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New Era's latest collection of Major League Baseball (MLB) hats has sparked controversy, leading to the removal of the Texas Rangers cap due to an unintended vulgarity in Spanish.
The Overlap 5950 collection, sold by Fanatics, features a design where each team's cap logo is superimposed over its jersey wordmark. However, in the case of the Texas Rangers, the placement of the team's signature "T" over the "X" in "TEXAS" inadvertently created a Spanish slang term for breasts. The cap was swiftly pulled from online stores after social media users pointed out the issue.
A report from The Dallas Morning News confirmed that the hat was removed from the collection, and MLB officials declined to comment on the matter. Rangers officials were reportedly unaware of the design before its release.
This is not the first time New Era has faced backlash over its designs. Other caps in the same collection have also drawn criticism. The Arizona Diamondbacks hat appears to spell "Ariana" instead of "Arizona," while the Houston Astros' cap reads "Ashos." A similar design flaw occurred last year when an Oakland Athletics cap inadvertently spelled "A'ss."
The misstep has led to widespread ridicule on social media, with users mocking the various questionable designs. One user on X reacted to the Boston Red Sox's cap, which read "Bobon," by posting an image of former NBA player Boban Marjanović. Another comment listed the most humorous errors, stating, "Came for 'Anaels' and 'Tetas.' Stayed for 'Dedoit.'"
Despite the backlash, it remains unclear if the Texas Rangers will have a redesigned cap introduced into the collection. Fans have suggested that using the team's script logo instead of the wordmark could have prevented the error.
This incident follows a series of design controversies involving New Era. In 2018, the company was criticized for inaccurately printing the opening words of the U.S. Constitution on Fourth of July caps, forcing MLB to remove them. More recently, new Nike-designed uniforms manufactured by Fanatics faced complaints for being see-through, with Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner remarking, "I know everyone hates them... We all liked what we had."
For now, the Texas Rangers cap remains unavailable, and it is uncertain whether New Era will rework the design or scrap it entirely.
