The Washington Nationals and Washington Wizards are so excited about cherry blossom season that both teams designed uniforms that sport the Japanese flower. The franchises unveiled the collaborative jerseys that will pay tribute to the pink-flowered trees on Tuesday morning.
While the teams’ seasons fall on different ends of the calendar, the Nationals and Wizards both plan to show off the jerseys on the field (and the court). The Nationals will don their uniforms throughout the next three upcoming seasons, with their first on-field appearance happening during their opening weekend game against the New York Mets on Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10.
“Washington D.C.’s cherry blossoms represent hope and new beginnings, making them the perfect symbol of this Nationals team,” Nationals owner Mark D. Lerner said in a press statement. “We’re excited to unveil these beautiful uniforms as the embodiment of our historic organization’s hopeful feature as we lead the District of Cherry Blossoms celebration with our friends at the Wizards.”
The Nationals swapped out their usual red and white color palette for pink, ivory, and gray hues. The uniform also features images of pastel pink cherry blossoms and the DC flag. Meanwhile, the Wizards took a more bold approach with a bright pink jersey and blue ombre shorts that symbolize the blossoms on the water of the tidal basin.
Both jerseys will be available for purchase at each teams’ store and online. While fans can start buying the Nationals jerseys on Wednesday, the Wizards jerseys won’t be on the market until November.
Before becoming Research Editor, Damare Baker was an Editorial Fellow and Assistant Editor for Washingtonian. She has previously written for Voice of America and The Hill. She is a graduate of Georgetown University, where she studied international relations, Korean, and journalism.
