Hey, if you’re gonna look like a slob, you may as well have a slob-ish logo on your sleeve while you’re at it. Readers Geoff Hansen and G. Girard both noticed that glitch during yesterday’s AFC title game. As longtime readers may recall, this isn’t the first time Bill Belichick has had a glitch on his sweatshirt.
Only two other uni-notable notes from yesterday’s NFL action:
• 49ers offensive lineman Joe Staley was apparently wearing one of those girdles with padding on his hamstring area. Some photo research reveals that he’s been doing this for a while, so it’s nothing new for him, but I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen an NFL player with padding in that area.
• Was Justin Tuck of the Giants wearing a pink-logo jersey from October? Sure looks that way. (Screen shot by Ben Harmon.)
On a personal note, today would have been my father’s 88th birthday. My Mom’s feeling a bit blue about that, so I’m heading out to Long Island to spend the day with her. See you tomorrow. ”” Paul
Super Bowl history mystery: I’ve missed only two Super Bowls since 1971, and one of them was SB XII. (I won’t tell you what I was doing instead that day, but let’s say it’s more than a little embarrassing.) So I didn’t see Pat Sumerall and Tom Brookshier having this discussion in the moments leading up to the kickoff.
If I had seen it, I’m sure it would have become a formative uni-watching moment from my youth. I’m also sure I would’ve spent the entire game watching to see if any Broncos were wearing the vertically striped socks. Did any of them actually do so? I’ve never seen any visual evidence of this or heard any mention of it until now. But like I said, I didn’t watch that game myself.
In any case, it adds a new chapter to the already robust legend of Denver’s vertically striped hose. Big thanks to Jim Vilk for the video find.
(And in case you’re wondering, the other Supe that I missed was SB XX in 1986 — Pats vs. Bears. The game fell on the date of my “relationship anniversary” with my college galpal, who made it clear that we would not be spending the day watching football. No huge loss, given what a snooze of a game it turned out to be.)
Human billboards, continued: Remember my note last Friday about Olympic track-and-fielder Nick Symmonds auctioning off a spot on his arm for a temporary tattoo sponsorship? Reader Vince LoBosco says the issue goes a lot deeper than that:
Symmonds has been leading a charge lately to allow for more advertising on uniforms/bodies of the athletes in order for them to supplement their income. Right now the IAAF only allows for one main uniform sponsor. For runners, that generally means a shoe company. And right now the shoe companies generally devote a lot of money to a few athletes. Those who are new and/or not well-known might find it difficult to get a sponsorship from a shoe company that allows them to earn a living and still be able to train. For some the shoe deal they get is pretty much that — shoes and apparel. The athletes still have to pay coaches, trainers, meet fees, and travel expenses out of pocket.
I know how you hate sponsorship on jerseys, but changing the IAAF rules will allow more athletes the means and opportunity to be competitive at an international level. The other benefit you might like is that the racing will be a lot more visually appealing. Right now there are generally three colors in any race: Nike’s uniform, Reebok’s uniform, and Adidas’s uniform. Occasionally someone else will pop up, but they are outnumbered. The new standards would be set up similarly to what triathletes do, so runners wouldn’t be plastered with ads like a Czech hockey team.
I know Symmonds has blogged about this before, but I’m having trouble finding links. Here’s an article about his efforts, though. And here’s one about Lauren Fleshman encountering problems while trying to wear a temp tattoo during the New York City Marathon.
All very interesting. A few thoughts:
• While I would prefer to see a uni-verse complete free of logo creep, I do think athletes in individual sports (running, tennis, golf, etc.) are different than athletes in team sports. It has always been my position that logo creep in these individual sports is much, much less offensive.
• That said, this notion of amateur athletes “needing” huge training budgets and supplemental income really puts the lie to the whole notion of amateur athletics. Look, these people are essentially full-time athletes, so let’s just call them professionals and get it over with.
• And that said, the notion that every athlete somehow deserves a shoe deal or other sponsorship, as if it’s an entitlement or something (which Vince didn’t outright claim, but it’s sort of implied), strikes me as waaaay off-base.
