia-born and raised.