Skip to content
 

More Uni Design, More Football, and More!

Muraro, Ryan-Primary Wildcat Logo

By Phil Hecken

Back with round two of the “Design-A-Uniform” contest entries for the Clarksville High School baseball team. If you missed the first batch of entries, you can see the whole thing here. Today we move on to the second set of entries, and they are every bit as good as the first. So, let’s get started:

~~~

Adam Hainsfurther: submission

-Adam Hainsfurther-

~~~

Peter Halbrooks: submission

I look forward to seeing everyone else’s designs!

Peter

~~~

Joe Hilseberg: submission

Hey Phil,

So I threw a design together. I really like High School uniforms to be basic. Knowing that they already have the Cubs styled “C” hat I though I would work from that.

Home Jersey: I really played off of the Cubs look and feel here by introducing a home pinstripe. It can be black or purple…not gold! I also created a “Cville” logo to mesh perfectly with the existing hat. I think this design can hold up well over time. And of course all of the jerseys feature the Cubs number style…why not go all the way?

Road Jersey: Super clean. Basic varsity font and vertical arching. Enough said.

Alt Black: This jersey introduces a new alt CHS logo as well. I’ve personally always prefered the paw logo over the “angry cat” logo when dealing with cat themed teams. This is just a variation of a paw with stylized interlocking CHS letters. This logo can also be used as a sleeve patch on the home or road.

Let me know your thoughts.

-Joe Hilseberg

~~~

Thomas Huppé: submission

Hope it will help.

Regards

Thomas Huppe

~~~

Patrick Karraker: submission

Phil:

Here is my entry for the Design a Uniform contest. I designed two new logos for Clarksville — one which is a re-colored version of the Clemson paw logo, and a brand new “CHS” logo. For the uniforms, I created an almost Oregon-esque set featuring five jerseys and three caps, although I have preset uniforms so there is none of that crazy “mix-n-match” stuff. The first one, the primary home uniform, is a sleveless model featuring that CHS wordmark that the Clarksville coaches love. I paired this one with the black “CHS” cap. I think if any team is doing a redesign, they should have a pinstripe option, so that is my first home alternate, and I paired that one with the purple paw cap. The second home alternate, my personal favorite, is a black jersey, paired with a black paw cap, special for this jersey. For my road jerseys, my primary set is a gray jersey inspired by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ road set pre-exorcism, which I always thought was one of the more underrated uniforms in baseball. This jersey is paired with the purple paw cap. Finally, my road alternate is a sleveless purple jersey which has an LSU feeling to it. This one is paired with the CHS logo cap. Good luck to the Wildcats this season, hope to see them winning with this look.

Patrick Karraker

~~~

Eeth Koth: submission

I’ve attached my submission.
I only did one treatment being I’m a better thinking these things up than executing.

As you’ll see with my MS Paint nightmare.

~~~

Matthew Lanzoff: submission

Hey Phil,

First off let me say I love reading your work. Each of the writers bring a great voice to blog and as an everyday reader it nice to have things change up. Well with out any further ado, here’s what I put together for the Clarksville squad.

As a child of the 80s, hearing the name Wildcats my thoughts immediately go to the Thundercats. So thats where I started with my design. While I hate it on my Mets, I’ve never really minded it on some baseball teams I think it looks good on the field so I took the coach’s cues and put together a black home uniform. The white arm bands, which might be impossible to get from a uniform supplier, are inspired by Tygra’s random yellow embellishment on his sleeve. The chest crest is of course inspired by the Thundercats logo itself.

On the road, I thought the Clarksville squad would look best in a more traditional grey. This time we get the initials woodmark across the chest, complete with cartoon cat inspired font, and the sleeve bands make a return. For the team’s heads I wanted to go with something understated but consistent with the rest of the look, so I whipped up this.

I liked the idea of a school having a running theme through all their teams looks; so as a special bonus, I put the cat logo on a football helmet. I think its pretty appropriate.

Thanks,

Matt Lanzoff

~~~

Steve Lastname: submission

Hi Phil,

Attached are two files. One is the home and away jersey (and pants), the other is two possible alternates. Let me say that I don’t like the logo on the black alt, but I figured I’d explore it. I might like it more if I had more time to design the letters to look like the ones on the Cubs uniform. But then again, a Cubs logo rendered in yellow and purple on a black jersey just doesn’t look right, no matter how good the letters look.

Thanks,
Steve

~~~

Ryan Muraro: submission

Hey Phil,

My name is Ryan Muraro, and I am an aspiring design who just graduated this May with an Industrial Design degree from the University of Wisconsin Stout. Recently I read your entry about the Clarksville High School Wildcat baseball team’s desire for a rebranding effort, and I would like to entry my designs for consideration of fulfilling this request. The entry consists of 3 logos and 3 uniforms, descriptions as follows;

– The logos were built for identity consistency, as all of the logos are built around the cap logo, which will remain as was requested. Currently the Clarksville H.S. teams use several logos from various sources, so the hope was to create a logo set that could be used across the athletic department if desired. The “Chicago Cubs” C is perfect for building apon; being so symmetrical creates a perfect base. The First two logos are the Wildcat logos, one with full body and one with a cropped body. I took inspiration from the University of Kentucky logo primarily, but was sure to keep the logo’s look original. These are simple two-color logos, if there would be a desire to create more detailed-looking Wildcats, there is the option for that. The full version is a primary mark for print materials, spirit gear, etc; the secondary mark is streamlined with the exclusion of the Wildcat’s legs for use on team uniform elements (jerseys, caps; if it were to be used for other athletic teams, it would work for an excellent football helmet logo). The third logo is the CHS lettermark logo, again built off of the Cub C hat logo. Not much description needed for this logo, it’s meant to be a strong, clean, simple, versatile logo.

– The uniforms are pretty self-explanatory. The alternate is very Purple, but I must be crazy for not being afraid of the color. Purple, though, makes for a terrible complement to black, so there is no use of black throughout this uniform set. If black were to be uses, I would suggest either altering the shade of purple used with that uniform set, or just avoiding the use of purple all-together. The home uniform is super clean, the aways have an original script mark, the numbers are standard jersey block style, while the font is a standard sans-serif type (Abadi in this application, but is meant to be altered depended on what the manufacturer has available).

That may be a bit wordy, but I want to make sure there is a good basic understanding of my mindset while undergoing this design process. I hope that, even if this isn’t the design chosen, that my effort and skill are evident in the final product. Best of luck in the future, and thanks for this opportunity.

Ryan Muraro

~~~

Joseph Obermaier: submission

Hi Phil,

Here is my entry in the design a uniform contest. It was enormous fun. I missed out on the Sartell Sabres call”¦would have loved to try my hand at that one”¦ Love the site! (I, too, once thought I was alone as a uni watcher.)

Here are the four pieces (putting on my best Michael Kay voice from when he was only on the radio):

1. Wildcat “mascot” logos, appropriately mean and inspired (maybe too much) by Halloween.

2. A home uni, proud whites with purple sleeves, trim and gold accents. Home mascot patch above the heart. “Wildcats” across the chest, purple trimmed in gold; matching colors for the oversized number on back. NOB in untrimmed purple. Purple stirrups with gold stripes trimmed in white (must be worn high!). Also with a “CHS” cap that is reminiscent of the great Habs (Canadiens) logo. The font is Copperplate Gothic.

3. An away uni, heavily gray, with plenty of black, and purple and gold accents. Away mascot patch above the heart. “Centerville” across the chest, gold trimmed in purple. Also with a CHS cap and oversized number on back; same fonts as the home uni, but with the colors inverted. NOB in untrimmed purple. Black stirrups with purple stripes trimmed in white.

4. An “alternate” jersey, no sleeves, with black and purple claw marks on upper right, and longer claw marks on corresponding shoulder on the back. “Wildcats” across the chest in a scratchy font called Viner Hand, purple trimmed in black. Number below left, same color scheme. Oversized number on back in same colors. NNOB (would mess with my claw marks). Same stirrups as the away uni; purple pants (I know, but why not for an alternate uni?). The cap is purple, with black brim, large gray panel in front containing the home mascot.

Anyway, there they are. I would love to hear any feedback the other uni watchers have on the designs. And find me some more contests like this one!

Thanks.

Joe

~~~

Well, that’s going to do it for the second round of the Design-A-Uniform contest entries. There are many more awesome ones like the ones you see today still to come. Make sure you praise and comment upon today’s entrants. Their work is awesome (and hopefully, it won’t devalue the profession).

~~~~~~~~~~

benchies header

Got a brand new “Benchies” for you today, and it’s in color, much like the UCLA/USC uniforms last evening. Here’s Ricko to give you the rundown:

“Ah, the Holidays, that time of year when TV introduces the world of Mick and Mike to all the new high tech gadgetry out there. Imagine the excitement in BenchiesLand.”

Enjoy your Sunday Benchies.

~~~~~~~~~~

nfl uni tweaks

Our next batch of NFL uni tweaks feature more interesting concepts from the readership. Despite one or two posters not enjoying the reader designs, the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, and I have several more tweaks still to come. If you’re interested in this, please drop me a line and put in the subject line: “Uni Tweaks (your team[s])”.

First up is Patrick Woody who bring us this:

Hey Phil,

I know you’re getting bombarded with these things, but I’ve had a few NFL redesign concepts gathering dust for a while in the wasteland of my hard drive.

First up is one for the Titans. Basically I matched the helmet stripes up with the pants, removed all the Jetsons elements, and tweaked the logo to look more traditional and less cartoonish. The three stars on the sleeves probably doesn’t work, but I wanted to slap something on there and didn’t want to replicate the helmet logo.

Second is the Ravens, who to me are the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NFL. Like the Titans, here I wanted to remove the gimmicky cartoon elements (sorry, I can’t stand the superhero/cartoon trend) and make them look more like an established and storied franchise and less like a team playing in the Arena Bowl. Still, I wanted to keep the purple and black, even though I’m not a fan of that combo. On the jersey, I went with single-color block numbers because there is never a time when that doesn’t look good. The mustard pants would never fly, but I wanted to see how they looked. I left the cartoon bird head logo (limited by MS Paint – not much I can do with logos), but removed the superfluous “B”.

And last is the Falcons. Ok, this is pretty much just their recent throwback uniform, but I really think it’s such a damn-near perfect look that you can’t do much to improve upon it. I used a version of the red helmet without the gold stripes, although I do think the gold stripes would work. I also threw in the gray pants as a nod to the Bartkowski era uni’s, but with the throwback striping pattern. Of course, that pretty much made them the Giants pants with slightly different colors. Oh well.

~~~

Next up is Greg Skaljac, who has some thoughts on the Browns:

Love your site and the articles on changing some awful NFL unis — lifelong Browns fan, but can’t stand the current unis — need some modern updates.

See attached “brown jersey”, “wht jersey” and “alternate orange” looks”¦I also put in a new helmet utilizing the classic “brownie elf” with their original white helmets

~~~

Next up is Matt English, a Bills fan with an idea for a new helmet:

As a Bills fans, I thought they’ve been long overdue for a uni tweak. For starters, taking out the navy and going with a straight white/red/royal blue design. Here’s what I whipped up for a helmet redesign. It was originally primarily red, but I decided at the last minute in Photoshop to make it primarily silver/white. I brought back the old standing Buffalo logo. The stripes through the logo give a sort of Montreal Canadiens vibe, overall I think it has a retro aesthetic without being too plain.

~~~

Moving along, we have Mike Boriotti, who dislikes the current Panthers uniform, and has this to say:

So, I personally hate the Carolina Panthers look. I think the shoulder stripes are way to busy, the pants are ugly, and they completely misuse their quasi-Carolina Blue color; look at the UNC football team and you’ll see the correct way to utilize Carolina Blue. What I did was completely change the Panthers to much more traditional looking jerseys, pants, and socks. Other changes included getting rid of silver as one of there colors all together, using a new logo, and changing the blue to a much darker shade. The new logo is actually based on the 1947-1955 Pittsburgh Panthers logo, which I like better because it shows the entire Panther, and the Panther also looks like it is stalking its prey- very aggressive and masculine. One non-traditional thing I did was following the Jacksonville Jaguars in pairing black helmets with black pants, which for my money, is really cool looking when executed correctly. Also, the seams aren’t meant to be seen like on the Buffalo Bills, they just look that way. Big thanks and keep kickin’ fuckin’ ass UniWatch.

~~~

Last up for today is John Loukadakis, who points out that what follows are not actually his designs, but they are some new tweaks for the Redskins:

First let me say this is NOT my design, I read the Warpath as I am a HUGE Deadskins fan, another fan designed this, I just wanted to bring to your attention.

~~~~~~~~~~

ducks unis

UW #1 Seahawks Fan Michael Princip has been tracking the Oregon Ducks and all of their 2,456 possible uniform combinations this season. He’ll be updating it after each game.

The Ducks were idle yesterday, but they’ve got a HUGE game coming up this Thursday (December 3, 2009) in Autzen, when they meet their cross-state rival OSU Beavers in the 113th edition of the Civil War. Always a big game, this one is for a Rose Bowl birth! And, knowing the two combatants, you never know what kind of crazy uniforms they may break out just for this game. Will the Ducks finally break out the carbon helmets? Will the Beavers counter with their own version of pro-combat riflery uniforms that Paul first tipped us off to in his NCAA season preview back in the first week of September? Gonna be a true run for the roses Thursday next.

Here’s Your Updated Ducktracker

~~~~~~~~~~

scoreboard

Guess The Game From The Scoreboard: OK, a little bit of twist to today’s entry, which comes courtesy of reader Andrew Leavitt. I know from what sport this comes, but you folks may need to put on your thinking caps. Pretty good puzzler today, but not for you die hards. Please, if possible, LINK to the answer in the comments. Ready? Guess The Game From The Scoreboard. Date, location, teams and final score, please. And, as always, if you enjoy the game, please send me some new scoreboards! Drop me a line. Thanks!

~~~~~~~~~~

detroit football inline

In case you missed the comments late yesterday, reader Tod Hess (aka “aflfan”) graced the boards with a fantastic write up of some High School football they play in Detroit. I’ll let him describe it, along with the recap of the games. Here’s Tod:

“Every year in Michigan means one thing, Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) State Football Championship. They started in 1975 with four divisions and have now expanded to eight divisions. The finals are now played at Ford Field on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving and had previous been played at the Pontiac Silverdome and before that Western Michigan University. Below are the photos from this year’s Championships. It is my favorite weekend of the year as I use to do stats for the finals for several years. You see almost every kind of offense you can imagine for spread to I formation to wishbone to veer to single wing and if Menominee makes it down to Ford Field you get to see the single wing. You also see lots of different uniform styles.”

Thanks Tod. And now, here’s a rundown of the games:

The Michigan High School Athletic Association held their boys football finals at Ford Field yesterday and today. Here are some pictures of the uniform match ups

Division 1: Detroit Catholic Central (blue) vs. Sterling Heights Stevenson (white)

Division 2: Lowell (red) vs. Inkster (white)

Division 3: East Grand Rapids (Blue) vs. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (white)

Division 4: Marshall (white) vs. Three Rivers (Purple)

Division 5: Jackson Lumen Christi (white) vs. Clare (green)

Division 6: Montague (blue) vs. Monore St. Mary’s Catholic Central (white)

Division 7: Traverse City St. Francis (Blue) vs. Hudson (white) — Hudson is way to busy to me.

Division 8: Beal City (white) vs. Crystal Falls Forest Park (black with striped socks)

* Those are photo galleries where you can look through a bunch of pictures. Great stuff, Tod, and thanks!

~~~~~~~~~~

5 & 1a

Our man in the street, Jim Vilk, brings you his “Top 5” Best and one WORST college football uni matchup from Saturday’s games:

Honorable Mention to the best looking university game in Canada yesterday, the Vanier Cup between U. of Calgary/Queen’s U. — Okay, so it was the only game in Canada yesterday…

5. Washington State/Washington — A pretty sweet-looking Apple Cup

4. ND/Stanford — And one dandy of a ballgame, too.

3. Tennessee/Kentucky — Best of a slow week for the SEC.

2. Tulane/SMU — A serious contender for #1…if not for…

1. UCLA/USC – Wow! All that’s missing is Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles.

And the Worst Uni Matchup: Arizona/Arizona State – Wildcats won the game, but lost for the 2nd week in a row here.

~~~~~~~~~~

riflery inline

And Finally…the Riflery Unis: I’ve been pretty hard on Nike these past few weeks for their “treatment” of school tradition with their superhero new “Pro Combat” uniforms that will supposedly turn the wearers into mythical warriors. I bashed the manufacturer for their hype, but never really commented on the uniforms themselves. Well, I dragged the man on the street, the man who never met a uniform he didn’t like, to assist with his unbiased opinion of the unis foisted upon us this past week. Yep, Jim Vilk will trade barbs with me on the riflery unis. Here’s Jim:

“This weekend we saw another round of Nike “Pro Combat” unis. Their purpose, of course, is to make my job harder when picking the Top 5 matchups. Okay, actually, their purpose is to give the players a lighter, state-of-the-art and more fashionable (?) uni blending the past and the future. This time, there were seven teams involved, which you will see below.”

Clemson: Exhibit A and Exhibit B.
JV: Fine from the front. What’s that on the backside, chaps?
PH: Agreed. I actually liked Clemson in this. But WTF is with Nike and these pants. It’s like, they imagined a the pants as a picture frame that needed a border or something. With the focus on the buttocks. There is a pattern here.

Florida: Exhibit A and Exhibit B.
JV: Again with the chaps. Otherwise, I really liked this one.
PH: This one is bad. Mono-blue, and the picture frame pants — a signature pattern for swoosh.

