Fanatics is making masks instead of MLB jerseys to fight Coronavirus

With the Major League Baseball season suspended due to Covid-19, resources that would normally be reserved for making jerseys will instead go toward masks and gowns for healthcare workers.

Fanatics, the company that manufactures MLB jerseys for Nike, has temporarily converted its 360,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Easton, Pennsylvania, to create up to 1 million masks and gowns, per MLB.

According to Fanatics executive director Michael Rubin, the company has halted production of jerseys entirely, instead re-focusing a staff of 100 social-distanced employees on making masks and gowns from jersey materials. They will be donated to hospitals and emergency management personnel in Pennsylvania with plans to expand to the New York City region, which has become the epicenter of the outbreak.

MLB and Fanatics are absorbing all costs.

Probably not as well as standard masks, but they’ll definitely help. MLB jerseys are made with polyester, which could retain germs for a longer period of time compared to cotton. But the jersey-made equipment could still help prevent the spread of Covid-19 by way of coughing, spitting or sneezing. Some form of prevention is better than none as healthcare workers are already struggling with a lack of resources amid the outbreak and are being told to reuse masks.

Right now, Phillies and Yankees jersey materials produced at the Pennsylvania factory are being repurposed. You can even see the pinstripes.

Though some sports franchise owners have failed to act in the best interest of their employees and the public, this is an inspiring move from MLB and Fanatics. Rubin, who’s also a part-owner of the Sixers, was said to have been against the 20 percent reduction in staff pay that was quickly reversed after public backlash. Now he’s helping lead an effort to stop the spread of Covid-19 and embracing the costs that come with it.

The U.S. needs more billionaires to follow.