The sports headwear and apparel company New Era Cap is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
What began as an attempt by the New York-based company to come up with a new MLB hat design has turned into novelty items worth upwards of $1,000 in the online marketplace.
The recently released hats are part of New Era's Overlap 5950 collection, in which team logos are superimposed over the team name. However, as many fans online were quick to point out, the designs led to some eyebrow-raising — sometimes vulgar — irregularities.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | MLB players issue complaints about new see-through pants
In one case, the Texas Rangers cap design ended up spelling out a Spanish slang word. Other designs, like those for the Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros, have also been mocked online for unfortunate letter placements that change their intended meaning.
"Maybe shouldn't have rolled with this design," a user on X wrote in response to the Angels hat design.
An MLB source told Front Office Sports that the design flaws were "unintentional" and missed during the product review process. The hats were ultimately removed from the MLB's online marketplace, but not until after shoppers had already managed to get their hands on them.
RELATED STORY | ESPN, MLB to cut ties at the end of 2025 season after 35-year partnership
Now, some of the hats are reselling online with a big price markup. According to eBay records, multiple Los Angeles Angels hats sold Wednesday for upwards of $1,000. A Texas Rangers hat with the design flaw, meanwhile, sold for $800.
MLB and New Era have not issued public statements regarding the hats, but it's not the first time the two have run into this issue. Last year, New Era's "Team Shadow" collection featured an Oakland A's hat that had an extra "s."