LSU: Exhibit A and Exhibit B.
JV: Not bad. I can handle the wraparound leg stripes. I’d rather have yellow, too.
PH: Gold (intersting shade) helmet? Good; Jersey? Good; pants stripes that neither start nor end anywhere? Not good. Liked the “sleeve” stripes tho.

Miami, Fla.: Exhibit A and Exhibit B.
JV: An improvement on the regular uni! Two-color numbers are kind of cool. Stripes too far on the backside, but at least they’re not chaps.
PH: Gotta agree here, as well. Definitely better than anything they’ve trotted out there in the past decade. I don’t mind the two color numbers, and they kept the pants relatively clean. Good job with this one.

Missouri: Exhibit A and Exhibit B
JV: From a distance, and in the right light, that’s almost a Seahawks away uni. Glad to see they managed to find a little room for some gold…
PH: If I am judging this solely as a uniform, I actually like it…a lot. But, could they have taken away any more of Mizzou’s identity in the process? At least the bottom of the cleats and the shoulders had some gold. And that helmet was pretty cool.

Texas: Exhibit A and Exhibit B
JV: A lateral move from a classic uni. Very well done.
PH: Outstanding job. Only two complaints: probably could have used a normal (if that’s possible) stripe on the pants, and, even though they were actually true as they could be to the original, I wish the helmet logo and numbers were either different sizes or that the numbers would have been black. Just would have made it easier on the eyes. But a nice job, swoosh.

VA Tech: Exhibit A and Exhibit B.
JV: Another improvement on the regulars, but that’s not saying much. Don’t mind the fading numbers and stripes.
PH: Another not-so-bad one, but they ruined it with the signature pants “swoosh” or whatever you wanna call it. But if that was their only digression, then I say, not too bad. Better than their current uni, but they should make their throwbacks their full time gig.

Final thoughts:

JV: In short, if you take away all the hype that surrounded these, you end up with what uni makers usually have – some hits and some misses.