Oh, what a tangled merchandising web we weave: Friday’s post about the unbranded NFL merch currently showing up on the Majestic and NFLshop sites prompted a very informative note from reader Chris M., who works in sports retail:
Regarding Majestic, they’ve been making NFL products for many years now, but it isn’t actually Majestic. These products are actually licensed by their parent company, the VF Corporation. VF has a sub-license through Reebok that allows them to make select NFL apparel. There are about 1,000 rules involved in what they are and aren’t allowed to do, but the gist is that Reebok has exclusivity on sideline apparel, including jerseys, as well as all the other very carefully selected merchandise that players and coaches wear on the sideline. VF is allowed, and will continue to be allowed after Nike takes over, to make what is deemed NFL FanWear. VF uses their Majestic reps to sell the line, but it has to remain unbranded because Reebok has to be seen as the only official supplier of NFL apparel.
Side note: You may notice that the locker room championship gear is also unbranded. This is because VF actually holds the license for the official locker room hot market apparel. This is the same sort of deal that also allows G-III and Mitchell & Ness to make NFL apparel, although their rules are slightly different because they are considered fashion apparel.
As far as the Pro Line jerseys found on NFLshop,com actually being the Nike designs, I am kinda doubting that. Nike will be releasing three tiers of jerseys. They will be known as Game, Elite, and Pro. Their price points will be $100, $135, and $250. Game jerseys will be equivalent to what is currently called a replica. It will have all screen-printed numbers and lettering. The Elite will then move you to what is now known as premier, which will have the tackle twill lettering and numbering. This is what they are currently selling for $100 as a Pro Line jersey, which is why I have my doubts as to this being the Nike product. The Pro level will be equivalent to the current authentic level, which is going to be a close replication of what is actually worn on the field.
Another reason I don’t think Pro Line = Nike: The primary reason behind keeping the updated jerseys so secret is an effort to keep bootleggers from getting a jump start on making fake Nike jerseys.
That thing from last year that I wouldn’t shut up about: Permanent Record — my research/storytelling project involving a bunch of early-1900s report cards that I found in a discarded file cabinet — is once again an ongoing concern, and there’s some major news to report. You can check it out on the PermaRec blog.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, there’s a good backgrounder on Permanent Record here. And if you meant to read the original PermaRec series on Slate last fall but never got around to it, you can check it out here.
In case you missed it last week, I’ve created a small line of T-shirts based on vintage sportswear clothing tags. Check them out in the Uni Watch store.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Fast work by the Penn State basketball team, which added a strip of black electrical tape in memory of Joe Paterno in time for yesterday afternoon’s game against Indiana. (And no, that player wasn’t crying — just wiping away some sweat.) ”¦ Ya think maybe sports have become a little too prominent in high education? You’re not the only one. ”¦ Big news from Bill Henderson, who says the next edition of his MLB jersey guide should be out in June. ”¦ Big brand makeover for DC Comics. … Last Thursday I Ticker-linked to a photo of former NHL ref Andy Van Hellemond wearing what appeared to be the NHL logo on his armbands, which I’d never seen before. But Shane Barnes posted a comment suggesting that the logo might actually carry the initials of former NHL official John McCauley. Sure enough! Good call. … UTEP hoops wore their Texas Western throwbacks the other day. … Some guy in the UK has a butt-load of soccer jerseys (from George Chilvers). … Temple’s basketball players now hasve eyes on their feet (from Marc Miller). … Kids Adults These Days, Part 1: A Georgia woman was arrested for allowing her 10-year-old son to get a tattoo with his deceased brother’s jersey number (from Brady Phelps). ”¦ Kids Adults These Days, Part 2: A Baltimore school caused an uproar by holding a Ravens pep rally with an interesting dress code — kids wouldn’t be allowed to attend unless they wore purple or Ravens gear. … Here’s a slideshow of Angels uni history. “Features some good looks — and some bad mustaches,” says Brett Crane. ”¦ Spike Lee presented President Obama with a pair of Air Jordans the other day (thanks, Brinke). ”¦ Baylor punter Spencer Roth has posted a BFBS uni to Facebook. Let’s hope that never makes it onto the field (from Drew Mastin). ”¦ San Francisco’s city hall was lit up in 49ers colors in advance of Sunday’s NFC title game (from Jon Ratshin). ”¦ Here’s a really cool bowling dress, even if the embroidery does rhyme with “Wayne Hagin.” ”¦ Adrian Acosta spotted someone wearing a Jags jacket with the original prototype logo. Nice! … New football gear branded with a basketball player for UNC (from James Gilbert). … Just about everything you could want to know about the history of the Gatorade shower ritual is available in this article. ”¦ In a barely related item, small change for the Florida Gators logo. ”¦ Here’s something I’ve never seen before: Wilt Chamberlain wearing either bandages or a Rip Hamilton-style mask (great find by my old college buddy Jeff Katz). … Yet another uni adjustment for Ohio hoops, in the form of some logo-based striping (from Johnny Bruno). ”¦ Here’s something I didn’t know: Logan Morrison of the Marlins has a ritual of going high-cuffed on Sundays (from Jon Silber). ”¦ Check out these little hand-carved Ivy League mascots (from Terry Paffenroth). ”¦ Mike Piazza says he wants to wear a Mets cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. After we get the Marlins jokes and steroid wisecracks out of the way, any sober reading of Piazza’s career stats should make it clear that he made his biggest mark as a Dodger. ”¦ Alex Fraser took a bunch of photos at the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships. “I’m pretty sure this was my favorite jersey of the weekend,” he says. ”¦ Coupla Saturday-night college hoops notes from Jim Vilk: Pepperdine wore some very nice throwbacks and the Louisville/Pitt game was red vs. gold. ”¦ Gumball helmet king Bill Jones appears to have been creating some virtual arena football cards, which provide lots of good uni views (thanks, Ricko). ”¦ “Five generations of WVU grads in my family and I have never once seen the logo on this hoodie,” says Joshua Pryor. ”¦ More G.I. Joe silliness, this time for the Ohio State hockey team (from Adam Sgriccia).
