As MLB looks to inject more personality into the game and attract new fans, the league has allowed teams use props for home run celebrations. It’s a quirky gimmick that you’d see in college and minor-league games, but honestly, it’s fun to watch how creative MLB teams have gotten with their unique dugout celebrations.
But there’s apparently a limit to that fun, and for MLB, the Atlanta Braves crossed that line when their home run celebration upset corporate sponsor New Era.
For Braves home runs this season, the hitter of the homer has donned a Big Hat while going down a high-five line in the dugout. The celebration formed somewhat organically when a fan gave the hat to A.J. Minter, and the team thought it would be a fun prop for the HR celly.
This @ozzie curtain call while wearing the Big Home Run Hat is our new favorite video on the Internet 😆 pic.twitter.com/SBTqlJmDOf
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) April 12, 2023
Yet, for the past few games, Braves fans have noticed the Home Run Hat’s absence in the dugout despite plenty of Braves home runs. On Wednesday, WSB-TV in Atlanta confirmed that MLB nixed the celebration at the request of New Era, which is the official on-field cap supplier for MLB.
Of course, New Era is a business that pays millions for the MLB cap rights. It doesn’t like seeing a team so enthusiastic about a hat that New Era cannot profit from. That’s the corporate nature of professional sports in this country. But at the same time, New Era has to realize that it isn’t competing with a novelty big hat company that charges $100 for hats and appeared on Shark Tank. It’s petty and draws more attention to the hat than it would have gotten had New Era just allowed the Braves to have their fun.
MLB fans weren’t thrilled with New Era for complaining about the hat either.
This was how Twitter reacted
I’ll wear it to a game since the no fun police won’t allow the players to wear it anymore. https://t.co/bqGoBLrQyu
— Matt Chernoff (@RealMattlanta) April 26, 2023
Lame @NewEraCap https://t.co/NNOa6TtGd8
— Jessica (@mckinleyjess5) April 26, 2023
GrOw ThE gAmE, right? @MLB @NewEraCap https://t.co/a5RaWxzXU6
— Budmañ006 (@bud006) April 26, 2023
https://t.co/mBC7Wl3jFt pic.twitter.com/jes9kVTN9S
— Scott Coleman (@scottcoleman55) April 26, 2023
people think of actually fun things to do after home runs and of course it’s stopped immediately https://t.co/7GKmG2gBSG
— Soundwave (@LocalSoundwave) April 26, 2023
Pour one out, make it a tall boy. https://t.co/O5dXpaBr12
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) April 26, 2023
Major League Baseball and its partners are the real No Fun League. https://t.co/5ReI1rK4sT
— Phill, Murphy’s Law-yer (@GlassHalfPhill) April 26, 2023
I didn't have strong feelings about the big hat celebration one way or another but Big Hat™️ coming in to shut it down is my villain origin story https://t.co/puHfaEbv5c
— 🅟🅣 ⚾ (@APrettyThief) April 26, 2023
How did Ozuna last longer this season than the big hat? 🤦🏻♂️ https://t.co/bKSkCxI3UZ
— Jace Sanders (@JSanders_LXXI) April 26, 2023