PH: While I totally disagree with the entire exercise (did any of these teams really need “new” uniforms to begin with???), and think it’s more hype designed to move more merch, as uniforms, this batch wasn’t too bad. There, I said it.

~~~~~~~~~~

OK, whew…another short one. But hey, there was a lot to cover this morning. The pros take over the gridiron today, and don’t forget, tonight at 6:30 EST, the Grey Cup (that’s like, the Super Bowl for Canada) is taking place in Calgary. My buddy Mike Styczen reports that the entire city is sold out of watermelons. Why, you ask? Because Roughrider fans cut them, gut them, and wear them on their heads, like helmets. I shit you not. I guess that’s Canada’s answer to the cheesehead. Anyway, if you get it on your television, it’s a great game (and hopefully, both the Als and the Riders will be wearing their sweet throwbacks) and definitely worth watching.

Uni Watch Winter Classic Update: If you missed last weekend’s announcement of the UWWC, click here and scroll down to the second item, where Ricko describes the whole thing. Both Paul and I will be attending, and among all the other activities described, Paul plans on holding a Uni Watch Gathering at one of the local watering holes. Full details to be announced at a later date, but we hope to see as many of you as possible (so far, besides Ricko and Teebz, I believe rpm, Ben Traxel, jth and at least 20 others are planning to attend). Could be the biggest Uni Watch Gathering to date! Mark your calendars for January 22, 23 & 24, 2010.

Have a fantastic Sunday everyone.

 
  
 
Comments (214)

    I noticed some questions this a.m. regarding the Nevada helmet stripe/no helmet stripe.

    link

    My curiousity sufficiently piqued, I launched a search, which proved fruitless. However, a research yielded this:
    “…the team’s prestigious Striker Award, which is given to a player for dominating and consistent play. A player’s position coach must nominate the player after a stretch of such play and if the player continues that excellence for at least five games, he is given the Striker Award, which is symbolized by a silver stripe on the player’s helmet.”

    There you have it.

    LI, you beast, you have loaded up the site with content today, which should keep my lips moving for a while. In my initial skim I did notice an NFL uni tweak (comment actually) which will require a response later. :)

    [quote comment=”363872″]I noticed some questions this a.m. regarding the Nevada helmet stripe/no helmet stripe.

    link

    My curiousity sufficiently piqued, I launched a search, which proved fruitless. However, a research yielded this:
    “…the team’s prestigious Striker Award, which is given to a player for dominating and consistent play. A player’s position coach must nominate the player after a stretch of such play and if the player continues that excellence for at least five games, he is given the Striker Award, which is symbolized by a silver stripe on the player’s helmet.”

    There you have it.

    LI, you beast, you have loaded up the site with content today, which should keep my lips moving for a while. In my initial skim I did notice an NFL uni tweak (comment actually) which will require a response later. :)[/quote]

    Bet it’s a Redskins uni.
    Call it a hunch.

    —Rcko

    Things That Piss Me Off…
    (one of them, anyway)

    That the Grey Cup isn’t easily accessible on U.S. TV.

    By definition, you’d think ESPN would be the place to offer it. But now that they’re in the NFL fold, not likely. Damn, NFL must cringe whenever Chris Berman talks about the CFL and offers highlights. Like him or loathe him, he certainly seems to be the driving force behind its inclusion…because pretty much anyone else sitting with him looks at him like he’s wasting time covering Guatemalan kickball. And not one of them ever adds a word to the discusson. It’s like, “Okay, let Chris do his little CFL thing that he thinks is important.”

    —Ricko

    Anyone know what the over-under was on Rice-Houston?

    Would be interesting to see how close it was to 87, lol.

    —Ricko

    Leon, thanks for the info on the Nevada helmets. I spent the night watching the game trying to come up with a connection between the style/manufacturer of the helmet and whether a stripe was used. Seems like an odd award system. Thanks again for the info…

    I posted this at about 2 this morning on yesterday\’s entry, but here it is again so everyone can see it.

    So I’m an avid reader of Uni Watch, and I was surprised to see something about a purple and gold wildcat uniform. I though, hey cool it’s like my school, but the more I read it turns out that this is actually the Clarksville High that I currently attend…anyways…I “borrowed” this jersey from the baseball closet earlier this year. I love old uniforms, and this really caught my eye. No telling how long it’s been since these uniforms have even seen the light of day. Marc Walls if you read this, LET’S HAVE A THROWBACK GAME, PLEASE! Here’s a couple quick pictures. I hope I don’t get in trouble for this. If Phil or anyone wants to get in touch with me about more info, I guess you know my email from when I put it in here…

    link

    link

    link

    link

    link

    -Anonymous CHS student…

    [quote comment=”363874″]Things That Piss Me Off…
    (one of them, anyway)

    That the Grey Cup isn’t easily accessible on U.S. TV.

    By definition, you’d think ESPN would be the place to offer it. But now that they’re in the NFL fold, not likely. Damn, NFL must cringe whenever Chris Berman talks about the CFL and offers highlights. Like him or loathe him, he certainly seems to be the driving force behind its inclusion…because pretty much anyone else sitting with him looks at him like he’s wasting time covering Guatemalan kickball. And not one of them ever adds a word to the discusson. It’s like, “Okay, let Chris do his little CFL thing that he thinks is important.”

    —Ricko[/quote]

    I think the NFL’s worried that a Grey Cup broadcast would cut into their Sunday night game. And it would, at least with me. That’s why ESPN doesn’t carry it, even though they no longer have the Sunday game. I’m glad Chris Berman plugs the game (even though sometimes I think it’s just so he can show off his French). It’s as if he remembers his roots at ESPN, when the CFL was a staple of the network’s early years.

    I think my brother gets the game on his satellite. If he doesn’t, I’ll either try to watch it on the computer (ESPN 360 might have it) or I’ll make friends with someone else who gets it.

    [quote comment=”363878″][quote comment=”363874″]Things That Piss Me Off…
    (one of them, anyway)

    That the Grey Cup isn’t easily accessible on U.S. TV.

    By definition, you’d think ESPN would be the place to offer it. But now that they’re in the NFL fold, not likely. Damn, NFL must cringe whenever Chris Berman talks about the CFL and offers highlights. Like him or loathe him, he certainly seems to be the driving force behind its inclusion…because pretty much anyone else sitting with him looks at him like he’s wasting time covering Guatemalan kickball. And not one of them ever adds a word to the discusson. It’s like, “Okay, let Chris do his little CFL thing that he thinks is important.”

    —Ricko[/quote]

    I think the NFL’s worried that a Grey Cup broadcast would cut into their Sunday night game. And it would, at least with me. That’s why ESPN doesn’t carry it, even though they no longer have the Sunday game. I’m glad Chris Berman plugs the game (even though sometimes I think it’s just so he can show off his French). It’s as if he remembers his roots at ESPN, when the CFL was a staple of the network’s early years.

    I think my brother gets the game on his satellite. If he doesn’t, I’ll either try to watch it on the computer (ESPN 360 might have it) or I’ll make friends with someone else who gets it.[/quote]

    It is on MSG+ tomorrow at 7 PM and Comcast Sports Networt New England tomorrow at 11 PM. Those are the only two I found doing a search on DirecTV.

    Joe Hilseberg and Ryan Muraro win this round of Clarksville unis. Very nice. This logo from Peter link is pretty cool, too.

    Thanks to all for joining in this fun venture.

    Patrick’s Ravens unis intrigue me. So do Greg’s Browns unis, but judging from all the Browns fans I know, you’d probably lose more fans than you’d gain with these. Maybe as a one-time deal, and only if you left the elf on the jerseys but took him off the helmet.

    Would it be possible that Berman talks about the CFL because the CFL pays ESPN to cover some highlights? The way contracts and marketing are today I would expect that’s a lot closer to truth than Bermin feeling like covering the CFL for a few minutes on his own.

    [quote comment=”363881″]Would it be possible that Berman talks about the CFL because the CFL pays ESPN to cover some highlights? The way contracts and marketing are today I would expect that’s a lot closer to truth than Bermin feeling like covering the CFL for a few minutes on his own.[/quote]

    ESPN’s a newsroom like any other and, considering Berman’s seniority, it’s actually quite likely he lobbies for it and is granted his “quirk”. And the reason he uses is that ESPN’s “mission” is to cover all things, not just those they carry.

    He knows it’s an argument he can win. How could they rebut that contention without admitting they’d sold out? Even though they probably have, of course.

    Given his tenure that seems the likely dynamic.

    Better that than anything such as “pay for highlights”. Last thing ESPN needs is to have it known that such things are possible. Whatever objectively they profess would fly right out the window in that situation.

    —Ricko

    Gotta say, Ryan Muraro’s submission is by and far the best yet. All it needs is a stripe or two on the socks.

    The 1997 MLB All-Star game is on the MLB network right now. Ken Griffey, Jr., A-Rod, Joey Cora, and Edgar Martinez are representing the Mariners. However, Griffey is wearing a different jersey than the rest of his teammates. While the others are wearing the regular home whites, Griffey is wearing the alternate sleeveless white jersey that they wore for a couple years.

    In other news, Tony Womack is representing the Pirates and wearing that sweet gray hat. Man I loved that thing. I’m a sucker for white/gray hats with dark visors.

    Can anyone figure out what the DOHS (a.k.a., Dumbest Organization in the History of Sports, a.k.a., D’OH!s) are doing with the stupid, pointless new off-white jersey they “created” last week? It finally appeared on their link but is labeled as “2010 Alternate”. The plain white jersey is still labeled “Alternate Home” and the black “Alternate”. Last year’s white pinstriped jersey is labeled “Home” (ROTFLMAO).

    We already know that the DOHS are the only organization in sports that can’t be honest or consistent about designating the various components of its uniforms, let alone using them in accordance with those designations. But WTF is going on here?

    [All that said, there could be a silver lining here in that the needless hype over the lame off-white jersey may result in it being worn more often next year, hopefully along with the blue caps. Even with the drop-shadow, this combination would at least be a step up from what has essentially been the standard home uniform for the past 10 years, i.e., the plain white with the two-tone cap. But that would probably make too much sense for this dysfunctional, clueless organization. Here’s hoping…]

    Clarksville High School: I totally dig Ryan Muraro’s design. What a brilliant way to maintain the C (Cubs) CHS has been using, all the while creating their own identity. That little wild cat, wrapped around the C, is ferocious, yet, cuddly cute. Clean, modern, and bold. But wait a minute, you want a little old school flavor, how about the totally badass cursive script of Clarksville across the jersey. Nice! Now, where can I get this patch?

    link

    You know, it’s interesting that Greg Skaljac says his Browns uniform is a modern tweak, when I get still a very retro feel from it. Like, Nike Pro Combat retro feel? Sort of reminds me of ‘Pat Patriot’ era, yet, the Browns version. I like it.

    Guess the Game – Dec 30, 1981. Edmonton Oilers 7, Philadelphia Flyers 5. Game was played at Northlands Coliseum (now Rexall Place), Edmonton, AB. This is the game where Wayne Gretzky scores his 50th goal in just his 39th game of the season.

    Phil, one of these days, you’re actually going to present me with a CHALLENGING hockey scoreboard! :)

    I thought it was interesting that during the Missouri/Kansas game they had a logo in the middle of the field featuring helmets from both teams, but neither team was wearing the helmets from the logo.

    [quote comment=”363890″]I thought it was interesting that during the Missouri/Kansas game they had a logo in the middle of the field featuring helmets from both teams, but neither team was wearing the helmets from the logo.[/quote]
    So much of the “riflery” uni hype was about how the uniforms were lighter, more comfortable, “wicked” away sweat, yada, yada… so is the Swoosh gonna make some of these unis with, you know, the school’s link? If so, fine… if not, then what, exactly, was the point? (Or did those link Mizzou unis cause Mark Mangino to forget “Sometimes, all you have to do is run up the middle and everything will be fine.”)

    First off, the shade of gold LSU wore was to represent the Golden Boot trophy that LSU/Arkansas play for.

    secondly….How did no one mention BYU’s throwbacks and the return to Royal Blue?!

    why cant adidas do something like the rivalry uniforms. personally i liked them all except for mizzou. did you all notice the great jayhawks back on kansas’ helmets though?

    [quote comment=”363891″][quote comment=”363890″]I thought it was interesting that during the Missouri/Kansas game they had a logo in the middle of the field featuring helmets from both teams, but neither team was wearing the helmets from the logo.[/quote]
    So much of the “riflery” uni hype was about how the uniforms were lighter, more comfortable, “wicked” away sweat, yada, yada… so is the Swoosh gonna make some of these unis with, you know, the school’s link? If so, fine… if not, then what, exactly, was the point? (Or did those link Mizzou unis cause Mark Mangino to forget “Sometimes, all you have to do is run up the middle and everything will be fine.”)[/quote]

    As I said yesterday, between the unveilings and the games themselves it was a month of Nike’s version of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

    Which was…
    a) not nearly as much fun to watch,
    b) proof of the de facto partnership of the NCAA (or at least some member schools) with their suppliers—most visibly Nike—that involves those schools whoring themselves out for no reason whatsoever other than money and Nike’s desire to promote product.

    Not that Nike and the others shouldn’t promote product.

    But once in a while someone ought to have the scruples and the gonads to say “No”.

    Hey, the design of most of those Nike pants say, “Bend over” (and dont’ say you don’t see it; you’d have to be frickin’ blind NOT to see the general tone of the designs) so I guess it’s appropriate.

    (And this is from someone who wears only Nike shoes/cleats—for several good reasons—so I’m not dumping on their product or need to promote…just think this whole thing has been WAY over the top).

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=\”363879\”][quote comment=\”363878\”][quote comment=\”363874\”]Things That Piss Me Off…
    (one of them, anyway)

    That the Grey Cup isn\’t easily accessible on U.S. TV.

    By definition, you\’d think ESPN would be the place to offer it. But now that they\’re in the NFL fold, not likely. Damn, NFL must cringe whenever Chris Berman talks about the CFL and offers highlights. Like him or loathe him, he certainly seems to be the driving force behind its inclusion…because pretty much anyone else sitting with him looks at him like he\’s wasting time covering Guatemalan kickball. And not one of them ever adds a word to the discusson. It\’s like, \”Okay, let Chris do his little CFL thing that he thinks is important.\”

    —Ricko[/quote]

    I think the NFL\’s worried that a Grey Cup broadcast would cut into their Sunday night game. And it would, at least with me. That\’s why ESPN doesn\’t carry it, even though they no longer have the Sunday game. I\’m glad Chris Berman plugs the game (even though sometimes I think it\’s just so he can show off his French). It\’s as if he remembers his roots at ESPN, when the CFL was a staple of the network\’s early years.

    I think my brother gets the game on his satellite. If he doesn\’t, I\’ll either try to watch it on the computer (ESPN 360 might have it) or I\’ll make friends with someone else who gets it.[/quote]

    It is on MSG+ tomorrow at 7 PM and Comcast Sports Networt New England tomorrow at 11 PM. Those are the only two I found doing a search on DirecTV.[/quote]

    ESPN360 has it at 6:30 eastern tonight. Also one of our local cable networks (which I don\’t have) has it on their own channel.

    [quote comment=”363892″]First off, the shade of gold LSU wore was to represent the Golden Boot trophy that LSU/Arkansas play for.

    secondly….How did no one mention BYU’s throwbacks and the return to Royal Blue?![/quote]

    Okay, I’ll say it. The pants stripes on BYU were wrong. In the royal era, pants had two stripes like the helmets, not NW like the jerseys.

    Make no mistake, I don’t care that it wasn’t quite right. Loved to the see the royal. Just pointing it out for the record.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”363895″][quote comment=\”363879\”][quote comment=\”363878\”][quote comment=\”363874\”]Things That Piss Me Off…
    (one of them, anyway)

    That the Grey Cup isn\’t easily accessible on U.S. TV.

    By definition, you\’d think ESPN would be the place to offer it. But now that they\’re in the NFL fold, not likely. Damn, NFL must cringe whenever Chris Berman talks about the CFL and offers highlights. Like him or loathe him, he certainly seems to be the driving force behind its inclusion…because pretty much anyone else sitting with him looks at him like he\’s wasting time covering Guatemalan kickball. And not one of them ever adds a word to the discusson. It\’s like, \”Okay, let Chris do his little CFL thing that he thinks is important.\”

    —Ricko[/quote]

    I think the NFL\’s worried that a Grey Cup broadcast would cut into their Sunday night game. And it would, at least with me. That\’s why ESPN doesn\’t carry it, even though they no longer have the Sunday game. I\’m glad Chris Berman plugs the game (even though sometimes I think it\’s just so he can show off his French). It\’s as if he remembers his roots at ESPN, when the CFL was a staple of the network\’s early years.

    I think my brother gets the game on his satellite. If he doesn\’t, I\’ll either try to watch it on the computer (ESPN 360 might have it) or I\’ll make friends with someone else who gets it.[/quote]

    It is on MSG+ tomorrow at 7 PM and Comcast Sports Networt New England tomorrow at 11 PM. Those are the only two I found doing a search on DirecTV.[/quote]

    ESPN360 has it at 6:30 eastern tonight. Also one of our local cable networks (which I don\’t have) has it on their own channel.[/quote]

    And that’s my point. None of those options are what I’d call “easily accessible”.

    But I suppose with CBS, Fox, FSN, NBC, ESPN and ABC—by dint of its affiliation with ESPN—all off the table because they or sister networks carry the NFL, someone in the U.S. just has to have a cable/satellite bill of $100-or-more-a-month to watch the Grey Cup, even on a re-broadcast basis.

    That sucks, but I guess it’s the way it is.

    —Ricko

    The LSU riflery unis didn’t look to bad although its a case of trying to fix something that wasn’t broken.

    Here’s a thought. Wouldn’t that shade of Gold on the LSU helmets link look great on the Saints! Use it for helmet, pants and trim. That would look sweet.

    [quote comment=”363898″]The LSU riflery unis didn’t look to bad although its a case of trying to fix something that wasn’t broken.

    Here’s a thought. Wouldn’t that shade of Gold on the LSU helmets link look great on the Saints! Use it for helmet, pants and trim. That would look sweet.[/quote]

    If we fire up the Wayback Machine, we’d come close, finding what “old gold” was before “Vegas gold” came along (ref: the pants in this photo)…
    link

    —Ricko

    “Last up for today is John Loukadakis, who points out that what follows are not actually his designs, but they are some new tweaks for the Redskins:

    First let me say this is NOT my design, I read the Warpath as I am a HUGE Deadskins fan, another fan designed this, I just wanted to bring to your attention.”

    The statement that you are a huge “deadskins” fan is oxymoronic, and the use of #9 on your submission is heresy. BTW, the mannequin is totin’ a college style rock.

    [quote comment=”363899″][quote comment=”363898″]The LSU riflery unis didn’t look to bad although its a case of trying to fix something that wasn’t broken.

    Here’s a thought. Wouldn’t that shade of Gold on the LSU helmets link look great on the Saints! Use it for helmet, pants and trim. That would look sweet.[/quote]

    If we fire up the Wayback Machine, we’d come close, finding what “old gold” was before “Vegas gold” came along (ref: the pants in this photo)…
    link

    —Ricko[/quote]

    Or these throwbacks…
    link

    Mizzou: Cool
    Miami:Clean
    LSU: Classic
    VaTech: Unnecessary because of INCREDIBLE throwbacks
    Clemson: Crisp but unneeded
    Texas: Took a step back
    FSU: Interesting but recent play doesn’t warrant hype of any kind
    Florida: Big disappointment, possible the worst of the bunch
    Oklahoma: Again, Clean and Refined
    TCU: Cool but too much
    tOSU: Unnecessary and poor form for the Michigan game

    Kansas: AWESOME!
    USC/UCLA: Beautiful

    BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Capitalism and the AD’s at each school allow them to do it,blame them.

    You don’t blame a lion for eating a zebra, that is what a lion is supposed to do!

    I’ve always assumed that Berman reports on the Grey Cup because its the championship game of the other (admittedly much less significant) north american football league. I think they at least try to maintain some objectivity in the “news” part of their business, by reporting on newsworthy events in sport and not just on sports that they cover.

    [quote comment=”363902″]

    BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Capitalism and the AD’s at each school allow them to do it,blame them.

    You don’t blame a lion for eating a zebra, that is what a lion is supposed to do![/quote]
    [quote comment=”363901″][quote comment=”363899″][quote comment=”363898″]The LSU riflery unis didn’t look to bad although its a case of trying to fix something that wasn’t broken.

    Here’s a thought. Wouldn’t that shade of Gold on the LSU helmets link look great on the Saints! Use it for helmet, pants and trim. That would look sweet.[/quote]

    If we fire up the Wayback Machine, we’d come close, finding what “old gold” was before “Vegas gold” came along (ref: the pants in this photo)…
    link

    —Ricko[/quote]

    Or these throwbacks…
    link

    Yeah, those would work wonderfully if they could just get the helmet gold to match.[quote comment=”363902″]Mizzou: Cool
    Miami:Clean
    LSU: Classic
    VaTech: Unnecessary because of INCREDIBLE throwbacks
    Clemson: Crisp but unneeded
