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How Come There’s No Disarmament Bowl?

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Ah2Fy9wCEAEpkSW.jpg_large.jpg Screen shot 2011-12-29 at 11.50.28 PM.png

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Whenever I hear someone mention the Armed Forces Bowl, I instinctively think of this (which you have to admit would make for a very cool helmet motif). Unfortunately, the helmet designs for today’s Tulsa/BYU match-up are the ones you see above. As reader Matt Spencer points out, this will be Tulsa’s sixth helmet design of the year (here are the other five). Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Discuss. ”” Paul

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Uni Watch News Ticker: Here’s a little video clip of the Nikegon Rose Bowl helmet, along with some video of the jerseys (from Kevin Vaughn and Nathan Haas, respectively). ”¦ Meanwhile, Wisconsin — also known as “Oh right, Oregon doesn’t just get to unveil a uniform and go home, they actually have to play against someone” — will unveil their Rose Bowl uniform today at noon Eastern. … Yesterday’s entry about the Yankees logo showing up in North Korea prompted this note from Joe Mangano: “Many Europeans believe the interlocking NY is no more than a symbol of the city, an idea furthered by the merchandise commonly sold around Manhattan in tourist shops. In Britain, many people wear Yankees hats (in a multitude of colors) to shout out that they have personally been to NYC.” … Here are Oklahoma’s cleats for the Insight Bowl (from Brady Vardeman). … Assorted 49ers were fined for their recent footwear and hosiery antics (from Barron Calvert). … Oooh, look at these 1920s baseball-head mascot characters. The progenitors of Mr. Met and Mr. Red, perhaps? (Thanks, Vince.) … If you weren’t already convinced that New Year’s Eve is for amateurs, then the Hershey Bears’ special NYE jersey should do the trick (from Stan Capp). … This is pretty good: a high school football team using an NBA logo. That’s Turner High in Kansas (from Terry Duroncelet). … Nebraska made special helmets for their motorcycle police escort at the Corporate Banking Bowl on Jan. 2 (from Brian Hansen). … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Here’s a good slideshow of Nikegon’s assorted looks over the past decade or so. … Also from yesterday: Here’s a doozy of an item I’ve never seen before — an NFL woodburning kit! ”¦ As per their bowl game custom, Notre Dame added NOBs for last night’s game against Florida State. ”¦ Here’s a first, at least for me: Al Harrington was playing with his mouthguard tucked into his headband (from Leo Thornton). ”¦ Jeff Ash has put together several photo galleries from the 1961 NFL title game between the Packers and the Giants. There’s lots of game action here and here, plus there are separate galleries of the Packers celebrating their victory, the fans celebrating, and fans at the game. ”¦ Aussie football news from Jeremy Brahm who reports that the Greater Western Sydney Giants will wear a special jumper for their games in Canberra.

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That’s it for today, gang. Whatever your New Year’s plans may be, I hope you have a healthy and a happy. My thanks to each and every one of you for helping to make 2011 a very good year for Uni Watch.

Also, Phil and I will be trading off a few days over the next two weeks. The first of those days is next Monday, when he’ll be pinch-hitting for me. I’ll see you all next Tuesday. Happy New Year, and Peace.

 
  
 
Comments (98)

    anyone watch the baylor/washington basketball game last night? baylor won 67-56…funny thing…they played it on a football field

    I watched it. I must say, I really liked Washington’s storm-trooper look…especially the helmets.

    I was there (my girlfriend and her sister are BU alums). That dome was LOUD and that game was crazy. I guess Baylor and UW left their defensive coordinators at home.

    I loved Baylor’s matte green helmets. They looked terrific, even from the cheap seats. Washington looked pretty good in all-white, too. My second-ever bowl game (last year was my first) and it was an awesome experience.

    Having six helmet designs in a year is a bad thing. Just like the mix-and-match garbage going on at Oregon, Maryland, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, etc, I think it’s stupid.

    The uniform used to be a team’s identity. They should display the team’s/school’s colors. You should be able to turn the tv on and instantly recognize the teams on the field. Or your team, at the least, if you’re unfamiliar with the other team. But clearly, no one cares about that anymore.

    During college basketball season a couple of years ago, I arrived at a restaurant with my family. The Maryland game was on and they were playing at home, so I could see the Maryland ‘M’ at center court. But I thought to myself, “Who is the yellow team that Maryland is playing?” Later, I realized that the yellow team WAS Maryland. Stupid, stupid, stupid. And that was before the whole re-branding and Under Armour re-design of the football uniforms.