Not sure if he was on the list but the placeholder last night was wearing his wedding ring.
He was on the list:
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As was the kicker Tynes.
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At about 50 seconds for Weatherford, followed by Tynes.
Bonus fun for lip readers.
No — Tynes was *not* on my list, and he does not wear his ring on the field:
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I had exactly Abe’s reaction watching the game, but it seemed a little too coincidental that both kicker and placeholder would both wear rings. So I rewound, and as the YT clip shows, that was Weatherford, and it just looked like Tynes because he was celebrating more like you’d expect the guy who kicked the goal to celebrate, and his 5 kind of looked like a 9. But it was Weatherford, not Tynes.
Well, don’t I look the fool…
I was so busy looking for little rings I couldn’t see big red numerals…
Thanks for the Minutemen reference! Keep Jamming Econo!
Greatest American band of all time?
definitely in the running.
Nice use of the Minutemen album cover.
Regarding Piazza’s HoF cap choice, while he may have had better stats with the Dodgers, he had more significance and impact while on the Mets.
I agree, he meant more to the Mets….
Disagree.
While his stats were more impressive as a Dodger, I think when you look at total impact, he is more remembered as a Met. 1999, 2000, and the post 9/11 activities.
He is certainly the Mets greatest offensive player of all-time. That cannot be said for the Dodgers.
People can disagree, this is what opinions are.
You’re basically making an MVP argument. But that’s not what the cap on the HOF plaque is about.
Funny, the entire time Piazza was in New York I still thought of him as a Dodger on loan. Even if that was to be the deciding factor, which it isn’t.
Having watched the courtside video, I’m not entirely sure that he’s being serious about the Mets cap.
For the HOF don’t the players get to decide what franchise gets used on the cap? If Piazza feels he’s a met then so be it but I personally think dodgers when his name is brought up.
No. HOF decides.
I think a blank cap would be most appropriate. But he was definitely better as a Dodger, and there is the Lasorda connection as well.
Ridiculous argument.
Players should have a team on their caps.
The player or manager wore a cap with a team on it while they were in baseball, they should wear one on their plaque.
Ha. Not in this era of free agency. Players & managers make an impact on more than one team. What cap should Tony LaRussa wear on his plague? Can’t ignore what he did elsewhere or just pick one team because fans in the Internet Age remember him mostly for the Cardinals or Piazza on the Mets.
His time with the Dodgers may have been more impressive on an average basis, but counting stats wise, Piazza had 220 HR with the Mets vs 190 with the Dodgers. Oh, and more RBI, 2b, Hits, Runs with the Mets. You are suggesting that because his best statistical years came with the Dodgers, that overlooks the total stats and years he spent with the Mets?
Andre Dawson had better stats during his 6-year run in Chicago including an MVP award. Robbie Alomar had his best 3 years with Cleveland not with Toronto. Yet they went in with the teams they are best known for and spent the longest time with.
But which team is he really “best” known for? It’s entirely subjective since his prime overlapped his time with both teams. He went to the Series with the Mets, but he won more hardware with the Dodgers. He played more games for the Mets, but never had any decline period with the Dodgers. To me, because he established himself as a superstar years before being traded, he’s more of a Dodger even though he played longer (and continued to put up great numbers) as a Met.