    Texas: Took a step back
    FSU: Interesting but recent play doesn’t warrant hype of any kind
    Florida: Big disappointment, possible the worst of the bunch
    Oklahoma: Again, Clean and Refined
    TCU: Cool but too much
    tOSU: Unnecessary and poor form for the Michigan game

    Kansas: AWESOME!
    USC/UCLA: Beautiful

    BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Capitalism and the AD’s at each school allow them to do it,blame them.

    You don’t blame a lion for eating a zebra, that is what a lion is supposed to do![/quote]

    You may not blame the lion, but you can still complain about it, can’t you? Those poor zebras… :(

    Erm, like, whoops.

    Was going to post one thing, then changed my mind and typed something else and….yeah. I need more sleep or something.

    [quote comment=”363902″]

    BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Capitalism and the AD’s at each school allow them to do it,blame them.

    You don’t blame a lion for eating a zebra, that is what a lion is supposed to do![/quote]

    I think Paul has stated this elegantly before but its not that there is an issue about capitalism or “moving merch” its that these unis are so blatantly self-serving for Nike. They’ve been hiding behind the image of the college rivalry while the uniforms themselves have little to do with the schools that wear them. They have also frequently used images of battle and combat which are especially distasteful in a time of actual war. The motivation is understandable its the method that is insidious.

    Capitalism and the AD’s at each school allow them to do it,blame them.

    You don’t blame a lion for eating a zebra, that is what a lion is supposed to do!

    That’s pretty much exactly what I said, didn’t I?

    If our kids walk all over us, are they to blame or are we?

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”363909″]Capitalism and the AD’s at each school allow them to do it,blame them.

    You don’t blame a lion for eating a zebra, that is what a lion is supposed to do!

    That’s pretty much exactly what I said, didn’t I?

    If our kids walk all over us, are they to blame or are we?

    —Ricko[/quote]

    Of course the parents are. In my example, the AD’s are as well.

    No thank you, Mr. Knight.

    The schools are high profile enough that they can afford to say no without repercussions from Nike.

    If you want to cite Michigan as an example, go for it. Their contract with the swoosh was up and the re-up was for 25 million dollars.
    Adidas came in offering 60 million and Ann Arbor jumped at it, thus breaking my heart.

    And in the case of natural selection, blame the damn zebra. There is something called self-preservation that the parents, the AD’s and the damned animals should practice.

    Damn, the others at the desk with Berman actually participated in the Grey Cup disussion just now.

    Was for all of five seconds, but, still…was unusual.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”363914″]Jets going green-over-green today. Ugh. When will this go away?[/quote]

    Texans in monotarded, leotarded navy, too.
    Redskins in leotarded burgundy.

    [quote comment=”363908″][quote comment=”363902″]

    BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Capitalism and the AD’s at each school allow them to do it,blame them.

    You don’t blame a lion for eating a zebra, that is what a lion is supposed to do![/quote]

    I think Paul has stated this elegantly before but its not that there is an issue about capitalism or “moving merch” its that these unis are so blatantly self-serving for Nike. They’ve been hiding behind the image of the college rivalry while the uniforms themselves have little to do with the schools that wear them. They have also frequently used images of battle and combat which are especially distasteful in a time of actual war. The motivation is understandable its the method that is insidious.[/quote]
    Word.

    [quote comment=”363916″]Iggles in their “blackish green” vs Skins. Skins back to normal this week.[/quote]

    I’m sure I’m in the minority, but I really wish the Eagles would wear the green pants if they’re going to insist on using black jerseys.

    [quote comment=”363915″][quote comment=”363914″]Jets going green-over-green today. Ugh. When will this go away?[/quote]

    Texans in monotarded, leotarded navy, too.
    Redskins in leotarded burgundy.[/quote]
    Pants stripe on Texans’ makes them not unitards. Still somewhat retarded, but not my definition of unitards.
    Skins have white jerseys today.

    Bills in gorgeous royal throwbacks vs Fins. Need a closer look at the details – can’t tell if it’s the throwbacks used before this year or the AFL legacy unis.

    Red Zone rocks!

    [quote comment=”363920″]Bills in gorgeous royal throwbacks vs Fins. Need a closer look at the details – can’t tell if it’s the throwbacks used before this year or the AFL legacy unis.

    Red Zone rocks![/quote]

    It’s the same thing. The Bills and Jets both used their current alt as the home version for the AFL uniform. The only difference is the patch.

    [quote comment=”363918″][quote comment=”363916″]Iggles in their “blackish green” vs Skins. Skins back to normal this week.[/quote]

    I’m sure I’m in the minority, but I really wish the Eagles would wear the green pants if they’re going to insist on using black jerseys.[/quote]

    El Geofredo,
    Yes I’m guessing this would put you in the minority.

    The Eagles need less black, more silver and Kelly Green instead of that green they use.

    [quote comment=”363911″]Fox just showed the Falcons wearing red helmets. I always loved their red helmets

    link

    these are the ’66 throwbacks. Love ’em.

    [quote comment=”363919″][quote comment=”363915″][quote comment=”363914″]Jets going green-over-green today. Ugh. When will this go away?[/quote]

    Texans in monotarded, leotarded navy, too.
    Redskins in leotarded burgundy.[/quote]
    Pants stripe on Texans’ makes them not unitards. Still somewhat retarded, but not my definition of unitards.
    Skins have white jerseys today.[/quote]

    Still leotarded, though, cuz not wearing the white socks.

    And only for the sake of keeping definitions straight, by typical UW terminology Texans ARE monochrome and leotarded, as were ‘Skins Thanksgiving day and Broncos Thanksgiving night.

    Most of the uniform tweaks on this site have to do with changing new-school contemporary uniforms to old-school uniforms by giving them “traditional” stripes or “normal” appearances. In the NFL, for instance, I personally like a lot, but not all, of the more contemporary new school uniforms. I would be interested to see what UniWatch readers would be come up with if they were to tweak uniforms to make them look more new-school and untraditional.

    [quote comment=”363924″][quote comment=”363919″][quote comment=”363915″][quote comment=”363914″]Jets going green-over-green today. Ugh. When will this go away?[/quote]

    Texans in monotarded, leotarded navy, too.
    Redskins in leotarded burgundy.[/quote]
    Pants stripe on Texans’ makes them not unitards. Still somewhat retarded, but not my definition of unitards.
    Skins have white jerseys today.[/quote]

    Still leotarded, though, cuz not wearing the white socks.

    And only for the sake of keeping definitions straight, by typical UW terminology Texans ARE monochrome and leotarded, as were ‘Skins Thanksgiving day and Broncos Thanksgiving night.[/quote]

    Of course, there’s leotarded and there’s unitarded. Saints black pants and black would be unitarded, yes.

    LOL, oh, god, what next, we all gonna speak Klingon?

    —Ricko

    Okay – trying to give some love for new school unis. IF – the Bungles would drop the white sidewalls on the orange jerseys, and IF they wore black socks instead of orange… I could like the Cincy unis.

    [quote comment=”363925″]Most of the uniform tweaks on this site have to do with changing new-school contemporary uniforms to old-school uniforms by giving them “traditional” stripes or “normal” appearances. In the NFL, for instance, I personally like a lot, but not all, of the more contemporary new school uniforms. I would be interested to see what UniWatch readers would be come up with if they were to tweak uniforms to make them look more new-school and untraditional.[/quote]

    Been done. A little bit, anyway. Check a couple Sundays back…or so. Some ideas there.

    [quote comment=”363926″][quote comment=”363924″][quote comment=”363919″][quote comment=”363915″][quote comment=”363914″]Jets going green-over-green today. Ugh. When will this go away?[/quote]

    Texans in monotarded, leotarded navy, too.
    Redskins in leotarded burgundy.[/quote]
    Pants stripe on Texans’ makes them not unitards. Still somewhat retarded, but not my definition of unitards.
    Skins have white jerseys today.[/quote]

    Still leotarded, though, cuz not wearing the white socks.

    And only for the sake of keeping definitions straight, by typical UW terminology Texans ARE monochrome and leotarded, as were ‘Skins Thanksgiving day and Broncos Thanksgiving night.[/quote]

    Of course, there’s leotarded and there’s unitarded. Saints black pants and black would be unitarded, yes.

    LOL, oh, god, what next, we all gonna speak Klingon?

    —Ricko[/quote]
    Right Ricko, I think we are splitting hairs here – trying to draw the line between ugly and fugly. Not sure it makes any real difference.

    [quote comment=”363925″]Most of the uniform tweaks on this site have to do with changing new-school contemporary uniforms to old-school uniforms by giving them “traditional” stripes or “normal” appearances. In the NFL, for instance, I personally like a lot, but not all, of the more contemporary new school uniforms. I would be interested to see what UniWatch readers would be come up with if they were to tweak uniforms to make them look more new-school and untraditional.[/quote]

    funny, i tried to encourage that exercise last weekend, but it wasn’t so popular

    fear not, i keep getting “uni tweaks” sent my way, and it’s fair to say that some of the future ones will attempt to do this

    by far and away, though, most people would rather the “nu skool” teams return to a more classic look than the other way around

    btw, getting jets in mono-green (at least they have white lids and socks), which last year mangenius proclaimed was “because the fans like it”…wonder what rex’s excuse is

    also, in a quick highlight, saw the seahawks are white over suicide blue, which is a much better combo

    [quote comment=”363918″][quote comment=”363916″]Iggles in their “blackish green” vs Skins. Skins back to normal this week.[/quote]

    I’m sure I’m in the minority, but I really wish the Eagles would wear the green pants if they’re going to insist on using black jerseys.[/quote]

    That look is one of the few that works for me because the green is so dark in its own right. Like the first Ravens purple over black…when the color other than black has dipped signficantly below the “bright” level. Dark over dark without being monochrome can be a good look…if done right with the right colors. And they’re smart enough to keep the numbers white so it doesn’t get brutally somber.

    —Ricko

    Sorry to see the Texans follow their best possible look one week with their absolute worst today. Nice going.

    I missed the party yesterday, but would like to nominate USC-UCLA as the uni-game of the year! I would have watched that if it were a 60 point blowout.

    [quote comment=”363929″][quote comment=”363926″][quote comment=”363924″][quote comment=”363919″][quote comment=”363915″][quote comment=”363914″]Jets going green-over-green today. Ugh. When will this go away?[/quote]

    Texans in monotarded, leotarded navy, too.
    Redskins in leotarded burgundy.[/quote]
    Pants stripe on Texans’ makes them not unitards. Still somewhat retarded, but not my definition of unitards.
    Skins have white jerseys today.[/quote]

    Still leotarded, though, cuz not wearing the white socks.

    And only for the sake of keeping definitions straight, by typical UW terminology Texans ARE monochrome and leotarded, as were ‘Skins Thanksgiving day and Broncos Thanksgiving night.[/quote]

    Of course, there’s leotarded and there’s unitarded. Saints black pants and black would be unitarded, yes.

    LOL, oh, god, what next, we all gonna speak Klingon?

    —Ricko[/quote]
    Right Ricko, I think we are splitting hairs here – trying to draw the line between ugly and fugly. Not sure it makes any real difference.[/quote]

    PRE-cisely. On both points.

    [quote comment=”363921″][quote comment=”363920″]Bills in gorgeous royal throwbacks vs Fins. Need a closer look at the details – can’t tell if it’s the throwbacks used before this year or the AFL legacy unis.

    Red Zone rocks![/quote]

    It’s the same thing. The Bills and Jets both used their current alt as the home version for the AFL uniform. The only difference is the patch.[/quote]
    Right – the homes are one and the same. It was the AFL legacy road whites that had the bad looking stripes that did not seem to match any uni that Buffalo had used.

    [quote comment=”363932″]Sorry to see the Texans follow their best possible look one week with their absolute worst today. Nice going.

    I missed the party yesterday, but would like to nominate USC-UCLA as the uni-game of the year! I would have watched that if it were a 60 point blowout.[/quote]

    ‘Cept for those damn black socks on UCLA.
    Black socks are for 1950’s porno films and nerdy accounts raking their lawn in plaid shorts and wingtips.

    LOL

    —Rocko

    [quote comment=”363935″][quote comment=”363932″]Sorry to see the Texans follow their best possible look one week with their absolute worst today. Nice going.

    I missed the party yesterday, but would like to nominate USC-UCLA as the uni-game of the year! I would have watched that if it were a 60 point blowout.[/quote]

    ‘Cept for those damn black socks on UCLA.
    Black socks are for 1950’s porno films and nerdy accounts raking their lawn in plaid shorts and wingtips.

    LOL

    —Rocko[/quote]

    Unless there’s a lot of black in the uniform, of course (wanted to make that clear).

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”363935″][quote comment=”363932″]Sorry to see the Texans follow their best possible look one week with their absolute worst today. Nice going.

    I missed the party yesterday, but would like to nominate USC-UCLA as the uni-game of the year! I would have watched that if it were a 60 point blowout.[/quote]

    ‘Cept for those damn black socks on UCLA.
    Black socks are for 1950’s porno films and nerdy accounts raking their lawn in plaid shorts and wingtips.

    LOL

    —Rocko[/quote]
    Who-TF is Rocko?
    Oh and just for the record this Taxman is the exception to the rule on the nerdy accountant stereotype.

    [quote comment=”363932″]I missed the party yesterday, but would like to nominate USC-UCLA as the uni-game of the year! I would have watched that if it were a 60 point blowout.[/quote]

    yes, it was simply gorgeous (don’t know if jim plans on doing a, say “top 10 best and 5 worst” of all season, but if he wants to, i’d run it at season’s end…that might be the #1)

    and if you were able to watch the end of the game, what was a beautiful thing kinda turned ugly…perhaps pete carroll doesn’t like timeouts called near the end of a blowout…so he went deep to pad the score with under a minute to play

    /take that rick!

    In light of all these abberations we’re seeing in the NFL today, I’m really hoping the Ravens go basic purple over white against the Stillers tonight. I hate black unitards anyway, but especially against a team that rocks the black like Pittsburgh. That would just be stupid.

    [quote comment=”363902″]BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

    thanks for stating the obvious matt

    no one ever said nike wasn’t a business or that they are a very successful one

    your defense of the swoosh is admirable, but that doesn’t make the riflery unis any less unnecessary or their flouting of school tradition any less egregious

    Regarding the Jets-Panthers: Does Carolina often go white over white? Don’t they have silver pants they wear home and away?

    [quote comment=”363941″][quote comment=”363914″]Jets going green-over-green today. Ugh. When will this go away?[/quote]
    Jets look like big sticks of deodorant.[/quote]
    link

    [quote comment=”363888″]That Mizzou uni needs to take it easy on the Colloidal Silver.

    link

    Hmmm do you need to adjust the colors on your monitor? Mizzou didn’t have any silver. It was black, their gold/yellow, and matted black.

    [quote comment=”363940″][quote comment=”363902″]BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

    thanks for stating the obvious matt

    no one ever said nike wasn’t a business or that they are a very successful one

    your defense of the swoosh is admirable, but that doesn’t make the riflery unis any less unnecessary or their flouting of school tradition any less egregious[/quote]

    How are the unis flouting school tradition? Tradition isn’t just the current uniforms. Take LSU for example, that isn’t flouting school tradition just because it isn’t what you saw the Saturday before. The helmet was to honor LSU from the 40s. The same with Texas, those were for DKR. Ohio State was inspired by the past, same with Oklahoma. I don’t take that as flouting school tradition, unless you think tradition only goes back as far as the current uniform goes.

    [quote comment=”363942″]Regarding the Jets-Panthers: Does Carolina often go white over white? Don’t they have silver pants they wear home and away?[/quote]

    The Panthers always wear white over white. I think they’ve used the silver pants with a white jersey one time, and it’s been quite a few years.

    as has already been stated, the grey cup is on ESPN 360, but also, if you used to get the old CN8 channel that has been rebranded as the comcast network, they are also airing the game live.

    [quote comment=”363903″]I’ve always assumed that Berman reports on the Grey Cup because its the championship game of the other (admittedly much less significant) north american football league. I think they at least try to maintain some objectivity in the “news” part of their business, by reporting on newsworthy events in sport and not just on sports that they cover.[/quote]
    Not sure how you said that last sentence with a straight face!

    Somebody from the Show Me State will have to weigh in on the Mizzou duds from yesterday but I seem to remember Missouri having a bit of history with slate gray. In the late 70s and early 80s I think they not only wore gray home uniforms but actually had a gray floor. When I say a gray floor, I don’t mean the paint but the actual floor was gray.

    I did a quick search and couldn’t find anything but I’m reasonably certain the gray of yesterday wasn’t a complete departure from their identity.

    [quote comment=”363946″][quote comment=”363942″]Regarding the Jets-Panthers: Does Carolina often go white over white? Don’t they have silver pants they wear home and away?[/quote]

    The Panthers always wear white over white. I think they’ve used the silver pants with a white jersey one time, and it’s been quite a few years.[/quote]
    Thanks. Carolina doesn’t get much play here, usually see them in black over silver. Jake Delhomme apparently doesn’t recognize the Panthers’ uni’s. Keeps completing passes to the all-green.

    [quote comment=”363945″][quote comment=”363940″][quote comment=”363902″]BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

    thanks for stating the obvious matt

    no one ever said nike wasn’t a business or that they are a very successful one

    your defense of the swoosh is admirable, but that doesn’t make the riflery unis any less unnecessary or their flouting of school tradition any less egregious[/quote]

    How are the unis flouting school tradition? Tradition isn’t just the current uniforms. Take LSU for example, that isn’t flouting school tradition just because it isn’t what you saw the Saturday before. The helmet was to honor LSU from the 40s. The same with Texas, those were for DKR. Ohio State was inspired by the past, same with Oklahoma. I don’t take that as flouting school tradition, unless you think tradition only goes back as far as the current uniform goes.[/quote]
    [quote comment=”363945″][quote comment=”363940″][quote comment=”363902″]BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

    thanks for stating the obvious matt

    no one ever said nike wasn’t a business or that they are a very successful one

    your defense of the swoosh is admirable, but that doesn’t make the riflery unis any less unnecessary or their flouting of school tradition any less egregious[/quote]

    How are the unis flouting school tradition? Tradition isn’t just the current uniforms. Take LSU for example, that isn’t flouting school tradition just because it isn’t what you saw the Saturday before. The helmet was to honor LSU from the 40s. The same with Texas, those were for DKR. Ohio State was inspired by the past, same with Oklahoma. I don’t take that as flouting school tradition, unless you think tradition only goes back as far as the current uniform goes.[/quote]

    In the case of TCU, “flouting” isn’t far off. The only thing tradtional about those Teenage Mutant Ninja Horned Frog costumes was that there purple in there somewhere.

    But maybe better to say the issue is “manipulating” school tradition and claiming some kind of nobility in their effort, professing to honor it when really just using it as the excuse to profoundly alter teams’ uniforms to focus on the introduction of new product.

    Cuz for me, that’s what offensive, the hollowness of it. Yeah, they did it to celebrate traditional rivalries. That’s what it was about, alright.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”363945″][quote comment=”363940″][quote comment=”363902″]BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

    thanks for stating the obvious matt

    no one ever said nike wasn’t a business or that they are a very successful one

    your defense of the swoosh is admirable, but that doesn’t make the riflery unis any less unnecessary or their flouting of school tradition any less egregious[/quote]

    How are the unis flouting school tradition? Tradition isn’t just the current uniforms. Take LSU for example, that isn’t flouting school tradition just because it isn’t what you saw the Saturday before. The helmet was to honor LSU from the 40s. The same with Texas, those were for DKR. Ohio State was inspired by the past, same with Oklahoma. I don’t take that as flouting school tradition, unless you think tradition only goes back as far as the current uniform goes.[/quote]

    nike may have passed this promotion off as “taking some historical elements” from past uniforms, but you’re going to try and tell me (using your lsu example) that those pants stripes even remotely evoke the past? fuck no…that’s nike adding it’s own signature element to a uniform that had no business being created as a one-off…almost NONE of their uniforms had the pants correct, and on most of them, their signature spirograph was visible…

    maybe texas came close (and most of you nike defenders hated it because it was “too plain”…god forbid)…

    but what they did to, for example tOSU (this wasn’t a ‘throwback’ to ’56 — among other things wrong, the helmet should have been gray), or tcu???

    nike made these uniforms because they could…

