When MLB rolled out advertisements on batting helmets during the 2024 playoffs, fans reacted with swift and widespread frustration. After the league struck a multi-year deal with German workwear company Strauss, fans saw the once-sacred baseball uniform transformed yet again, with the company’s ostrich logo now occupying a prominent spot on every batting helmet. For many, the helmets now feel more like advertising billboards than sports gear, sparking complaints that MLB has lost touch with its traditional roots.
In 2022, when MLB’s new collective bargaining agreement allowed for uniform ads, fans of teams like the Yankees and Braves were particularly vocal against the branding patches on sleeves, calling them an unwelcome commercialization of the game. The one saving grace was that helmet ads had been left untouched. That changed when MLB signed the new deal with Strauss, which will now see their logo featured on helmets not only in the playoffs but in all regular-season games held in Europe, and across all Minor League Baseball games from 2025 through 2027.
Unsurprisingly, fans were not pleased. “The helmet decals, the patches on the sleeves, all of it is tacky, tacky, tacky,” one fan vented, echoing the sentiment of many. Another fan commented on the irony of using a German brand’s logo in America’s pastime, writing, “Nothing says great American pastime like advertising a German workwear brand on the heads of baseball players.”
Henning Strauss, CEO of the family-owned Strauss brand, has been delighted with the backlash, viewing it as free publicity. “The attention has been immense,” he told Front Office Sports, noting a huge surge in traffic, social media followers, and U.S. sales. Since the announcement, Strauss’ U.S. Instagram account has skyrocketed to 23,900 followers—a 455% jump since April.
For fans, however, the partnership is a symbol of a shift in MLB’s priorities. As one fan pointed out, “Watched one inning and was like what is that? Thought maybe it was a memorial or some noble cause. Nope, just for more money.”
