The Texas Rangers’ new Nike City Connect uniforms are finally doing what the organization has failed to do: be inclusive.
The Cochineal red uniforms, which spell out, ‘Tejas,’ on the chest, are meant to celebrate Mexican culture.
“From the ‘Tejas’ name across the chest to the paper picador patch, these uniforms are a reminder that whether pronounced with an X or a J, it’s the same place and a shared pride in calling Tejas home,” reads a statement from Nike on the release.
Credit to the Rangers, who have made an effort to connect more with their Hispanic fan base over the years by adding a Mariachi Band to the in-game entertainment on certain days and a post-game concert series called “Viva Tejas,” but the organization itself isn’t exactly embracing diversity.
On Opening Day, the Rangers fielded an all-white, U.S.-born lineup—something that has less than a 1-percent chance of happening in a league that is 59.2-percent white and 40.8-percent from diverse backgrounds, specifically 28.6-percent Latino.
The Rangers currently have Latino players on their 26-man active roster, including pitchers Robert Garcia and Luis Curvelo, as well as utility player Ezequiel Duran. Despite this representation, Latino players make up only 11 percent of the roster. Additionally, none of the players selected to model the new uniform are of Latino descent.
“Can’t wait to see our 99.9% white roster repping viva tejas,” said one Redditor.
“Nothing says ‘Tejas’ like Seager, deGrom, Langford, Carter, Burger, Pederson, etc.,” said another Redditor.
The uniforms also come at a time when the North Texas community itself is becoming an increasingly hostile place for immigrants to live. According to the Dallas Morning News, more than 72% of the 5,200 people arrested by the Dallas ICE office since the beginning of 2026 had no prior criminal convictions. But Rangers’ owner, Ray Davis, has donated thousands to Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign and to the Political Action Committee “Save America,” which aims to crack down on mail-in ballots and voter citizenship.
None of that truly screams, “embracing Mexican culture.”
You can paint the jerseys the red of a Mexican cochineal insect, print the Charro-inspired pattern on the sleeves and piping and emblazon the left sleeve with papel picado, but that’s no substitute for what the Rangers’ values truly are.