    judged solely on their merits, as i did above in the article, i actually liked some of them…but nike basically said “here’s a boatload of cash and a uniform we feel may evoke some memories of school tradition, as we choose to interpret it — your call…we’ll add our own pants elements (for the most part) and our spirographs, but you get the idea” … oh and for good measure, “we’ll hype the shit out of the whole idea so not only will you get cash (i believe the figure quoted was $100K per school), we’ll be able to move all kinds of ancillary merch and make ten times that…who cares if the uniforms aren’t real throwbacks or barely use your school’s colors…our team of designers know what’s best for you anyway”

    win-win for everyone, right?

    [quote comment=”363944″][quote comment=”363888″]That Mizzou uni needs to take it easy on the Colloidal Silver.

    link

    Hmmm do you need to adjust the colors on your monitor? Mizzou didn’t have any silver. It was black, their gold/yellow, and matted black.[/quote]

    You mean, it was supposed to be black, cuz it really looks like a dark matte gray. Colloidal Silver turns your skin gray, with overdosage.

    recap during halftime highlights;
    Bills in throwback
    Iggles in the black/green
    Falcons in the throwback
    Rams blue unitard

    For a colour that seems to be exceptionally popular these days – dark blue – it does not exactly seem to inspire passion with the fans – while there are white-outs – and orange outs (Flyers, Broncos) , and red outs (Flames) – and almost all Saskatchewan Roughrider fans wear bright green – has there ever been a stadium of dark blue? – and the reason not – it’s kind of a boring colour?

    [quote comment=”363956″][quote comment=”363944″][quote comment=”363888″]That Mizzou uni needs to take it easy on the Colloidal Silver.

    link

    Hmmm do you need to adjust the colors on your monitor? Mizzou didn’t have any silver. It was black, their gold/yellow, and matted black.[/quote]

    You mean, it was supposed to be black, cuz it really looks like a dark matte gray. Colloidal Silver turns your skin gray, with overdosage.[/quote]

    Well it isn’t supposed to be black, its a matted black. Then the M and the stripe on the helmet were typical black. I don’t think that matted black is much different than dark matte gray, so tomatoes tomatoes. The color is supposed to be in honor of the Stealth bombers that are near the Mizzou campus.

    [quote comment=”363955″][quote comment=”363945″][quote comment=”363940″][quote comment=”363902″]BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

    thanks for stating the obvious matt

    no one ever said nike wasn’t a business or that they are a very successful one

    your defense of the swoosh is admirable, but that doesn’t make the riflery unis any less unnecessary or their flouting of school tradition any less egregious[/quote]

    How are the unis flouting school tradition? Tradition isn’t just the current uniforms. Take LSU for example, that isn’t flouting school tradition just because it isn’t what you saw the Saturday before. The helmet was to honor LSU from the 40s. The same with Texas, those were for DKR. Ohio State was inspired by the past, same with Oklahoma. I don’t take that as flouting school tradition, unless you think tradition only goes back as far as the current uniform goes.[/quote]

    nike may have passed this promotion off as “taking some historical elements” from past uniforms, but you’re going to try and tell me (using your lsu example) that link even remotely evoke the past? fuck no…that’s nike adding it’s own signature element to a uniform that had no business being created as a one-off…almost NONE of their uniforms had the pants correct, and on most of them, their link was visible…

    maybe texas came close (and most of you nike defenders hated it because it was “too plain”…god forbid)…

    but what they did to, for example link (this wasn’t a ‘throwback’ to ’56 — among other things wrong, the helmet should have been gray), or link???

    nike made these uniforms because they could…

    judged solely on their merits, as i did above in the article, i actually liked some of them…but nike basically said “here’s a boatload of cash and a uniform we feel may evoke some memories of school tradition, as we choose to interpret it — your call…we’ll add our own pants elements (for the most part) and our spirographs, but you get the idea” … oh and for good measure, “we’ll hype the shit out of the whole idea so not only will you get cash (i believe the figure quoted was $100K per school), we’ll be able to move all kinds of ancillary merch and make ten times that…who cares if the uniforms aren’t real throwbacks or barely use your school’s colors…our team of designers know what’s best for you anyway”

    win-win for everyone, right?[/quote]

    I never said they were throwbacks, just inspired by history. Even things that are ‘throwbacks’ often aren’t 100% accurate. I just don’t understand how you can conclude things that are inspired by history, like some of the Pro Combat helmets are flouting tradition when they hearken back to history. Obviously some of them like TCU are just different and the FSU and Mizzou ones don’t go with school tradition but area tradition like Oceola and stealth bombers, but how is coloring a helmet like it was in the 40s flouting tradition? Since its Sunday now are throwbacks like the Falcons wearing or the Bills flouting tradition since they don’t normally wear them?

    [quote comment=”363959″]For a colour that seems to be exceptionally popular these days – dark blue – it does not exactly seem to inspire passion with the fans – while there are white-outs – and orange outs (Flyers, Broncos) , and red outs (Flames) – and almost all Saskatchewan Roughrider fans wear bright green – has there ever been a stadium of dark blue? – and the reason not – it’s kind of a boring colour?[/quote]

    In athletic attire, dark blue or navy is nearly as generic as it gets. I have no team that features dark blue, but I have no less than four hoodies, three pairs of athletic pants and several pairs of athletic shorts in dark blue. Dark blue, white and heather gray are so basic that they are almost invisible. I think black and red are definitely more aggressive hues.
    Interesting that PennState wears dark blue at home, but often the stadium will feature a white-out, not a blue-out.

    [quote comment=”363951″][quote comment=”363945″][quote comment=”363940″][quote comment=”363902″]BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

    thanks for stating the obvious matt

    no one ever said nike wasn’t a business or that they are a very successful one

    your defense of the swoosh is admirable, but that doesn’t make the riflery unis any less unnecessary or their flouting of school tradition any less egregious[/quote]

    How are the unis flouting school tradition? Tradition isn’t just the current uniforms. Take LSU for example, that isn’t flouting school tradition just because it isn’t what you saw the Saturday before. The helmet was to honor LSU from the 40s. The same with Texas, those were for DKR. Ohio State was inspired by the past, same with Oklahoma. I don’t take that as flouting school tradition, unless you think tradition only goes back as far as the current uniform goes.[/quote]
    [quote comment=”363945″][quote comment=”363940″][quote comment=”363902″]BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

    thanks for stating the obvious matt

    no one ever said nike wasn’t a business or that they are a very successful one

    your defense of the swoosh is admirable, but that doesn’t make the riflery unis any less unnecessary or their flouting of school tradition any less egregious[/quote]

    How are the unis flouting school tradition? Tradition isn’t just the current uniforms. Take LSU for example, that isn’t flouting school tradition just because it isn’t what you saw the Saturday before. The helmet was to honor LSU from the 40s. The same with Texas, those were for DKR. Ohio State was inspired by the past, same with Oklahoma. I don’t take that as flouting school tradition, unless you think tradition only goes back as far as the current uniform goes.[/quote]

    In the case of TCU, “flouting” isn’t far off. The only thing tradtional about those Teenage Mutant Ninja Horned Frog costumes was that there purple in there somewhere.

    But maybe better to say the issue is “manipulating” school tradition and claiming some kind of nobility in their effort, professing to honor it when really just using it as the excuse to profoundly alter teams’ uniforms to focus on the introduction of new product.

    Cuz for me, that’s what offensive, the hollowness of it. Yeah, they did it to celebrate traditional rivalries. That’s what it was about, alright.

    —Ricko[/quote]

    Well, Nike is a business. To me it isn’t hollow. They honor tradition with the historically inspired gear and debut new shoes, the new Pro Combat stuff, etc. No company is 100% altruistic so you know they weren’t going to just honor tradition and promote rivalries for nothing. To me this is like a company that donates money for something like a park in the city their HQ is in. You know they don’t do it just so kids have a place to play.

    [quote comment=”363902″]BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

    This line of argument remains total bullshit, and I will continue to call it out as such each time it is made.

    A rubber-stamp “It’s just business” rationale is neither an excuse nor an explanation for vile corporate practices. And introducing useless uniforms — and thereby fucking up a school’s graphics program — simply to sell some merch — is very much the definition of vile corporate practices.

    Yes, we *know* it’s business — duh. The point is that it’s OFFENSIVE business, and I’ll keep saying so as often as they keep doing it.

    Also interesting to note, the Bengals cheerleaders are wearing their realistic “uniforms” with no white stripes.

    [quote comment=”363961″]I never said they were throwbacks, just inspired by history. Even things that are ‘throwbacks’ often aren’t 100% accurate. I just don’t understand how you can conclude things that are inspired by history, like some of the Pro Combat helmets are flouting tradition when they hearken back to history. Obviously some of them like TCU are just different and the FSU and Mizzou ones don’t go with school tradition but area tradition like Oceola and stealth bombers, but how is coloring a helmet like it was in the 40s flouting tradition? Since its Sunday now are throwbacks like the Falcons wearing or the Bills flouting tradition since they don’t normally wear them?[/quote]

    i never said they were throwbacks, neither did you and neither did nike…but when “evoking the past” wouldn’t you think that if they were trying to take elements of uniforms’ past, they’d at least get them correct? no, what nike did was to say…”this is our interpretation of what we think your uniform should look like, based roughly upon what you may have worn in the past”

    now, there is nothing wrong with that, per se, but that’s where flouting tradition comes in…they don’t really CARE about it, at least not enough to take the time to get it correct…what nike has done, essentially, is to make an entirely new uniform, complete with it’s OWN SIGNATURE ELEMENTS and sold it to the schools as a “harkback” or whatever it is you want to call it

    you then go on to PROVE my point by saying, “Obviously some of them like TCU are just different and the FSU and Mizzou ones don’t go with school tradition but area tradition like Oceola and stealth bombers”

    so again, nike is making these uniforms BECAUSE THEY CAN

    i have no problem with what they are doing, because they are in the business of selling merchandise, uniforms, and their product…they are an extremely successful business

    i just fail to see any need for them…and the need to put their little signature elements all over them

    it would be like if adidas were ever permitted to put their three stripes all over the uniforms of the schools in their stables…and if that ever happened, i’d be bitching about that too

    [quote comment=”363963″][quote comment=”363951″][quote comment=”363945″][quote comment=”363940″][quote comment=”363902″]BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

    thanks for stating the obvious matt

    no one ever said nike wasn’t a business or that they are a very successful one

    your defense of the swoosh is admirable, but that doesn’t make the riflery unis any less unnecessary or their flouting of school tradition any less egregious[/quote]

    How are the unis flouting school tradition? Tradition isn’t just the current uniforms. Take LSU for example, that isn’t flouting school tradition just because it isn’t what you saw the Saturday before. The helmet was to honor LSU from the 40s. The same with Texas, those were for DKR. Ohio State was inspired by the past, same with Oklahoma. I don’t take that as flouting school tradition, unless you think tradition only goes back as far as the current uniform goes.[/quote]
    [quote comment=”363945″][quote comment=”363940″][quote comment=”363902″]BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

    thanks for stating the obvious matt

    no one ever said nike wasn’t a business or that they are a very successful one

    your defense of the swoosh is admirable, but that doesn’t make the riflery unis any less unnecessary or their flouting of school tradition any less egregious[/quote]

    How are the unis flouting school tradition? Tradition isn’t just the current uniforms. Take LSU for example, that isn’t flouting school tradition just because it isn’t what you saw the Saturday before. The helmet was to honor LSU from the 40s. The same with Texas, those were for DKR. Ohio State was inspired by the past, same with Oklahoma. I don’t take that as flouting school tradition, unless you think tradition only goes back as far as the current uniform goes.[/quote]

    In the case of TCU, “flouting” isn’t far off. The only thing tradtional about those Teenage Mutant Ninja Horned Frog costumes was that there purple in there somewhere.

    But maybe better to say the issue is “manipulating” school tradition and claiming some kind of nobility in their effort, professing to honor it when really just using it as the excuse to profoundly alter teams’ uniforms to focus on the introduction of new product.

    Cuz for me, that’s what offensive, the hollowness of it. Yeah, they did it to celebrate traditional rivalries. That’s what it was about, alright.

    —Ricko[/quote]

    Well, Nike is a business. To me it isn’t hollow. They honor tradition with the historically inspired gear and debut new shoes, the new Pro Combat stuff, etc. No company is 100% altruistic so you know they weren’t going to just honor tradition and promote rivalries for nothing. To me this is like a company that donates money for something like a park in the city their HQ is in. You know they don’t do it just so kids have a place to play.[/quote]

    Duh.

    You’re missing the point. It’s bogus. They couched a show of new product with the false premise of celebrating rivlaries. That allowed them to take anything at all from a school’s history and manipulate it to create self-serving uni designs…and then puff up their chests about how much the “honor” college footbal tradition. The used it, didn’t revere it.

    And not that they shouldn’t try. But somewhere along the line schools, you would think, wouldn’t—and shouldn’t–be so easily bought.

    Honest to god, this is like watching people lost in the desert drinking the sand and saying, “No, it’s okay, the salesman said it was water.”

    —Ricko

    Just before the Florida game, Tim Brando said whatever Nike was paying Florida was not enough, because it was a shame that we didn’t get to see Tebow in his last home game in the uniform he wore at Florida. Agreed.

    And you guys blew it on the worst uni matchup of the day. That was Kansas-Missouri by a mile! Kansas’ red jerseys were fine, but with blue pants? Sportscenter mentioned this too and one announcer said Mizzou looked like a special ops unit (which, of course, means mission accomplished for Nike — sheesh).

    P.S. The only thing missing from UCLA-USC was southern California sunshine!

    [quote comment=”363969″]Just before the Florida game, Tim Brando said whatever Nike was paying Florida was not enough, because it was a shame that we didn’t get to see Tebow in his last home game in the uniform he wore at Florida. Agreed.

    And you guys blew it on the worst uni matchup of the day. That was Kansas-Missouri by a mile! Kansas’ red jerseys were fine, but with blue pants? Sportscenter mentioned this too and one announcer said Mizzou looked like a special ops unit (which, of course, means mission accomplished for Nike — sheesh).

    P.S. The only thing missing from UCLA-USC was southern California sunshine![/quote]
    I agree 100% on the Tebow angle. Brando is a real college football guy and he gets it.

    Also a good point on the USC/UCLA – I can’t remember that being anything other than an afternoon start in past years.

    since everyone is in the spirit of designing some baseball unis and nfl tweeks could someone with the skill and know how of these things do me a favor? i would love to see an Arizona Diamondbacks jersey with the actual word Diamondbacks on it? using these fonts?

    link

    link

    or maybe even design your own.

    [quote comment=”363967″][quote comment=”363961″]I never said they were throwbacks, just inspired by history. Even things that are ‘throwbacks’ often aren’t 100% accurate. I just don’t understand how you can conclude things that are inspired by history, like some of the Pro Combat helmets are flouting tradition when they hearken back to history. Obviously some of them like TCU are just different and the FSU and Mizzou ones don’t go with school tradition but area tradition like Oceola and stealth bombers, but how is coloring a helmet like it was in the 40s flouting tradition? Since its Sunday now are throwbacks like the Falcons wearing or the Bills flouting tradition since they don’t normally wear them?[/quote]

    i never said they were throwbacks, neither did you and neither did nike…but when “evoking the past” wouldn’t you think that if they were trying to take elements of uniforms’ past, they’d at least get them correct? no, what nike did was to say…”this is our interpretation of what we think your uniform should look like, based roughly upon what you may have worn in the past”

    now, there is nothing wrong with that, per se, but that’s where flouting tradition comes in…they don’t really CARE about it, at least not enough to take the time to get it correct…what nike has done, essentially, is to make an entirely new uniform, complete with it’s OWN SIGNATURE ELEMENTS and sold it to the schools as a “harkback” or whatever it is you want to call it

    you then go on to PROVE my point by saying, “Obviously some of them like TCU are just different and the FSU and Mizzou ones don’t go with school tradition but area tradition like Oceola and stealth bombers”

    so again, nike is making these uniforms BECAUSE THEY CAN

    i have no problem with what they are doing, because they are in the business of selling merchandise, uniforms, and their product…they are an extremely successful business

    i just fail to see any need for them…and the need to put their little signature elements all over them

    it would be like if adidas were ever permitted to put their link all over the uniforms of the schools in their stables…and if that ever happened, i’d be bitching about that too[/quote]

    I didn’t make your own point because I wasn’t talking about the ones like TCU when referring to being inspired by the past. All the Pro Combat ones aren’t the same, some are about the past, some aren’t. I’m not lumping them together as one. I agree with you about the ones with no element of history in them. I don’t agree though, that Nike is doing it just cause they can. There is a purpose behind it, to introduce the Pro Combat uniform. It wasn’t done just to be done. And what about the other side? It takes two to dance. You seem to be more concerned about school tradition than some of the schools!! That might be kinda sad if I went to a school like Mizzou. Nike isn’t forcing change upon them as noted by Texas where Mack Brown told them to keep it simple and plain. So where does more of the fault lie? The schools know they are going to get uniforms from Nike, but its up to them to tell Nike where to draw the line.

    And btw, Adidas already has the three stripes all over a lot of the gear they supply. It’s already happened. But I don’t understand why that applies to this discussion. Nike isn’t putting their logo all over the new stuff, no more than before or other uniform sets designed by other companies.

    Anyways, great discussion so far. Making my morning since the NFL games have been boring!

    [quote comment=”363970″][quote comment=”363969″]Just before the Florida game, Tim Brando said whatever Nike was paying Florida was not enough, because it was a shame that we didn’t get to see Tebow in his last home game in the uniform he wore at Florida. Agreed.

    And you guys blew it on the worst uni matchup of the day. That was Kansas-Missouri by a mile! Kansas’ red jerseys were fine, but with blue pants? Sportscenter mentioned this too and one announcer said Mizzou looked like a special ops unit (which, of course, means mission accomplished for Nike — sheesh).

    P.S. The only thing missing from UCLA-USC was southern California sunshine![/quote]
    I agree 100% on the Tebow angle. Brando is a real college football guy and he gets it.

    Also a good point on the USC/UCLA – I can’t remember that being anything other than an afternoon start in past years.[/quote]

    I’ve been following that game since I was a kid. One of the all-time great ones was on a Friday night after Thanksgiving in 1977 (last-second field goal by USC kept UCLA from the Rose Bowl). The game was called by Keith Jackson. I went to four straight when I lived in California in the early part of the decade and they were all day games (some running into early evening). This was the first night game I remember since that 1977 game. The sunshine and the UCLA blue worked wonders for brightening up East Coast viewers in the late fall.

    [quote comment=”363971″]since everyone is in the spirit of designing some baseball unis and nfl tweeks could someone with the skill and know how of these things do me a favor? i would love to see an Arizona Diamondbacks jersey with the actual word Diamondbacks on it? using these fonts?

    link

    link

    or maybe even design your own.[/quote]

    funny you should say that…my batterymate Paul Soto (prettyboypaulie) did attempt just that (and a ton of other uni-tweaks — see here, here, here, here and here)

    diamondbacks is really too long a word to fit on a jersey, tho…

    [quote comment=”363892″]First off, the shade of gold LSU wore was to represent the Golden Boot trophy that LSU/Arkansas play for.

    secondly….How did no one mention BYU’s throwbacks and the return to Royal Blue?![/quote]

    Actually they were in my Top 5. I finally found one place that had a picture showing both teams, but when I sent it to Phil you couldn’t access it. So I spent way too much time looking for another when I finally said, “Forget it – Tenn./Ky. it is.”

    I wanted Navy at Hawaii, too, but I would have had to stay up half the night to get this photo: link
    I like the gray/silver helmets better anyway, so I’m glad I went to bed.