    Obviously, these schools aren’t seeking advice from their colleges of business. I’m pretty certain there are some accepted precepts regarding brand awareness that are being tossed out the window.

    We are at a point where everyone wants to be Oregon, where they can wear different uniform combination and everyone is okay with that. The reason you get constantly changing uniforms is to attract “young talent”, or, Seniors in high school who think Oregon or Arizona State have awesome uniforms. For better or worse, these constantly changing uniforms now become the team identity.

    Only a handful of places can actually pull this off. I agree, those six helmets in one season is unnecessary, especially if I’m not mistaken, Tulsa has kept the same jersey designs. Although, five out of six helmets have been gold, and most of them have been a minor change in stripe or logo.

    Although, five out of six helmets have been gold, and most of them have been a minor change in stripe or logo.

    I think that makes the whole thing even more ridiculous. What’s the point of an all-new set of helmets, if all you did is, say, remove a center stripe? That’s a waste of time and money. Hell, if you are going to issue new helmets, they might as well be a different color or have a different logo.

    The gold helmets are the same…the stripes and logos are stick-on stuff that they probably change just about every week anyway, or at least a few times a season, so they look fresh and unmarred for each game.

    I guess I should have known that, but I’ll stand by my original point. It just seems stupid and pointless to add a stripe here, or move one there. IF you have to change helmets (and I don’t personally think a team needs more than 1 or 2), at least do something that actually looks different.

    It is out of control these days. But I do not see things stopping. They may get worse. Too many teams now want too many helmets and unis.

    Or even decals like Toledo the other night.

    Jason, I generally agree with you, but Maryland basketball wore those gold uniforms for a long time in the 1980s, including through the Len Bias era and Lefty Driesell’s only ACC championship year. Gold and black are school colors, but I will concede that the football team just looks dumb when it comes out looking like the Steelers. Red and white are what Maryland is known by.

    I still don’t know why NFL teams don’t have home and away helmets.

    The cost to the teams–a drop in the bucket compared to the addtl NFLP look they’ll rake in.

    I see this coming as part of the Nike onslaught. Maybe not this year, but still..

    Sweet fucking Christmas! Players should NOT be wearing those gamers without pads. EVER. The bunching, combined with that shiny feather pattern, looks HIDEOUS!

    In the ticker you mentioned Turner High School and their use of an NBA logo. One click and I went “Holy CRAP” (or something).
    Turner’s logo looks a lot like the Selma (CA.) High School logo.
    (link)
    All these years, and I’ve never noticed it before.

    I’m link. Nike should bring it back.

    Also, on the helmet, I think that video was the first time I could actually see what was on it. The wing design and the Oregon O is kind of cool. Too bad it’s gonna get lost on the reflectiveness on the motorcycle helmet.

    Also, that crap on the shoulders of the jerseys? Could do without. It looks like they screwed up removing the plastic wrap on their new jerseys when they came in the mail.

    That link has probably my favorite Oregon uni of all time, and I’m a big fan of their new stuff. Something about that stripe is just excellent.

    Logistical problem with a Disarmament Bowl: Goshen and Naropa don’t have varsity football teams.

    If they can have bowls for humanitarianism, fighting hunger, and the military-industrial complex, why have there been no political candidates sponsoring a bowl game? Oh, that’s right. None of them are being played in Iowa or New Hampshire.

    That, and the facts that national candidates are only around in any number one football season out of every 4, and that right now the most popular politician in the country is President Obama, and nearly 60 percent of the public doesn’t much like him. No bowl organizers or network would touch a Romney Bowl or an Obama Bowl or a GOP Bowl with a 30-foot mic boom, given the vanishingly low public respect even our most popular politicians enjoy and the guaranteed effect of pissing off the vast majority of any viewing audience with such a stunt.

    How soon before someone from Wisconsin gets blindsided by an Oregon player because he was blinded by the reflection off the Oregon helmet, thus causing a concussion? That helmet is ridiculous.

    Isn’t that the former “Copper Bowl”? Jeez. I get WHY these companies do away with the traditional names (greed), but it frustrates me to no end. Not that the Copper Bowl was ever a necessarily prestigious bowl, but still. Would there be a market for “I’m still calling it the ______ Bowl” shirts? If my school was going to a bowl that had had the name removed, I’d certainly wear said shirt.

