Major League Baseball Hates Sneakerheads

Adam Jones is the latest to have his exclusive kicks banned.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Sports and sneakers have a history of disagreements. The NBA started with Michael Jordan's banned Air Jordan Is back in the '80s and continued to keep a close watch on colors through the late '90s, when Penny Hardaway had to Sharpie his Foamposites in order to avoid being fined. The hate towards dope sneakers isn't reserved for the hardwood, however.

Back in 2010, after Brian Wilson of the San Francisco Giants was awarded with an All Star Game appearance, Nike laced him with an exclusive pair of cleats, that just so happened to be bright orange. It was all good with the league until Wilson tried wearing them during the next regular season game a couple days later. Major League Baseball told Wilson the cleats didn't meet the color requirements. Like any civilized sneaker nut (yes, he's one of us), he wasn't about to give up his exclusives, so he took a Sharpie to them to meet the league's requirement for a proper balance of team colors. 

Now it seems that Major League Baseball is back to their hateful ways, banning Adam Jones' latest exclusives from Nike Baseball. Oddly enough, the camo pattern of the Nike Air Swingman MVP is the same as the versions worn for Jackie Robinson Day and it's also the same camo pattern that every team in the league wore for Memorial Day weekend on their caps, albeit traditional brown camo. Apparently the orange and black is the culprit. Despite the hate from the league, there's a tremendous upside to this for sneakerheads. Follow Adam Jones on Twitter and you might get your hands on a pair of these exclusive Nikes, as Jones tweeted earlier today that the cleats are looking for a new home and it might be accompanied with a massive giveaway.

When will baseball learn from the NBA's mistakes, stop hating and let the sneakers shine all season long?