    [quote comment=”363929″][quote comment=”363926″][quote comment=”363924″][quote comment=”363919″][quote comment=”363915″][quote comment=”363914″]Jets going green-over-green today. Ugh. When will this go away?[/quote]

    Texans in monotarded, leotarded navy, too.
    Redskins in leotarded burgundy.[/quote]
    Pants stripe on Texans’ makes them not unitards. Still somewhat retarded, but not my definition of unitards.
    Skins have white jerseys today.[/quote]

    Still leotarded, though, cuz not wearing the white socks.

    And only for the sake of keeping definitions straight, by typical UW terminology Texans ARE monochrome and leotarded, as were ‘Skins Thanksgiving day and Broncos Thanksgiving night.[/quote]

    Of course, there’s leotarded and there’s unitarded. Saints black pants and black would be unitarded, yes.

    LOL, oh, god, what next, we all gonna speak Klingon?

    —Ricko[/quote]
    Right Ricko, I think we are splitting hairs here – trying to draw the line between ugly and fugly. Not sure it makes any real difference.[/quote]

    Ugly = 12 beers to make cute
    Fugly = 24 beers to make cute

    [quote comment=”363975″][quote comment=”363892″]First off, the shade of gold LSU wore was to represent the Golden Boot trophy that LSU/Arkansas play for.

    secondly….How did no one mention BYU’s throwbacks and the return to Royal Blue?![/quote]

    Actually they were in my Top 5. I finally found one place that had a picture showing both teams, but when I sent it to Phil you couldn’t access it. So I spent way too much time looking for another when I finally said, “Forget it – Tenn./Ky. it is.”

    I wanted Navy at Hawaii, too, but I would have had to stay up half the night to get this photo: link
    I like the gray/silver helmets better anyway, so I’m glad I went to bed.[/quote]

    Talking about BYU, that is.

    [quote comment=”363897″][quote comment=”363895″][quote comment=\”363879\”][quote comment=\”363878\”][quote comment=\”363874\”]Things That Piss Me Off…
    (one of them, anyway)

    That the Grey Cup isn\’t easily accessible on U.S. TV.

    By definition, you\’d think ESPN would be the place to offer it. But now that they\’re in the NFL fold, not likely. Damn, NFL must cringe whenever Chris Berman talks about the CFL and offers highlights. Like him or loathe him, he certainly seems to be the driving force behind its inclusion…because pretty much anyone else sitting with him looks at him like he\’s wasting time covering Guatemalan kickball. And not one of them ever adds a word to the discusson. It\’s like, \”Okay, let Chris do his little CFL thing that he thinks is important.\”

    —Ricko[/quote]

    I think the NFL\’s worried that a Grey Cup broadcast would cut into their Sunday night game. And it would, at least with me. That\’s why ESPN doesn\’t carry it, even though they no longer have the Sunday game. I\’m glad Chris Berman plugs the game (even though sometimes I think it\’s just so he can show off his French). It\’s as if he remembers his roots at ESPN, when the CFL was a staple of the network\’s early years.

    I think my brother gets the game on his satellite. If he doesn\’t, I\’ll either try to watch it on the computer (ESPN 360 might have it) or I\’ll make friends with someone else who gets it.[/quote]

    It is on MSG+ tomorrow at 7 PM and Comcast Sports Networt New England tomorrow at 11 PM. Those are the only two I found doing a search on DirecTV.[/quote]

    ESPN360 has it at 6:30 eastern tonight. Also one of our local cable networks (which I don\’t have) has it on their own channel.[/quote]

    And that’s my point. None of those options are what I’d call “easily accessible”.

    But I suppose with CBS, Fox, FSN, NBC, ESPN and ABC—by dint of its affiliation with ESPN—all off the table because they or sister networks carry the NFL, someone in the U.S. just has to have a cable/satellite bill of $100-or-more-a-month to watch the Grey Cup, even on a re-broadcast basis.

    That sucks, but I guess it’s the way it is.

    —Ricko[/quote]

    Sounds like a monopoly. The CFL should sue! Heck, they’re bound to get more than three dollars…

    The LSU helmets were not bad. If that shade of gold had been substituted for the usual shade and everything else remained the same, the uniforms would have been fine (though I prefer the normal version). Otherwise, the unis were not LSU, just as all the other unis (except for Texas’) were not representative of their schools.

    Great game with Arkansas, as usual, though.

    [quote comment=”363889″]Guess the Game – Dec 30, 1981. Edmonton Oilers 7, Philadelphia Flyers 5. Game was played at Northlands Coliseum (now Rexall Place), Edmonton, AB. This is the game where Wayne Gretzky scores his 50th goal in just his 39th game of the season.

    Phil, one of these days, you’re actually going to present me with a CHALLENGING hockey scoreboard! :)[/quote]

    Apparently Phil’s request that you post a link to the answer instead of the actual answer was more challenging. ;)

    [quote comment=”363978″]Does anyone know what Hawaii’s school colors are? I thought they were green and white.[/quote]

    They are, as the very last line on this page says. link

    More awesome submittals for Clarksville. That’s going to be a tough decision. Someone yesterday mentioned having a poll among readers. Maybe this could work by getting it down to the top 6 or 8 and then letting the coach choose from there. Could be fun, though he might have to choose ones that might be easier for his supplier to create. Don’t know the ins and outs.

    Mizzou’s connection with Whiteman Air Force base seems to be a stretch to me. It’s about 90 miles away. Maybe I’m missing something but the two places seem to have little to do with each other. Does MU have some sort of acedemic program connection with the air force there? Point is, it’s a stretch to say the matte black is drawn from a home town connection of war birds (speaking klingon). Actually, why must I spend time poking more holes in Nike’s thinking! Enough. I’m done.

    Patrick Woody – really like the mustard pants on the Ravens. Actually more of a dijon. Anyway, it looks good. I don’t like the superfluous B on the bird head either.

    [quote comment=”363972″]
    I didn’t make your own point because I wasn’t talking about the ones like TCU when referring to being inspired by the past. All the Pro Combat ones aren’t the same, some are about the past, some aren’t. I’m not lumping them together as one. I agree with you about the ones with no element of history in them. I don’t agree though, that Nike is doing it just cause they can. There is a purpose behind it, to introduce the Pro Combat uniform. It wasn’t done just to be done. And what about the other side? It takes two to dance. You seem to be more concerned about school tradition than some of the schools!! That might be kinda sad if I went to a school like Mizzou. Nike isn’t forcing change upon them as noted by Texas where Mack Brown told them to keep it simple and plain. So where does more of the fault lie? The schools know they are going to get uniforms from Nike, but its up to them to tell Nike where to draw the line.

    And btw, Adidas already has the three stripes all over a lot of the gear they supply. It’s already happened. But I don’t understand why that applies to this discussion. Nike isn’t putting their logo all over the new stuff, no more than before or other uniform sets designed by other companies.

    Anyways, great discussion so far. Making my morning since the NFL games have been boring![/quote]

    yes, good discussion, agreed

    i like one of your points, a lot…which kind of sums up this whole exercise:

    “You seem to be more concerned about school tradition than some of the schools!!”

    exactly

    because for many of the kids today, and so it seems the schools they are trying to attract these kids to…history began the day they were born

    next time you (and i don’t mean you, specifically chris — that’s directed towards the younger readers) dismiss someone like ricko as an old fart, you’d do well to remember that if it weren’t for people like him to keep history alive, for good OR bad…the world would be a lot worse off

    listen to him when he speaks…you just might learn something

    [quote comment=”363902″]Mizzou: Cool
    Miami:Clean
    LSU: Classic
    VaTech: Unnecessary because of INCREDIBLE throwbacks
    Clemson: Crisp but unneeded
    Texas: Took a step back
    FSU: Interesting but recent play doesn’t warrant hype of any kind
    Florida: Big disappointment, possible the worst of the bunch
    Oklahoma: Again, Clean and Refined
    TCU: Cool but too much
    tOSU: Unnecessary and poor form for the Michigan game

    Kansas: AWESOME!
    USC/UCLA: Beautiful

    BTW…Nike is a business. If they want to come up with ploys to “move merch”, that’s what they’re SUPPOSED to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Capitalism and the AD’s at each school allow them to do it,blame them.

    You don’t blame a lion for eating a zebra, that is what a lion is supposed to do![/quote]

    Yeah, when a lion stops eating zebras, that’s when I’ll become a vegetarian.

    Overall, the unis aren’t bad. As you and others have said, it’s the way they went about marketing it, and the fact that they’re messing with teams that don’t need messing (although Miami and TCU could use some fixing with their regulars).

    Could you imagine if some up and coming manufacturer approached these schools and said, “Look, we have this great idea for your schools. And, we want you to try them during your big rivalry games.” They’d get tossed before the last word finished leaving their lips.

    I think the big problem is that these schools, who normally would rather die than change their traditions, suddenly up and said, “Cool, let’s try something new this year.” Money and power talk, I guess.

    In a way, Nike’s just like a kid who’s seeing how far it can push before someone says no to them. Just human nature.

    And yes, Kansas’ unis were awesome. Too bad they were swallowed up in all the Nike talk. I’d like to see those again.

    [quote comment=”363983″]More awesome submittals for Clarksville. That’s going to be a tough decision. Someone yesterday mentioned having a poll among readers. Maybe this could work by getting it down to the top 6 or 8 and then letting the coach choose from there.[/quote]

    funny you should say that ben, because literally, about 20 minutes ago, i was discussing this very possiblity with my pollster, james huening, on doing JUST THAT

    i just shot an email to coach walls to see if he’d like to have any of the uniforms selected (even if he has final say) by the folks on the boards…will apprise

    [quote comment=”363918″][quote comment=”363916″]Iggles in their “blackish green” vs Skins. Skins back to normal this week.[/quote]

    I’m sure I’m in the minority, but I really wish the Eagles would wear the green pants if they’re going to insist on using black jerseys.[/quote]

    Silver pants. If they want to be the Raiders East, they might as well go all the way.

    I miss the Vermiel-era unis. Reminds me of the brief time I actually liked the Iggles.

    I was watching the BYU game while putting up the tree yesterday. The announcers were talking about the throw back uniforms and the equipment manager said that they were not true throwbacks since they don’t make the fabric that was used in 1984 anymore so they were throwbacks in color only.

    My personal feelings are if you are going to do throwbacks take the time to do them right.

    Oh and I made a typo last night at midnight when I wrote the intro to the High School stuff. Menominee runs the Wing T not the single wing.

    [quote comment=”363988″]I was watching the BYU game while putting up the tree yesterday. The announcers were talking about the throw back uniforms and the equipment manager said that they were not true throwbacks since they don’t make the fabric that was used in 1984 anymore so they were throwbacks in color only.

    My personal feelings are if you are going to do throwbacks take the time to do them right.[/quote]

    That is an odd way to look at it. Nobody expects any team to wear wool jerseys to be a real throwback.

    At least BYU wore throwbacks and UCLA wore throwback jerseys

    [quote comment=”363988″]I was watching the BYU game while putting up the tree yesterday. The announcers were talking about the throw back uniforms and the equipment manager said that they were not true throwbacks since they don’t make the fabric that was used in 1984 anymore so they were throwbacks in color only.

    My personal feelings are if you are going to do throwbacks take the time to do them right.[/quote]Credit to the equipment manager for lending perspective. I’m not aware of any teams throwing back to the old fabrics, so it is kind of obvious to me that we will be getting at best a facsimile. As mentioned earlier a match to the pants stripes would have made it a complete throwback. link

    [quote comment=”363960″][quote comment=”363956″][quote comment=”363944″][quote comment=”363888″]That Mizzou uni needs to take it easy on the Colloidal Silver.

    link

    Hmmm do you need to adjust the colors on your monitor? Mizzou didn’t have any silver. It was black, their gold/yellow, and matted black.[/quote]

    You mean, it was supposed to be black, cuz it really looks like a dark matte gray. Colloidal Silver turns your skin gray, with overdosage.[/quote]

    Well it isn’t supposed to be black, its a matted black. Then the M and the stripe on the helmet were typical black. I don’t think that matted black is much different than dark matte gray, so tomatoes tomatoes. The color is supposed to be in honor of the Stealth bombers that are near the Mizzou campus.[/quote]

    It’s not even a matted black. There is no shade of black. Black is black. A matted black is what the Oregon Ducks have.

    Mizzou has a dark matte gray. Doesn’t matter what they say it is, but it’s not black.

    [quote comment=”363986″][quote comment=”363983″]More awesome submittals for Clarksville. That’s going to be a tough decision. Someone yesterday mentioned having a poll among readers. Maybe this could work by getting it down to the top 6 or 8 and then letting the coach choose from there.[/quote]

    funny you should say that ben, because literally, about 20 minutes ago, i was discussing this very possiblity with my pollster, james huening, on doing JUST THAT

    i just shot an email to coach walls to see if he’d like to have any of the uniforms selected (even if he has final say) by the folks on the boards…will apprise[/quote]
    This cat – link – was probably the one who mentioned it yesterday. I thought it was an idea worth reinforcing. BTW, looking forward to the Winter Classic in January! Pond hockey. Yeah! I’m in. January in Minnesota? Not exactly the golf destination I usually head to that time of year – kinda hard to mix golf and pond hockey on the same gettaway!

    ok…just heard back from coach walls, and he’s pumped for a poll

    he and i and james will work out the particulars (probably will be both a uniform and logo poll) during the week

    details to follow

    Bears/Vikings looks nice. I like what Chicago’s wearing (not as much as orange tops over blue, James) but when I picture this game I think of this link

    And I still picture it outdoors at the Met.

    Man, some of the Vikings look like they’re wearing the Islanders’ old seasick design. The wavy numbering is due to the jerseys being taped or Velcroed to their pads.

    Well, if the photos from yesterday are an indicator,
    link
    link
    then Saskatchewan’s wearing throwbacks and Montreal’s wearing the regulars tonight. May have to go with the Riders (that, plus Riders RB Wes Cates is a product of D-2 California, PA)

    Plus you gotta love those fans: link
    link

    [quote comment=”363997″]Traxel said:

    “kinda hard to mix golf and pond hockey on the same gettaway!”

    Oh yeah?

    link
    One thin shot and oooowwwwwww!

    I highly doubt that Nike has ever done something “just because they can.” That would imply that there was zero research done and they did because they wanted to, with no regard for whether it would work or not. While Nike may rub some (the minority typically) the wrong way overall they have been a wildly successful American company for decades. These moves are not in any way meant to attract the traditionalists, and that is a calculated move. These moves are aimed at garnering the most coveted demographic in the US today: Males age 18-34. That demographic is and has been the holy grail of demographics for many years. Men in that range are typically becoming self-sufficient and end up being wildly brand-centric.

    In addition to this the schools (contrary to popular belief) do not have to allow Nike to do this (I’m certain there are some contracts that allow Nike full creative control but that is the vast minority). These schools agree to this for two reasons: Students and Money. Nike can present to them what they have done for schools in the past with their creative uniforms and the schools essentially cannot turn them down because it would make terrible business sense to disregard the demographic the majority of your students and prospective students fall into.

    Personally, I think some of their choices were major missteps but I doubt that in the end Nike would have willingly done anything to endanger their relationship with these schools.

    As for my opinion of the jerseys I think only a couple fit my criteria for bad one-offs (excluding special occasions, I.e the AFL tribute) which is maintaining visual identity.

    Lost Visual Identity:
    Mizzou and OSU

    Maintained Visual Identity (mostly):
    TCU, OU, Miami, Clemson, Texas, Florida, and VT

    Unsure:
    LSU and FSU neither looked wrong but neither looked really right.

    [quote comment=”364000″]Well, if the photos from yesterday are an indicator,
    link
    link
    then Saskatchewan’s wearing throwbacks and Montreal’s wearing the regulars tonight. May have to go with the Riders (that, plus Riders RB Wes Cates is a product of D-2 California, PA)

    Plus you gotta love those fans: link
    link

    dammit jim

    montreal is making a huge mistake if they don’t wear these tonight

    this is shite

    and if so, these fans deserve le coupe (or is it la coupe?)

    [quote comment=”363998″]Man, some of the Vikings look like they’re wearing the Islanders’ old seasick design. The wavy numbering is due to the jerseys being taped or Velcroed to their pads.[/quote]

    I’ve seen this so much more often this year it seems. Not a big fan. Though I did tape the chest of my jersey in high school since I was a long snapper, helped keep it from impeding my view of the punter.

    [quote comment=”364003″]I highly doubt that Nike has ever done something “just because they can.” That would imply that there was zero research done and they did because they wanted to, with no regard for whether it would work or not. While Nike may rub some (the minority typically) the wrong way overall they have been a wildly successful American company for decades. These moves are not in any way meant to attract the traditionalists, and that is a calculated move. These moves are aimed at garnering the most coveted demographic in the US today: Males age 18-34. That demographic is and has been the holy grail of demographics for many years. Men in that range are typically becoming self-sufficient and end up being wildly brand-centric.

    In addition to this the schools (contrary to popular belief) do not have to allow Nike to do this (I’m certain there are some contracts that allow Nike full creative control but that is the vast minority). These schools agree to this for two reasons: Students and Money. Nike can present to them what they have done for schools in the past with their creative uniforms and the schools essentially cannot turn them down because it would make terrible business sense to disregard the demographic the majority of your students and prospective students fall into.

    Personally, I think some of their choices were major missteps but I doubt that in the end Nike would have willingly done anything to endanger their relationship with these schools.

    As for my opinion of the jerseys I think only a couple fit my criteria for bad one-offs (excluding special occasions, I.e the AFL tribute) which is maintaining visual identity.

    Lost Visual Identity:
    Mizzou and OSU

    Maintained Visual Identity (mostly):
    TCU, OU, Miami, Clemson, Texas, Florida, and VT

    Unsure:
    LSU and FSU neither looked wrong but neither looked really right.[/quote]

    You make some good points. One thing, though, the holy grail of demographics is women aged 18-34. By and large they spend more, according to multiple studies. Aside from sports, just about every other facet of the media is geared towards women.

    Hmm, maybe Nike had them in mind as well with these unis. That might explain all the pants striping that focuses on the butt…

    I wanna know how Powers got away with the obvious sexist remark on the Roughriders fan. Not because it was sexist, but because it was too obvious and too easy…

    [quote comment=”364007″]I wanna know how Powers got away with the obvious sexist remark on the Roughriders fan. Not because it was sexist, but because it was too obvious and too easy…[/quote]

    Lost in the Nike shuffle. But yeah, that was disappointing.

    “In addition to this the schools (contrary to popular belief) do not have to allow Nike to do this (I’m certain there are some contracts that allow Nike full creative control but that is the vast minority).”

    When did anyone here today say it wasn’t the schools we held equally culpable? And I don’t think anyone has said they believe Nike had absolute power to dictate things. That would be being as gullible as believing this had anything to do, truly, with tradition.

    “Because they can” is in reference to pulling of a blatant sales promotion as thinly vieled behind “rivalries” as this has been. “Because they can” means that someone let’s them do it, not that they’re dictating where the stripes should go. Or not go. LOL

    —Ricko

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”364003″]I highly doubt that Nike has ever done something “just because they can.” That would imply that there was zero research done and they did because they wanted to, with no regard for whether it would work or not. While Nike may rub some (the minority typically) the wrong way overall they have been a wildly successful American company for decades. These moves are not in any way meant to attract the traditionalists, and that is a calculated move. These moves are aimed at garnering the most coveted demographic in the US today: Males age 18-34. That demographic is and has been the holy grail of demographics for many years. Men in that range are typically becoming self-sufficient and end up being wildly brand-centric.[/quote]

    i don’t think anyone has said anything to the contrary (other than me saying “because they can,” which IS because they can — they could make nice throwbacks, which we’ve seen…they CAN also make the riflery unis)…obviously nike is stiving to dominate the industry and make a buck…like any company would

    doesn’t mean they not offending MANY in the process…i won’t quite go so far as paul regarding their practices, but they are complete douchebags with this riflery stuff