I tend to feel like he’ll go in as a Met if only because there aren’t many Mets in the HOF.
I wonder if it isn’t a premature discussion.
Is he really a lead pipe selection these days?
The Dodgers were the toast of LA and the fans adored Piazza. To them, he was the continuation of the line of great players and eras. When he was unceremoniously shipped off to Florida, the organization and the fan base was not the same. They became like any other mlb team that trades off home grown talent and over pays “stars” as a temporary solution to their problems. It was devastating and bad for baseball. What was once a shining example of how a team should be run, turned into the 3rd most popular team in LA, behind the Lakers and USC Football.
If Piazza left the Mets in the middle of his tenure, it wouldn’t have the impact that his departure from LA had. They would’ve recovered in a season.
The argument can be made that the Dodgers still haven’t recovered.
This about sums it up for me.
He had better overall stats with the Dodgers, but he played more games with the Mets, still had a .915 OPS and hit 220 homers, and played in his only world series with them. You can understand why he wants it that way.
I’m still calling him a Met.
Why does a player need to “wear” a cap in his HOF plaque? It should be all about the player, not the team. Wondering if there’s any players in the Hall who are capless.
Mel Ott, for one (don’t get that one at all as he was always a Giant). Catfish Hunter has no logo on his cap.
Seeing the Super Bowl XII logo reminds me of how uncreative the current SB logo is.
Right! I already miss the original city-ized logos….
I seriously doubt the new “design” policy will last for much longer. I have to believe the league will create a different logo for Super Bowl L, with it being the 50th anniversary and all.
My guess is that they scrap the Roman Numerals. Superbowl XL was cool. I think they NoFunLeague will have too much trouble with how to market “Super Bowl L”.
Yeah, I don’t know why the NFL thought it was a good idea to stop creating new logos.
I think that pink logo is just the white jersey version of the super stretch ghost logo that you see on the blue jerseys. I don’t think Reebok ever changed the color of the vector for the October “awareness” jerseys. By now I just consider the ghost logo a part of the Giants uniform, I’m just used to seeing it as a part of the super stretch era.
Check out Kiwanuka from the same game.
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The girdle with padding on the hamstring is more than likely a wrap around McDavid girdle. The point is not to cover the hamstring, but more to protect the outer thigh. It obviously wraps around far enough to protect part of the back of the leg, but it is not the main focus.
My theory is that he’s wearing the compression shorts backward — that the padding is supposed (or is designed) to cover the thigh.
I have to assume that “Peebo” isn’t a typo, but rather a product of the the fact that “BB” has worn that damn sweatshirt so much, the lettering has started to peel.
I wish NFL coaches dressed like this again…link
I agree. Neither of those look like typos to me. They look like pieces of the print that got peeled/washed off from repeated use.
Duh. I meant typo in the more colloquial sense — i.e., they ended up looking like typos.
Mike Nolan brought it back briefly, however I really don’t see this trend catching on again: link
Jack Del Rio actually did it for longer than Nolan did:
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Weren’t the suit jackets for Del Rio and Nolan manufactured, or at least retro-fitted (i.e., logo-emblazoned) by the current NFL apparel supplier, per the rules mentioned in today’s post?
I may actually be remembering that from a UniWatch post.
Good call, indeed.
Just copied this off his wikipedia page: Del Rio became the second NFL head coach to wear a suit on the sidelines since 1993 during a November 20, 2006 regular season contest against the New York Giants, immediately following then San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Nolan who had sported the look the previous day in a win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Del Rio’s Jaguars won that game by a score of 26—10. Previously, a sponsorship deal between the NFL and Reebok prohibited coaches from wearing anything but Reebok clothing, but a series of events–including Nolan petitioning for permission to wear a suit and Reebok planning to unveil a formal line of clothing in 2007–led to the NFL adopting a rule that permits coaches to wear a suit two times a year.[10] During the 2007 NFL season, both Del Rio and Nolan were given permission to wear a suit at all eight of their respective teams regular season home games
Del Rio did it longer? Really? Not doubting you, but I remember Mike Nolan getting the ball rolling, and Del Rio tagging along to keep him company. After Nolan got fired by the 49ers, I *thought* that Del Rio went back to sideline apparel. (No reason was given, but I guess that in the copycat league, once your copycat disappears, you can’t stay unique for the sake of being unique.) In other words, I remember the suit being Mike Nolan’s idea, and I remember the idea basically dying with his firing.
