Fix the image of Ken Griffey, Jr. wearing a White Sox hat on the MLB 17 The Show cover

by: Brett Miller

recipient: MLB 17 The Show, SCEA, SIE San Diego Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment

MLB the Show was proud to announce Mariners legend Ken Griffey, Jr. would be featured on the cover of the 2017 edition. The cover was revealed, and, for the most part, it looks great! Junior is robbing a home run in the lower left-hand corner, he's showing off his iconic swing in the center, and there's a picture of him flashing his signature smile in the background. But there's a problem with the last one--he's wearing a Chicago White Sox hat.



Griffey spent just 41 games and 150 plate appearances with the White Sox. A Cincinnati Reds cap might be acceptable--he did spend nine of his 22 years in Cincinnati, but the White Sox cap tells me that the designer of the cover either 1. Isn't a baseball fan, and saw an "S" on the cap, and assumed it meant Seattle, or 2. They knew it was wrong, but thought it was so small nobody would notice. Neither option is acceptable.



This was mentioned on social media many times after the cover was initially revealed. Many, myself included, thought that since the public noted this to the company repeatedly, that the cover would be changed without much acknowledgement. Nobody wants to admit they've made a mistake publicly, but I think many of us thought it would at least be silently fixed.



Now, we're one month away from release with no action having been taken on the cover. Putting a sports legend like Ken Griffey, Jr. on the cover of your sports game shouldn't be tarnished and mocked by a simple design error. If this cover makes it into the public's hands, it will be an embarrassment for MLB the Show, SCEA, SIE San Diego Studio, and all of Sony Interactive Entertainment.



There are thousands of pictures of Junior wearing a Mariners or Cincinnati Reds cap available to the developers. This isn't that hard to fix. EA Sports released Madden with Brett Favre in a Packers jersey before he came out of retirement and signed with the Jets. They then updated the cover for new copies of the game. MLB The Show has an opportunity to avoid having even a single erroneous copy from reaching the public's hands, if they act now.



MLB The Show, fix your cover, so you and your graphic designers don't look like you don't pay attention to detail. Especially when celebrating one of the game's most iconic players--the guy that got more of the Hall of Fame vote than anyone in the history of the game. Do you really think it is just fine for him to be wearing a Chicago White Sox cap on the cover? If so, that's fine. It probably won't stop anyone from buying the game. But people will be laughing at, and rolling their eyes at, this cover forever.



Please, do the right thing.

read petition letter ▾ MLB the Show was proud to announce Mariners legend Ken Griffey, Jr. would be featured on the cover of the 2017 edition. The cover was revealed, and, for the most part, it looks great! Junior is robbing a home run in the lower left-hand corner, he's showing off his iconic swing in the center, and there's a picture of him flashing his signature smile in the background. But there's a problem with the last one--he's wearing a Chicago White Sox hat.



Griffey spent just 41 games and 150 plate appearances with the White Sox. A Cincinnati Reds cap might be acceptable--he did spend nine of his 22 years in Cincinnati, but the White Sox cap tells me that the designer of the cover either 1. Isn't a baseball fan, and saw an "S" on the cap, and assumed it meant Seattle, or 2. They knew it was wrong, but thought it was so small nobody would notice. Neither option is acceptable.



This was mentioned on social media many times after the cover was initially revealed. Many, myself included, thought that since the public noted this to the company repeatedly, that the cover would be changed without much acknowledgement. Nobody wants to admit they've made a mistake publicly, but I think many of us thought it would at least be silently fixed.



Now, we're one month away from release with no action having been taken on the cover. Putting a sports legend like Ken Griffey, Jr. on the cover of your sports game shouldn't be tarnished and mocked by a simple design error. If this cover makes it into the public's hands, it will be an embarrassment for MLB the Show, SCEA, SIE San Diego Studio, and all of Sony Interactive Entertainment.



There are thousands of pictures of Junior wearing a Mariners or Cincinnati Reds cap available to the developers. This isn't that hard to fix. EA Sports released Madden with Brett Favre in a Packers jersey before he came out of retirement and signed with the Jets. They then updated the cover for new copies of the game. MLB The Show has an opportunity to avoid having even a single erroneous copy from reaching the public's hands, if they act now.



MLB The Show, fix your cover, so you and your graphic designers don't look like you don't pay attention to detail. Especially when celebrating one of the game's most iconic players--the guy that got more of the Hall of Fame vote than anyone in the history of the game. Do you really think it is just fine for him to be wearing a Chicago White Sox cap on the cover? If so, that's fine. It probably won't stop anyone from buying the game. But people will be laughing at, and rolling their eyes at, this cover forever.



Please, do the right thing.