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    [quote comment=”364003″]In addition to this the schools (contrary to popular belief) do not have to allow Nike to do this (I’m certain there are some contracts that allow Nike full creative control but that is the vast minority). These schools agree to this for two reasons: Students and Money. Nike can present to them what they have done for schools in the past with their creative uniforms and the schools essentially cannot turn them down because it would make terrible business sense to disregard the demographic the majority of your students and prospective students fall into.[/quote]

    again, no one has said anything to the contrary…they’re doing what they are doing and they are doing it well…it’s not the same comparison, obviously, so don’t make this seem like im trying to draw it, the germans did what they did pretty well in the beginning of world war ii…did they invade poland because they could or because it was just in the way…doesn’t make what nike does well right, either

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    [quote comment=”364003″]Personally, I think some of their choices were major missteps but I doubt that in the end Nike would have willingly done anything to endanger their relationship with these schools.[/quote]

    takes two to tango, obviously

    reminds me of the old “joke”:

    man in bar to woman: “would you sleep with me for a million dollars?”

    woman: “yes”

    man: “would you sleep with me for 20 bucks?”

    woman: “just what kind of girl do you think i am?”

    man: “we’ve already established that — now we’re just negotiating a price”

    so how much are the schools willing to compromise on tradition for?

    depends on the price

    As a Mizzou grad, I loved the uniforms. Don’t wanna see ’em every week but black on black? Awesome.

    And as far as looking like a special ops unit–20 year old guys on the team probably like that.

    That poor schlub #4 for Minnesota is trying to play modern football in that outdated jersey with real sleeves and real stripes.

    Doesn’t he know about riflery gear and how much stronger, faster and more accurate he could be? Might as well be wearing Wranglers. Fool.

    [quote comment=”364011″]As a Mizzou grad, I loved the uniforms. Don’t wanna see ’em every week but black on black? Awesome.

    And as far as looking like a special ops unit–20 year old guys on the team probably like that.[/quote]

    Then let ’em join Special Forces. We do have need of that right now. Military is stretched severely thin these days.
    Or save those unis for Halloween next year.
    This is college football.
    And that’s the reality of things.

    And, no, I’m not a crabby old fart, it’s just that playing college football isn’t about—and shouldn’t BE about—the athletic department worrying about keeping you from being bored with the team’s uniforms.

    —Ricko

    Bolts and Chefs is a really pretty matchup. Bright iconic team colors, no monochrome, sunshine…

    And for those who have rules:
    Only one team in white helmets
    No white over white
    Helmets match pants
    etc…

    I certainly must have misinterpreted many of the comments. My apologies for the long drawn out ramblings.

    However, the reason males 18-34 is more coveted than females 18-34 is brand loyalty. Men 18-34 are more brand loyal than females 18-34. Women will change brands more often with what is currently in style than males will. The male 18-34 segment is slower to change and thus stick with what is known to them. While the women in that group will spent more they also will end up spending less per brand over their lifetime.

    [quote comment=”364014″][quote comment=”364011″]As a Mizzou grad, I loved the uniforms. Don’t wanna see ’em every week but black on black? Awesome.

    And as far as looking like a special ops unit–20 year old guys on the team probably like that.[/quote]

    Then let ’em join Special Forces. We do have need of that right now. Military is stretched severely thin these days.
    Or save those unis for Halloween next year.
    This is college football.
    And that’s the reality of things.

    And, no, I’m not a crabby old fart, it’s just that playing college football isn’t about—and shouldn’t BE about—the athletic department worrying about keeping you from being bored with the team’s uniforms.

    —Ricko[/quote]

    meaning keeping players from being bored, that is.

    [quote comment=”364016″]I certainly must have misinterpreted many of the comments. My apologies for the long drawn out ramblings.

    However, the reason males 18-34 is more coveted than females 18-34 is brand loyalty. Men 18-34 are more brand loyal than females 18-34. Women will change brands more often with what is currently in style than males will. The male 18-34 segment is slower to change and thus stick with what is known to them. While the women in that group will spent more they also will end up spending less per brand over their lifetime.[/quote]

    Well, demographics isn’t my specialty. It just seems that everything else is geared towards women these days.

    No apologies needed. You added to the discussion quite well.

    All right, talk to y’all later. I’m gonna try this ESPN360 thing and see if I can watch the Grey Cup. Go Riders!

    [quote comment=”364018″][quote comment=”364016″]I certainly must have misinterpreted many of the comments. My apologies for the long drawn out ramblings.

    However, the reason males 18-34 is more coveted than females 18-34 is brand loyalty. Men 18-34 are more brand loyal than females 18-34. Women will change brands more often with what is currently in style than males will. The male 18-34 segment is slower to change and thus stick with what is known to them. While the women in that group will spent more they also will end up spending less per brand over their lifetime.[/quote]

    Well, demographics isn’t my specialty. It just seems that everything else is geared towards women these days.

    No apologies needed. You added to the discussion quite well.

    All right, talk to y’all later. I’m gonna try this ESPN360 thing and see if I can watch the Grey Cup. Go Riders![/quote]

    I love advertising, if I can pull myself out of debt I want to go back for my Master’s in Advertising Theory/Psychology and teach at the college level. It’s just amazing for me. My favorite part of the psychology of advertising is from Beer. 80-something percent of Beer is purchased by women but 95%+ of beer advertising is geared toward men. Even if a woman is offended by the advertising of a beer company the majority of the time she will still buy that brand if it is the preferred beer of her husband.

    New subject.

    I go to a fair amount of junior college basketball games (Three Rivers Community College). Noticed that the referees are wearing this link this year.

    Is this now standard attire throughout college basketball or are the old zebra stripes link still en vogue? Who choses?

    [quote comment=”364016″]I certainly must have misinterpreted many of the comments. My apologies for the long drawn out ramblings.

    However, the reason males 18-34 is more coveted than females 18-34 is brand loyalty. Men 18-34 are more brand loyal than females 18-34. Women will change brands more often with what is currently in style than males will. The male 18-34 segment is slower to change and thus stick with what is known to them. While the women in that group will spent more they also will end up spending less per brand over their lifetime.[/quote]

    Irrelevant.

    The big problem with this discussion is the implicit assumption that moving merchandise — tasteful merch or tasteless merch — is a valid reason for revising a uniform. That assumption is false.

    When the merch tail is wagging the on-field dog, it doesn’t matter whether the new design is good or not — it pollutes the whole process. THAT’S why so many of us object to many of Nike’s machinations, and THAT’S what we mean by “doing it because they can.” Yes, duh, they do lots of market research, but only to the extent that it involves SELLING THE JERSEY AT THE CASH REGISTER. The point of a uniform is not to sell it; the point of a uniform is to provide a visual identity for the team on the field.

    Once you grant the notion that selling product is a valid reason for doing a design revision, then Nike (and Reebok, and all the others) have won the debate before it even starts, because you’ve allowed them to SET THE TERMS of the debate. Those terms are not valid.

    I will never concede that point, nor will I allow others to do so on this site (not without calling shenanigans, at least).

    [quote comment=”363998″]Man, some of the Vikings look like they’re wearing the Islanders’ old seasick design. The wavy numbering is due to the jerseys being taped or Velcroed to their pads.[/quote]

    At dinner, one of my older relatives noticed the same thing. I explained to hime that alot of players will apply double-sided tape to their shoulder pads so that the jerseys are stretched as tight as possible, not allowing anyone to grab and get ahold of anything.

    [quote comment=”364007″]I wanna know how Powers got away with the obvious sexist remark on the Roughriders fan. Not because it was sexist, but because it was too obvious and too easy…[/quote]

    Please don’t misconstrue what I was commenting on. I thought that she and the fellas with the carved melon helmets did some fine work.

    Seriously, for someone to,
    a. buy a watermelon in Canada
    b. gut said watermelon
    c. carve earholes and all necessary helmet accessories into said helmet
    reasonable facsimile of logo into helmet.
    d. hold enough alcohol to think that wearing said helmet will get you REMOTELY close to the ingenious woman who fashioned the wayermelon bra is impressive, albeit awful for ones health.

    is all some stellar work.

    That poor woman must have felt so self-concious all day worrying that her melons would malfunction.

    I give her credit, and that is where my seemingly risque comment was headed.

    [quote comment=”364024″][quote comment=”364007″]I wanna know how Powers got away with the obvious sexist remark on the Roughriders fan. Not because it was sexist, but because it was too obvious and too easy…[/quote]

    Please don’t misconstrue what I was commenting on. I thought that she and the fellas with the carved melon helmets did some fine work.

    Seriously, for someone to,
    a. buy a watermelon in Canada
    b. gut said watermelon
    c. carve earholes and all necessary helmet accessories into said helmet
    reasonable facsimile of logo into helmet.
    d. hold enough alcohol to think that wearing said helmet will get you REMOTELY close to the ingenious woman who fashioned the wayermelon bra is impressive, albeit awful for ones health.

    is all some stellar work.

    That poor woman must have felt so self-concious all day worrying that her melons would malfunction.

    I give her credit, and that is where my seemingly risque comment was headed.[/quote]

    Aww – I was just being a dick. Just seeing if the headmaster was paying attention. Heh-heh.

    Now, back to the Nike debate.

    In my mind, the opponents of Nike’s practices dislike them because of the companies’ modus operandi, similar to how tobacco companies attempt to romanticize the act of smoking and market images to minors, attempting to cultivate customers for life.

    Another example would be the product placement of candy at lower levels in supermarkets so that the “target demographic” of rugrats will see them and bother my wife and I until we give in.

    Whether I am one of the sheep or not, I don’t find Nike’s methods deplorable. They are re-creating existing designs…or as we like to say, innovating.

    Is that not what today’s entry is about? Do we not do this on a daily basis: Talk about how uniforms could be different or re-vamped in some way? Theirs is the Ultimate DIY!

    Believe me, I can understand your point as well…I cannot stand when Nike, and more recently the Jordan Brand bastardizes classic versions of shoes, by creating Hybrids and new adaptations that minimalize the traditional standards.

    However,in the end, the people who determine whether these practices are legitimate or not are the a. athletic directos/coaches and b. the consumers who either buy the gear or not.

    In my mind, we shouldn’t hate Nike for playing the game the way we do, we should criticize the game itself.

    I can unequivically tell you that the 18 to 34 male demographi absolutely LOVES the pro combat line. Just take a peak at Niketalk once in a while.

    [quote comment=”364026″][quote comment=”364024″][quote comment=”364007″]I wanna know how Powers got away with the obvious sexist remark on the Roughriders fan. Not because it was sexist, but because it was too obvious and too easy…[/quote]

    Please don’t misconstrue what I was commenting on. I thought that she and the fellas with the carved melon helmets did some fine work.

    Seriously, for someone to,
    a. buy a watermelon in Canada
    b. gut said watermelon
    c. carve earholes and all necessary helmet accessories into said helmet
    reasonable facsimile of logo into helmet.
    d. hold enough alcohol to think that wearing said helmet will get you REMOTELY close to the ingenious woman who fashioned the wayermelon bra is impressive, albeit awful for ones health.

    is all some stellar work.

    That poor woman must have felt so self-concious all day worrying that her melons would malfunction.

    I give her credit, and that is where my seemingly risque comment was headed.[/quote]

    Aww – I was just being a dick. Just seeing if the headmaster was paying attention. Heh-heh.[/quote]

    Well played, assface! :0)

    [quote comment=”363993″][quote comment=”363960″][quote comment=”363956″][quote comment=”363944″][quote comment=”363888″]That Mizzou uni needs to take it easy on the Colloidal Silver.

    link

    Hmmm do you need to adjust the colors on your monitor? Mizzou didn’t have any silver. It was black, their gold/yellow, and matted black.[/quote]

    You mean, it was supposed to be black, cuz it really looks like a dark matte gray. Colloidal Silver turns your skin gray, with overdosage.[/quote]

    Well it isn’t supposed to be black, its a matted black. Then the M and the stripe on the helmet were typical black. I don’t think that matted black is much different than dark matte gray, so tomatoes tomatoes. The color is supposed to be in honor of the Stealth bombers that are near the Mizzou campus.[/quote]

    It’s not even a matted black. There is no shade of black. Black is black. A matted black is what the Oregon Ducks have.

    Mizzou has a dark matte gray. Doesn’t matter what they say it is, but it’s not black.[/quote]

    Sorry, I didn’t know I was dealing with the color police. Anyways, your investigation must not be going so well since you said there is no shade of black…then say matted black is what Oregon has. I thought black is black…if that is the case how is their a matte black.

    Arrest me color police! but when I see Mizzou I don’t see grey.

    [quote comment=”364029″][quote comment=”363993″][quote comment=”363960″][quote comment=”363956″][quote comment=”363944″][quote comment=”363888″]That Mizzou uni needs to take it easy on the Colloidal Silver.

    link

    Hmmm do you need to adjust the colors on your monitor? Mizzou didn’t have any silver. It was black, their gold/yellow, and matted black.[/quote]

    You mean, it was supposed to be black, cuz it really looks like a dark matte gray. Colloidal Silver turns your skin gray, with overdosage.[/quote]

    Well it isn’t supposed to be black, its a matted black. Then the M and the stripe on the helmet were typical black. I don’t think that matted black is much different than dark matte gray, so tomatoes tomatoes. The color is supposed to be in honor of the Stealth bombers that are near the Mizzou campus.[/quote]

    It’s not even a matted black. There is no shade of black. Black is black. A matted black is what the Oregon Ducks have.

    Mizzou has a dark matte gray. Doesn’t matter what they say it is, but it’s not black.[/quote]

    Sorry, I didn’t know I was dealing with the color police. Anyways, your investigation must not be going so well since you said there is no shade of black…then say matted black is what Oregon has. I thought black is black…if that is the case how is their a matte black.

    Arrest me color police! but when I see Mizzou I don’t see grey.[/quote]

    When it comes to football helmets,and especially Oregon football helmets, forget the color police, M. Princip is the Grand Master.

    I don’t dislike Nike — I wore their shoes and shorts for years — but it’s sad to watch any company mess with a school’s traditional uniforms, especially the great ones (e.g., LSU, Florida), for a one-game gimmick. If those unis are so great, let the schools change them for good. They won’t. Why? Because they’re not great. A uniform should be consistent. You can tweak it here and there, or wear an alternate or two once in a while, but the great programs know that you don’t mess with success. The Alabama football and the New York Yankees baseball teams seem to know this, just to cite two examples.

    Los Bravos said it best back in 1966:

    Black is black
    I want my baby back
    It’s gray, it’s gray
    Since she went away, Ooh-Ooh
    What can I do
    ‘Cause I-I-I-I-I’m feelin’ blue

    I guess that doesn’t clear anything up does it?

    [quote comment=”364031″]I don’t dislike Nike — I wore their shoes and shorts for years — but it’s sad to watch any company mess with a school’s traditional uniforms, especially the great ones (e.g., LSU, Florida), for a one-game gimmick. If those unis are so great, let the schools change them for good. They won’t. Why? Because they’re not great. A uniform should be consistent. You can tweak it here and there, or wear an alternate or two once in a while, but the great programs know that you don’t mess with success. The Alabama football and the New York Yankees baseball teams seem to know this, just to cite two examples.[/quote]

    My point is that the schools have the power to say “No, thank you”.

    Nike is offering the schools options. Whether the schools decide to accept those options is solely their decision or not.

    To use my analogy from this morning…The Zebra knows that the lion is laying in wait by the waterhole. It’s his damn fault if he ventures too close and gets chomped.

    [quote comment=”364033″][quote comment=”364031″]I don’t dislike Nike — I wore their shoes and shorts for years — but it’s sad to watch any company mess with a school’s traditional uniforms, especially the great ones (e.g., LSU, Florida), for a one-game gimmick. If those unis are so great, let the schools change them for good. They won’t. Why? Because they’re not great. A uniform should be consistent. You can tweak it here and there, or wear an alternate or two once in a while, but the great programs know that you don’t mess with success. The Alabama football and the New York Yankees baseball teams seem to know this, just to cite two examples.[/quote]

    My point is that the schools have the power to say “No, thank you”.

    Nike is offering the schools options. Whether the schools decide to accept those options is solely their decision or not.

    To use my analogy from this morning…The Zebra knows that the lion is laying in wait by the waterhole. It’s his damn fault if he ventures too close and gets chomped.[/quote]

    You’re absolutely right. They are complicit in smearing their own visual identity.

    [quote comment=”364033″][quote comment=”364031″]I don’t dislike Nike — I wore their shoes and shorts for years — but it’s sad to watch any company mess with a school’s traditional uniforms, especially the great ones (e.g., LSU, Florida), for a one-game gimmick. If those unis are so great, let the schools change them for good. They won’t. Why? Because they’re not great. A uniform should be consistent. You can tweak it here and there, or wear an alternate or two once in a while, but the great programs know that you don’t mess with success. The Alabama football and the New York Yankees baseball teams seem to know this, just to cite two examples.[/quote]

    My point is that the schools have the power to say “No, thank you”.

    Nike is offering the schools options. Whether the schools decide to accept those options is solely their decision or not.

    To use my analogy from this morning…The Zebra knows that the lion is laying in wait by the waterhole. It’s his damn fault if he ventures too close and gets chomped.[/quote]

    Think of a pizzeria.

    I like plain cheese pies. But one day, I hypothetically walk into Sal’s Famous Pizzeria.
    Behind the glass is sitting slices of various types: Taco pizza, Ziti pizza, margherita, meat lover’s, white, etc.

    I love plain cheese, I always have and always will. I don’t HAVE to try the “Garbage” pie, even if it is only once.

    I have the power to say no. So do the AD’s and coaches.

    Nike is making offerings of different types.

    Do they embellish, with a sleeve horn here, a rear end label there? Yes, they do.

    But if I didn’t want stuffed crust, I could say no to that as well.

    Spoiler Alert – for anyone planning to watch later on ESPN360, or Telemundo, or whoever is carrying it in the US.

    Saskatchewan is up 17-3 at the half, on one touchdown, three field goals and a rouge.

    Riders wearing sweet throwbacks, Alouettes in their standard white jerseys, crowd completely behind the Riders.

    link

    Right now Blue Rodeo is playing the halftime show. I have no idea if anyone outside Canada knows who they are, but they were one of Canada’s top country-rock bands in the 90’s.

    link

    [quote comment=”364035″][quote comment=”364033″][quote comment=”364031″]I don’t dislike Nike — I wore their shoes and shorts for years — but it’s sad to watch any company mess with a school’s traditional uniforms, especially the great ones (e.g., LSU, Florida), for a one-game gimmick. If those unis are so great, let the schools change them for good. They won’t. Why? Because they’re not great. A uniform should be consistent. You can tweak it here and there, or wear an alternate or two once in a while, but the great programs know that you don’t mess with success. The Alabama football and the New York Yankees baseball teams seem to know this, just to cite two examples.[/quote]

    My point is that the schools have the power to say “No, thank you”.

    Nike is offering the schools options. Whether the schools decide to accept those options is solely their decision or not.

    To use my analogy from this morning…The Zebra knows that the lion is laying in wait by the waterhole. It’s his damn fault if he ventures too close and gets chomped.[/quote]

    Think of a pizzeria.

    I like plain cheese pies. But one day, I hypothetically walk into Sal’s Famous Pizzeria.
    Behind the glass is sitting slices of various types: Taco pizza, Ziti pizza, margherita, meat lover’s, white, etc.

    I love plain cheese, I always have and always will. I don’t HAVE to try the “Garbage” pie, even if it is only once.

    I have the power to say no. So do the AD’s and coaches.

    Nike is making offerings of different types.

    Do they embellish, with a sleeve horn here, a rear end label there? Yes, they do.

    But if I didn’t want stuffed crust, I could say no to that as well.[/quote]

    As you have identified, the inmates have been running the asylum for years. It’s why there is no playoff but the season stretches to 12 games now and bowls until Jan. 8; why ads are on players’ uniforms (bowl and maker’s logos); why games stretch on forever because of TV timeouts; why games are played at odd hours and on weekdays; and on and on. Absolutely — the schools are just in it for the money and don’t use the best judgment all the time. But I still love college football.