As for the suits themselves, the very first ones were actually made by Reebok. They lasted about two or three weeks, because they happened to have debuted very late in the football season. When Reebok was told how terrible they are at making dress clothes, they made an official partnership with Joseph Abboud.
Now, see, that just points up the problem with the disappearance of formal hats for men. Out on the sideline after September, a guy needs to cover his head. Once you take away fedoras or equivalent formal hats as an ordinary option, you’re pretty much forcing the coach to wear a ballcap. But ballcaps basically don’t work with suits. So a coach who has to wear a ballcap will dress down to match casual to casual. First the jacket goes in favor of a sweater, then the tie, then the sweater becomes a sweatshirt, and bam! Modern coach attire.
We either need to bring back fedoras, derbies, trilbies, etc – but not link – or normalize cowboy hats, which also look fine with a suit, or we need to accept that coaches are going to look like tracksuited punks and sweatpanty slobs.
I would love it – LOVE IT – if the NFL mandated that coaches wear Nike-branded suits and cowboy hats. I can’t begin to tell you how ridiculous (and therefore entertaining) that would be.
I have a real fedora that I wear when I wear a suit (gray Bailey Gangster if anyone cares) and I don’t get funny looks about it or anything. I think real hats can make a comeback. I still need to find a good summer dress hat for when I’m working for the DA in Houston this summer. Can I wear a Panama hat with a dark suit?
“Can I wear a Panama hat with a dark suit?”
Only if you’re planning on breaking thumbs or playing on a late night talk show band.
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Summer hat in Houston? You’re looking for a link. Cattleman crease crown, with a nice fedora-sized brim that’s smaller than a typical cowboy hat but larger than the too-small brim of an Open Road. The Rancher is basically the straw version of Raylan’s hat on Justified.
Nah, I’m looking for a more standard style than a cowboy hat. In Houston, unless you actually own cattle or are Bum Phillips you can’t wear a hat like that on the street.
That ain’t no Ditka sweater, that’s for sure. It would nice if coaches dressed up a little more professional instead of looking like Jeffrey Lebowski or an angry gnome.
I happen to think a suit that’s two sizes too large looks much sloppier than a sweatshirt and track pants.
This man would disagree with you, tho albeit 28 years ago:
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BB always looks like a bum. I think it’s just to stick it to the suits at NFL HQ. But I bet he’d tell you he doesn’t have a better fitting/more comfortable sweatshirt in his closet. I wonder if he plans to buried in it (if he doesn’t give it to the HOF).
Speaking of typos, you made a typo in an entry about typos. The correct spelling is “Belichick” – or “Belicheat” if you prefer.
Thanks! Now fixed.
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I was just wondering what Chris M. meant when he said that the championship locker room gear was unbranded. Both the hats and the shirts had the Reebok wordmark on them as you can see here:
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VF will print some championship gear as well (the same design that Reebok created), but it will be unbranded. The on-field version and the retail units made by Reebok will obviously have the Reebok logotype on them. Next season, though, I don’t know who will be producing on-field and retail championship shirts. I assume Nike will, as part of their on-field deal, but that type of garment is more ‘fanwear’ than ‘sideline,’ so it could go either way. VF will be the official fanwear licensee under the new deal, and of course, New Era will be making the caps, I assume.
I apologize for any confusion. I was going strictly off of my postseason wholesale catalogs for this season. The images provided show them as being unbranded. At least for the VF produced items. Although odd note, both Reebok and VF are making the locker room tees this year. Same exact graphic. Interesting stuff.
That’s weird. That’s Justin Tuck’s number, but that’s Chris Canty’s facemask.
They both wear that mask design.
I die a little inside every time I ask a student why they chose Virginia Tech and they say “for football.” Not only because VT has great academics, but also because out football team hasn’t ever done anything.
The WVU logo on that sweatshirt was the official university logo in the late 70’s early 80’s. It wasn’t used on any sports uniforms that I’m aware of. It was on all of the signage around campus and documentation. When I went to orientation in 1983, it was on the vinyl packet they gave me. Eventually they migrated everything over to the flying WV that has become so famous. It was probably the late 80’s before that migration was completed.
I definately remember seeing that WVU logo in the late 80’s in some areas, including a PRT or two.
It looks like those white helmet prototypes for the UNC football team have popped up again. They may be rolled out with the new head coach next season: link
I think they look pretty sharp
Shades of Ken Willard!!!