    Copper Bowl, Citrus Bowl, Peach Bowl… names gone but not forgotten.

    Was that yesterday’s Champs Sports? I think that’s right.

    It’s to the point where I hear these names and have no idea where the game is even being played. Belk Bowl? Meineke Car Care Bowl? I’m a HUGE college football fan, but cannot tell you with 100% certainty where either of those games are, and probably several more.

    Read your books, Chris, or do some research. ALL the bowls are promotional endeavors. Even back in the day.

    Being a huge OU fan it is sad that they are playing in the Insight Bowl. That said, I do like the new shoes. OU has sort of a history with sliver shoes. Joe Washington.

    So I actually had a dream with Paul in it last night. I wouldn’t classify it as a a “nightmare” in the traditional sense of the word, but it was pretty bad. I never actually saw Paul but I heard his voice and we were staying at a beach house that belonged to him. It was supposedly the holidays and as we were looking out at the beach there were a bunch of people I know from different places in my life, my boss, friends from college, etc. However, there were no members of my family. There were billboards about a half mile out in the ocean. In front of us was a giant white billboard with a black W. Paul said something like they aren’t allowed to get any closer. Then all of the sudden there was like a parade of barges and boats with semi trucks loaded on them going by. Like thousands that were blocking our view. Paul said they do this every year. Then when it ended and you could see the ocean again everyone cheered. I know, weird right, but my guess is it was a commentary by my subconscious on the stupidity of commercialism and how we all get duped by it even if we try not to. Anyhow, figured I’d share that weirdness.

    I don’t get the whole fine for the shoe for Crabtree. I think the league needs to be ok with a player wearing team colored shoes for goodness sake. I mean I get Whitner’s fine he was wearing black socks, but somehow gold shoes are double the amount when he was actually wearing team colors. Kind of ludicrous.

    The reason the shoe fine was higher is that the NFL has sponsorship contracts with shoe companies, but no sponsorship deals with sock companies. So the sock violation was merely aesthetic, while the shoe violation was corporate.

    And there’s contemporary sports in a nutshell.

    So let me get this straight, because Crabtree wasn’t wearing Gold ‘Reebok’ shoes he got fined? So is it ok for him to wear team colored shoes as long as they’re Reebok? Will that change next year to Nike? That could mean a lot of shoe craziness if it does.

    No, I didn’t say that. Crabtree would’ve been fined in any case for wearing gold shoes. But shoe fines are higher than sock fines because shoes are part of where the league’s bread gets buttered, while socks aren’t.

    They still have the rule that x number of players can wear non-sponsor shoes, don’t they? Crabtree could have compensated one of the non-reebok players to wear some taped up reeboks so he could wear his gold shoes.

    D: WHAT THE HELL?! The rules CLEARLY state that shoes must be at least 51% black or white depending on the team’s choice. The Seahawks are a “black shoe” team, and those cleats are well over 51% black, even with the Skittles pattern.

    Man, fuck the No Fun League sometimes >=(

    That bit about the Yankees hats I think furthers your point from the other day: if the rest of the world sees the interlocking “NY” as a symbol of the city that still, after all these years, better represents the idea of the “American (or Capitalist) Dream” than any other, how could it have possibly found its way into North Korea?

    I think it would behoove the PRK government to point out that it “just” represents a sports team. Besides, the Yanks are second-rate to “Dear Leader’s” baseball prowess: I’m sure he claimed 32 World Championships, that he hit is 61 home runs in just 46 games, and that Babe Ruth was pointing at him in the stands because he was the Babe’s guest of honor/hitting coach.

    It’s almost like the Badgers know they’ve been there before, and expect to be back someday again.

    The Big Ten can be proud of its football heritage to the point that you just want the whole conference to shut up, but part of being proud of that heritage is wearing some damn classy uniforms (Illinois doesn’t count in this argument, and MSU is trying their best not to count).

    Every team should change helmets for every game. Heck, they should change them at the end of each quarter. Better yet, after each set of downs. Every team should have hundreds of helmets available to them, matte finish helmets and shiny reflective helmets, camo helmets (for Our Troops) and pink helmets (for Our Moms), helmets that display the state flag and helmets that display the school coat of arms, helmets, helmets, helmets!

    Every school should employ a team of 15-20 Helmet Specialists, who carefully catalog each helmet and make sure every player is properly attired (we wouldn’t want any helmet gaffes showing up on Uniwatch!) Shuttered auto plants could be refitted and reopened, the assembly lines devoted to round-the-clock helmet production. Recession over!