    [quote comment=”364027″]I can unequivically tell you that the 18 to 34 male demographi absolutely LOVES the pro combat line. Just take a peak at Niketalk once in a while.[/quote]

    Um, this is like saying that everyone LOVES smoking because, hey, just look at Puffers-R-Us.com.

    I’m not saying Nike’s designs aren’t popular with a certain demographic. But you can’t make that argument by citing A WEB SITE DEVOTED TO NIKE.

    C’mon, Matt — you’re smarter than this. At least make arguments that are worthy of consideration.

    [quote comment=”364027″]Just take a peak at Niketalk once in a while.[/quote]

    zebras in the wild? free to eat whatever pizza you want?

    now this?

    getting ever so close to the ban bucket

    seriously matt…just stop

    Hey Guys

    Didn’t mean for my posts to seem like I was advocating the Nike decisions (I’m undecided on the Pro Combat thing it has good and bad and really bad things about it). Rather I was just trying to toss some input from an advertising background about the process of the whole thing. Though all of my points had been discussed individually at different points.

    Two questions I would like to ask though are: 1) at what point did the uniform/identity become a pure marketing tool? 2) is it ok for the traditional unis to use them as marketing tools as well? (i.e. Michigan’s winged helmet as a recruiting tool).

    [quote comment=”364038″][quote comment=”364027″]I can unequivically tell you that the 18 to 34 male demographi absolutely LOVES the pro combat line. Just take a peak at Niketalk once in a while.[/quote]

    Um, this is like saying that everyone LOVES smoking because, hey, just look at Puffers-R-Us.com.

    I’m not saying Nike’s designs aren’t popular with a certain demographic. But you can’t make that argument by citing A WEB SITE DEVOTED TO NIKE.

    C’mon, Matt — you’re smarter than this. At least make arguments that are worthy of consideration.[/quote]

    Touche, I forgot to edit that statement out of my diatribe.

    Nonetheless, the balance of my point should be considered valid.

    As for Geeman,

    Is the problem of money endemic to NCAA sports and society overall? Absolutely, Yes.

    Is there anything that we can do to change that? Absolutely Yes…and no. If you subscribe to the single grain of sand ethos that has driven the “going green” and recylcing movement, then yes.

    You can boycott:
    a. Going to NCAA sporting events
    b. purchasing NCAA sanctioned paraphernalia
    c. Tuning into NCAA sports
    d. Purchasing any item advertised or promoted during and by NCAA sports

    The revolution has to start somewhere.

    Is this realistic on an individual basis? Perhaps. It seemed to work at Yankee Stadium this past season , in regards to the 2600 dollar home plate seating.

    However, the Yankees rode that backlash all the way to a WS champioonship. Next year, I wouldn’t be surprised to see those seats going for 3600 dollars.

    [quote comment=”364039″][quote comment=”364027″]Just take a peak at Niketalk once in a while.[/quote]

    zebras in the wild? free to eat whatever pizza you want?

    now this?

    getting ever so close to link

    seriously matt…just stop[/quote]

    Seriously, debate is healthy?

    If I were attacking someone personally, then yes…the ban bucket would be commensurate punishment.

    Shit…I thought I was being clever in coming up with analogies like the zebras and pizza to get my side of the debate across.

    To each their own, I guess.

    In the end, the old proverb rings true…opinions are like a rear end…we’ve all got em, and they all stink!

    [quote comment=”364041″]It seemed to work at Yankee Stadium this past season , in regards to the 2600 dollar home plate seating.

    However, the Yankees rode that backlash all the way to a WS champioonship. Next year, I wouldn’t be surprised to see those seats going for 3600 dollars.[/quote]

    you really should do some research before posting rebuttals

    as to your analogy…do you really think people were “boycotting” the $2,500 seats? maybe the yankees overpriced them? there’s a HUGE difference

    and they cut the prices about 2 weeks into the season

    ride the backlash to a world series? the yankees are PRINTING money…they could give two shits whether or not your or i could ever afford to sit for 3 seconds on one of those seats…and trust me, they didn’t take a bath on the empties either

    stop drinking in nike’s advertising and step back

    no one is forcing the AD’s to make the kids wear the nike uniforms…we’ve acknowledged that; it does take both parties willing and able to make this happen, and yes, these uniforms are designed for the younger demographic

    all points you keep repeating ad nauseum…but irrelevant to the discussion

    the analogy of the hooker (“we’re just negotiating a price”) is better than anything you’ve given…because that’s essentially what it is…nike keeps upping the $$$ they throw in front of a school (who, lets face it, can probably use a new computer lab, or library or teachers — because that’s where the money is going right? of course it is) until the school finally bends over and says yes…then they all get together like it was a brilliant idea and paint it as tho nike is helping the school revere tradition

    and if you believe that, i have a bridge for sale…if you can’t afford it, call nike and we’ll talk

    Puffers-R-Us.com? Man, I gotta register that domain name now!

    Keeping it uni-related, can we add Montreal to the list of cities whose sports teams (let’s include the Expos for arguments sake) all wear the same colors? Sorta like Pgh north?

    [quote comment=”364045″]Puffers-R-Us.com? Man, I gotta register that domain name now!

    Keeping it uni-related, can we add Montreal to the list of cities whose sports teams (let’s include the Expos for arguments sake) all wear the same colors? Sorta like Pgh north?[/quote]

    Expos? Who’s that?

    [quote comment=”364044″]What is wrong with this Grey Cup picture?

    link

    The “S” in the logo is supposed to have stalks of wheat on both sides. After that, I got nothing.

    Great game in the end. Sask pissed away a huge lead, 18 points with something like 4 minutes left. Down 2 at the end of the game, Montreal kicker misses the field goal to win, TOO MANY MEN on Sask, kicks the field goal for the win.

    Rider fans who saw the first kick go wide probably don’t even know they’ve lost yet.

    What a game! Thanks ESPN360.

    That is why I love the CFL. Although the guys in the throwbacks didn’t win, I feel good for Anthony Calvillo and Marc Trestman.

    Chris Cuthbert (who I’d take over Al Michaels) said it best: “The 13th man (Riders fans) has helped the Roughriders all year, but today the 13th man (the extra player on the field) did them in.”

    So then I turn on my TV and think, “Gee that field in Baltimore looks kinda small.” My second thought was, “Dennis Dixon’s pro uniform sure looks better than his college one.”

    [quote comment=”364049″]
    So then I turn on my TV and think, “Gee that field in Baltimore looks kinda small.” My second thought was, “Dennis Dixon’s pro uniform sure looks better than his college one.”[/quote]

    CFL football: Where you can run 60 yards across the field and not move forward. LOL

    Besides, our balls are bigger. ;o)

    Kind of late at night to post but here is an album of screen grabs from Saskatchewan Rough Riders team history. 91 total

    link

    [quote comment=”364050″]From everyone else in Canada…

    Saskatchewan sucks.

    That is all. Carry on.[/quote]

    Saskatchewan, isn’t that where they have 11 months of winter and one month of bad sledding?

    [quote comment=”364053″][quote comment=”364050″]From everyone else in Canada…

    Saskatchewan sucks.

    That is all. Carry on.[/quote]

    Saskatchewan, isn’t that where they have 11 months of winter and one month of bad sledding?[/quote]

    Sounds a lot like Manitoba. Only less hilly. LOL

    [quote comment=”364055″][quote comment=”364053″][quote comment=”364050″]From everyone else in Canada…

    Saskatchewan sucks.

    That is all. Carry on.[/quote]

    Saskatchewan, isn’t that where they have 11 months of winter and one month of bad sledding?[/quote]

    Sounds a lot like Manitoba. Only less hilly. LOL[/quote]

    I just remember that line while I was listen to Bruce Martin and Sid Abel do Red Wings game and talking about a player from Saskatawan and Sid saying the line about winter and bad sleding.

    [quote comment=”364052″]Kind of late at night to post but here is an album of screen grabs from Saskatchewan Rough Riders team history. 91 total

    link

    Great stuff.

    I bet the Riders won this game: link I miss the days of the Roughriders vs. the Rough Riders.

    When the Roughriders and Ti-Cats looked their best: link The ’72 Cup.

    My favorite Ti-Cat, Paul Osbaldiston: link

    I had the ’89 Cup (one of the best ever) on tape, but I taped over it because my Ti-Cats lost. I was a dope. “Robokicker” Dave Ridgway won the game on a last second FG. link (that’s not the same shot, though, because he hit it from farther out and from his left hashmark.

    [quote comment=”364056″]
    I just remember that line while I was listen to Bruce Martin and Sid Abel do Red Wings game and talking about a player from Saskatawan and Sid saying the line about winter and bad sleding.[/quote]

    It’s 100% true, I assure you. The ground is so flat that they test construction levels there just by lying them on the ground. LOL

    [quote comment=”364057″][quote comment=”364052″]Kind of late at night to post but here is an album of screen grabs from Saskatchewan Rough Riders team history. 91 total

    link

    Great stuff.

    I bet the Riders won this game: link I miss the days of the Roughriders vs. the Rough Riders.

    When the Roughriders and Ti-Cats looked their best: link The ’72 Cup.

    My favorite Ti-Cat, Paul Osbaldiston: link

    I had the ’89 Cup (one of the best ever) on tape, but I taped over it because my Ti-Cats lost. I was a dope. “Robokicker” Dave Ridgway won the game on a last second FG. link (that’s not the same shot, though, because he hit it from farther out and from his left hashmark.[/quote]

    My favorite was Rocky DiPetro

    link

    By the way, don’t know if this has been covered, but I noticed an apostrophe catastrophe on ESPN360. On one of the college football promos, the line was “Every Team Controls IT’S Destiny” instead of “ITS.” Don’t worry, WWL, I won’t charge you for that one. Uh oh, did I just devalue the professional copy editor profession?

    Here is an album of Montreal CFL screen grabs from Montreal team history. I may post these in comments tomorrow afternoon and maybe upload a Grey Cup history album too

    link

    JimV I have seen you post California Pa Vulcans pics and Slippery Rock too. I thought you are a Pa guy. My parents grew up down by Brownsville Pa.

    I like this bench shot of Montreal with all that red

    link

    [quote comment=”364043″][quote comment=”364041″]It seemed to work at Yankee Stadium this past season , in regards to the 2600 dollar home plate seating.

    However, the Yankees rode that backlash all the way to a WS champioonship. Next year, I wouldn’t be surprised to see those seats going for 3600 dollars.[/quote]

    you really should link before posting rebuttals

    as to your analogy…do you really think people were “boycotting” the $2,500 seats? maybe the yankees overpriced them? there’s a HUGE difference

    and they cut the prices about 2 weeks into the season

    ride the backlash to a world series? the yankees are PRINTING money…they could give two shits whether or not your or i could ever afford to sit for 3 seconds on one of those seats…and trust me, they didn’t take a bath on the empties either

    stop drinking in link and step back

    no one is forcing the AD’s to make the kids wear the nike uniforms…we’ve acknowledged that; it does take both parties willing and able to make this happen, and yes, these uniforms are designed for the younger demographic

    all points you keep repeating ad nauseum…but irrelevant to the discussion

    the analogy of the hooker (“we’re just negotiating a price”) is better than anything you’ve given…because that’s essentially what it is…nike keeps upping the $$$ they throw in front of a school (who, lets face it, can probably use a new computer lab, or library or teachers — because that’s where the money is going right? of course it is) until the school finally bends over and says yes…then they all get together like it was a brilliant idea and paint it as tho nike is helping the school revere tradition

    and if you believe that, i have a bridge for sale…if you can’t afford it, call nike and we’ll talk[/quote]

    I know when I have been bested, however, will stick to my guns. I have drank the Nike KoolAid and am a loyal customer.

    And as a consumer, I have the right NOT to purchase something that I do not like.

    That should be the case with the universities in question.

    Nonetheless, that was fun and I still love all of you uni-nerds, because…I am a proud card-carrying member as well.

    [quote comment=”364061″]Here is an album of Montreal CFL screen grabs from Montreal team history. I may post these in comments tomorrow afternoon and maybe upload a Grey Cup history album too

    link

    Als vs. Ti-Cats. link Love the all-yellow unis.

    What’s cooler, link QB Sam “The Rifle” Etcheverry wearing #92, or those cool stripes on Hamilton?

    I like big TV numbers, link but those are BIG.

    Before Olympic Stadium had a roof, there was the ’77 Ice Bowl between the Als and Eskimos: link

    Turner Gill and Les Concordes du Montreal: link

    [quote comment=”364062″]JimV I have seen you post California Pa Vulcans pics and Slippery Rock too. I thought you are a Pa guy. My parents grew up down by Brownsville Pa.

    I like this bench shot of Montreal with all that red

    link

    My parents grew up in Shoaf and Footedale, not far from Brownsville at all. I was born and raised in Ohio, but I’ve been there enough that I consider myself a PA guy. Been to the last two Cal/Slippery Rock games – I’d like to make it a yearly thing. Cal is in the D-2 semifinals, by the way. I think they play Carson-Newman next week.

    [quote comment=”364048″]Great game in the end. Sask pissed away a huge lead, 18 points with something like 4 minutes left. Down 2 at the end of the game, Montreal kicker misses the field goal to win, TOO MANY MEN on Sask, kicks the field goal for the win.

    Rider fans who saw the first kick go wide probably don’t even know they’ve lost yet.[/quote]
    It’s great to be in Montreal. :-)
    PS to Mr Stanczyk: Congrats on your alma mater. Go f*ck a sheep, you deserve it. ;-)

    Cal (PA) is at Northwest Missouri State on Saturday while Carson-Newman travels to Grand Valley State.

    [quote comment=”364066″][quote comment=”364062″]JimV I have seen you post California Pa Vulcans pics and Slippery Rock too. I thought you are a Pa guy. My parents grew up down by Brownsville Pa.

    I like this bench shot of Montreal with all that red

    link

    My parents grew up in Shoaf and Footedale, not far from Brownsville at all. I was born and raised in Ohio, but I’ve been there enough that I consider myself a PA guy. Been to the last two Cal/Slippery Rock games – I’d like to make it a yearly thing. Cal is in the D-2 semifinals, by the way. I think they play Carson-Newman next week.[/quote]

    I heard of Footedale for sure. Not sure about Shoaf. My parents actually grew up in small coal patches called Tower Hill#2 and Allison. Closer to Republic. Some of my cousins went to California Pa. One Waynesburg and some to Penn State and one to Pitt. My brother, sister and I are 2 of the only ones who are Buckeye fans in a family of cousins who are Penn State fans.

    I had to watch the OSU PSU game in Belle Vernon Pa restaurant since it was my aunts 90th bday

    [quote comment=”364068″]Cal (PA) is at Northwest Missouri State on Saturday while Carson-Newman travels to Grand Valley State.[/quote]

    Ah, thanks.

    That sets up some these uni matchups:

    Cal: link vs. NW Missouri St.: link

    Carson-Newman: link vs. GVSU: link

    Really late to the party today (busy, busy day) and this is likely to be something that’s been mentioned in the past and even if it wasn’t, nobody probably cares anyway but as I was on my way out the door this morning, I caught a commercial for… um… something… maybe a TV.

    Anyway, at the end of said commercial, there were a couple actors/stuntmen dressed like a Charger and a Patriot. I happened to notice that the Patriot was wearing the white jersey/silver pants combo that the Pats never actually wear. So it was kinda like that link where he wears the powder jersey with the white pants that the Titans never wear.

    [quote comment=”363957″]JTH,

    Bengals wearing their oranges over whites today…[/quote]
    Any truth to the rumor that they’ll be wearing those as their primary home unis next year?

    Probably not, since I just made that up.

    [quote comment=”363996″]Bears/Vikings looks nice. I like what Chicago’s wearing (not as much as orange tops over blue, James) but when I picture this game I think of this link

    And I still picture it outdoors at the Met.[/quote]
    I wouldn’t mind seeing them go orange over blue for a change. At least it would take my mind off their godawful play.

    [quote comment=”364074″][quote comment=”363996″]Bears/Vikings looks nice. I like what Chicago’s wearing (not as much as orange tops over blue, James) but when I picture this game I think of this link

    And I still picture it outdoors at the Met.[/quote]
    I wouldn’t mind seeing them go orange over blue for a change. At least it would take my mind off their godawful play.[/quote]

    They shoulda worn that against the Seahawks…

    [quote comment=”363874″]Things That Piss Me Off…
    (one of them, anyway)

    That the Grey Cup isn’t easily accessible on U.S. TV.

    By definition, you’d think ESPN would be the place to offer it. But now that they’re in the NFL fold, not likely. Damn, NFL must cringe whenever Chris Berman talks about the CFL and offers highlights. Like him or loathe him, he certainly seems to be the driving force behind its inclusion…because pretty much anyone else sitting with him looks at him like he’s wasting time covering Guatemalan kickball. And not one of them ever adds a word to the discusson. It’s like, “Okay, let Chris do his little CFL thing that he thinks is important.”

    —Ricko[/quote]

    For years I have believed that this is be strict design! I believe that the NFL threatens US networks and advertizers – either overtly or indirectly – to ignore or stay away from the CFL. How else can you account for 200 US cable channels and the paucity of CFL exposure.

    And I further believe that it is UNI related. The NFL does not want US customers exposed to and then buying CFL merchandise. I defy you to even find it at any US supplier or retail sporting goods store. The NFL knows that if urban (Black) customers will make to a widespread trend to purchase NASCAR jackets and logo wear I see it in New Orleans every day – for at least the past ten years), sometimes for $300.00-$400.00 a NASCAR jacket pop, then many a US customer could be able to find CFL wear to be ascceptable, desirable or downright trendy.

    The NFL does not want it, and I bet many companies’ access to NFL functions and events and product depend upon those companies’ “playing ball” and ignoring the CFL ….

    I hope Paul didn’t watch that show “Replay”. The kicker essentially just said “Orange Gatorade cured my cancer.”

    [quote comment=”363898″]The LSU riflery unis didn’t look to bad although its a case of trying to fix something that wasn’t broken.

    Here’s a thought. Wouldn’t that shade of Gold on the LSU helmets link look great on the Saints! Use it for helmet, pants and trim. That would look sweet.[/quote]

    Liler Saints fan and I TOTALLY AGREE!!!

    [quote comment=”364061″]Here is an album of Montreal CFL screen grabs from Montreal team history. I may post these in comments tomorrow afternoon and maybe upload a Grey Cup history album too

    link

    any idea what the patch on this guy’s sleeve was covering?

    link

    [quote comment=”364080″][quote comment=”364061″]Here is an album of Montreal CFL screen grabs from Montreal team history. I may post these in comments tomorrow afternoon and maybe upload a Grey Cup history album too

    link

    any idea what the patch on this guy’s sleeve was covering?

    link

    My best guess: prior to 1986, the Montreal CFL team was called the Concordes for 3 or 4 years, wearing white helmets:

    link

    In 1986 they renamed themselves the Alouettes and kept the white helmets with an Alouettes logo. This was the only year they wore white helmets with that logo (they folded that year).

    So my guess is that its an old Concordes jersey with the logo patched over.

    Here’s a better question – what is MARV LEVY doing in that photo? He coached Montreal from 1974-1977, but by 1986 he was long gone from Canada,

    I liked Muraro’s baseball jersey design the best. I do, however, have concerns about the English department at UW-Stout.

    Pro Combat looks I liked: TCU, Miami, Florida State

    Missouri’s helmet’s look like that old, rusted gray that would give you chills if you were to scratch it.

    Muraro is a very strong design, if a very weak technical execution from a “spelling-the-client’s-name-right” perspective. Anyway, Muraro is my #3, after Bahry and Callahan. I think separating those three from the rest for final consideration is an easy call, and I also think choosing among them for a final selection is an easy call, but those three seem to me to represent the strongest submissions, and also three very distinct treatments of the school’s athletic identity.

    I sometimes manage contracted design projects for my employer, and were this my design project, I would feel very confident bringing the Bahry, Callahan, and Muraro proposals to my stakeholders for their consideration. They would have a set of generally excellent but varied proposals, which is the ideal situation for helping the institution make a good choice. You want the non-designy decisionmakers to see a variety of treatments in order to force them to think seriously about their own expectations for what the design is meant to communicate and accomplish, and you also want every option presented to be good enough that if anyone falls instantly in love with the first thing he sees — a common thing! — you’ll be able to stand behind the choice.

    (My choice would be Callahan’s proposal, and I’d push for it hard in a decisive meeting, but I think that this would be a can’t-go-wrong decision no matter which of my three finalists were chosen.)

    In Greg’s concept, the Browns would lose a lot of their identity & would look like a modern generic expansion team. And since brown is so universally hated (which is stupid) the next step would be to change it to black (the Blue Jays don’t follow the color rules) and bump the orange to red. I see nothing wrong with the current Browns look & is one of the best in the league. And would adding a helmet logo really be necessary for the Browns? If they ever do put something there, hopefully it’ll be a uniform number instead. (And adding Family Guy’s Cleveland Brown face is now a huge faux pas, since Rallo last night mentioned Cleveland used “the N-word” towards him).

    all of the Nike uniforms were an abomination. Butt ugly form the word go. The Miami uniforms made look like a melted ice cream bar.

Comments are closed.