    Yes, what this country needs is lots and lots and lots of helmets.

    Yes, what this country needs is lots and lots and lots of helmets.

    It’s good for the economy!

    Not to mention, when teams are done with them they can be shipped overseas to developing nations that are trying to get buy while enduring a shameful shortage of basic human necessities like clean drinking water and football helmets.

    Now that was funny.

    Maybe each player should have a different helmet too.

    It is amazing to think how many helmets are being made and worn.

    Michigan has had special gameday motorcycle police helmets (the UM campus police, I believe) for a while now. Here’s a photo from the 2008 Michigan-OSU game in Columbus.

    link

    Great Renault Dauphine in that first photo in the gallery of Packers fans celebrating for you fans of obscure autos. I’ve had one of those cars and can’t imagine driving one in a Wisconsin winter.

    FYI: All of the reader-appreciation raffle items have shipped out, except for the Jose Reyes uniframe (I need to find a big enough box for it).

    Hey, Paul, I think my unbroken streak of never winning the raffle qualifies me to offer this fan’s thanks for doing the annual reader-appreciation raffle thing. Staggeringly generous, and also fun to see the annual list of random uni-related swag. Thanks for another great year, and happy 2012!

    Thanks for the kind words, Scott, and also for your many excellent contributions to the site. You make Uni Watch a better place, and for that you have my unending gratitude.

    I never enter it (or have a membership, natch), but I think it’s a great thing to share the swag you get with readers. Most reporters probably throw it away or something.

    Interesting team picture of the 1994 US World Cup team wearing the Adidas denim-like jerseys paired with blue jeans.

    link

    Damnit! I read that as jarts. Oh how I miss lawn darts! Could have used one to gouge out my eyes after that pic, thankyaverymuch.

    I know. But would anyone have clicked on it if I’d said, “How to wear Sooner gear”?

    Come to think of it, maybe they would have.

    Aside from today’s silly camo decals, I really love BYU’s football uniforms. Crisp, clean. To anyone pining for more flair on Penn State’s unis (I’m looking at you, Jeff): we already have that look, and BYU is working it.

    Petr Mrazek also wore #2 against the Canadians on Wednesday. Goaltender Libor Kasik is wearing #1 for the Czechs.

    Mrazek normally plays for the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s, so he’s better suited to the North American style of play.

    In fact, I’ll go one better. You won’t see them on the bench this way, but the Czechs almost follow the old-style of European numbering.

    The goaltenders are wearing 1, 2, and 30.
    The defencemen are wearing 4, 6-10, 12, 13, and 28.
    The forwards are wearing 5, 11, 14-23, 26, 27, and 29.

    It’s like we’re back in the 1970s!

    A little more description and information on Bucky’s Rose Bowl uniforms:

    The Badgers’ new look is inspired by the tradition of the Rose Bowl and the school’s back-to-back trips to Pasadena.

    The cardinal and white uniform features a Battle Rose design, including rose petal graphics within the jersey numbers, the Motion W helmet logo and stripes, Adidas Tech Fit compression base layer and Adizero gloves.

    “We are very excited to partner with Adidas on this new look,” said coach Bret Bielema in a news release. “I think the subtle changes we have made truly highlight the tradition of the Rose Bowl while maintaining our classic look. I think the look is something our fans will really embrace and I would like to thank Adidas for coming up with something that is unique to Wisconsin and the Rose Bowl.”

    Badgers fans can purchase the special edition Rose Bowl jersey for $55 at Fansedge.com.

    This exactly the kind of response I wanted the Badgers to bring at Nike. These Rose Bowl uni’s say “Hey Nikegon, since the Rose Bowl is our second home, take a look at these flashy yet stylish uniforms that we created so that at least one of us will look nice on Monday.” Hats off to the not only the Badgers, but Adidas this year for creating competition with Nike by making unique uniforms that actually look nice on the field and keep tradition strong (see Michigan and Notre Dame).

    The Utah Jazz are wearing their green unis at home tonight against the Sixers. Number-font-wise, it’s one of the. Best. Matchups. Ever. You can see those numbers from any angle, from the cheap seats, you name it. Just beautiful.

    I had an NFL wood burning kit… Team helmets and logos, not players. circa 1980. Had to be fairly new because it had Bucaneers.

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