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in color…
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Check out the TV numbers on Archie Roberts’ Columbia helmet in that photo.
Also note there appears to be a significant difference in Roberts’ Columbia blue and Willard’s Carolina blue. Carolina later would go to the lighter version, of course.
But Willard’s blue doesn’t look to be too far from what the NFL Panthers chose to wear.
And look at Penn State’s royal blue.
Indeed, right there, all in one photo…
Columbia Blue
Air Force Blue (as it came to be called)
Royal Blue
Navy Blue
The most significant change I see in the Gators logo is that the Circle-R is now larger!
A white boarder was added to the entire logo as well. Those are the only changes I could see.
light green on lower mouth is now green like the rest of the Gator
I was being snarky.
Also, surprised no one has mentioned the scarf Steven Tyler wore for the squealing of the national anthem yesterday at the AFC Championship.
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Was just thinking there was quite a contrast between the two renditions yesterday, wasn’t there.
WARNING…
Paul posted this collection I found in the Ticker…
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It also has USFL, WLAF and lots of other things (like NFL players in unis they wore only briefly) among the 3,000-plus images.
I spent an hour there without even realizing it (that’s the “Warning” part).
Egad. Zubaz vs. Zubaz…
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Willie “Satellite” Totten.
Anyone know who was his primary receiver in college?
Jerry Rice. Has this site ever done a comprehensive breakdown of the Good, Bad, and Ugly uniforms in Arena Football League history?
Rice, indeed. And one of Mississippi Valley State’s combos was about as “Christmassy” as any uni has ever been…
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Okay, maybe it will like this link…
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Although, this set was pretty “festive,” too…
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I have asked does anyone track SWAC, MEAC, CIAA and SIAC uni’s?
Zubaz, ugh everytime I see that print it’s like a hate crime against my eyes. Who thought thus was a good idea for a uni?
Wasn’t Zubaz company created the Road Warriors?
Yup. One of ’em is James Laurinaitis’ dad, too, right?
This link will get you into the 3,200 images…
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Funny seeing Cliff Branch in that Los Angeles Cobras uniform, and Jim Jensen as a Miami Hooter
Which “Mark” played for the Hooters, too?
Duper?
Yes, Duper was a Hooter as well. Stump Mitchell played briefly for the Arizona Rattlers, and the list goes on.
I don’t know what’s more amazing, the guy who owns all those football jerseys or that he still has a girlfriend
Simon is referring to this (astonishing to me) item on the ticker;
“… Some guy in the UK has a butt-load of soccer jerseys (from George Chilvers)…”
What Paul describes (in the charming Gotham argot) as a butt-load is the acquisition by a commendably disturbed young English schoolteacher of 186 of the world’s 208 national soccer jerseys. He is working hard on the remaining 22. Amazingly excellent project.
My guess is that the girlfriend likes to get the red card.
“That said, this notion of amateur athletes “needing” huge training budgets and supplemental income really puts the lie to the whole notion of amateur athletics. Look, these people are essentially full-time athletes, so let’s just call them professionals and get it over with.”
Who said they were amateurs? I’m sure Symmonds, like other world-class track athletes, IS a professional. But he gets no salary — his only sources of income are prize money from races and endorsements/sponsorships. He’s just trying to increase the latter.
exactly the point i was going to make. in 1988 the international olympic comitte decided to remove amateur restrictions on athletes pending the approval of each sport’s international federation. some of the restrictions were lifted long before that. if these athletes were still amateurs in any way they wouldn’t be competing for serious prize money or directly participating in ads.
damn, i hit submit before i checked my typos.
No mention of the NFLPA Bowl carrying on the tradition of the Blue-Gray game with the players wearing multiple decals on their helmets? I’m trying to find some photos, but there aren’t many good ones.
I wanna see somebody wearing Bengals stripes, other than a Bengal, on their helmet.
I love the idea of Broncos players wearing the ol’ striped socks in their franchise’s first Super Bowl, but link, I can’t see any sign that they actually did it. Shame.
I remember that pre-game Super Bowl comment when it happened, about the Broncos wearing those striped socks. Then I spent the whole game looking for them…nothing. I thought perhaps they wore them UNDER their regular socks.
“And that said, the notion that every athlete somehow deserves a shoe deal or other sponsorship, as if it’s an entitlement or something (which Vince didn’t outright claim, but it’s sort of implied), strikes me as waaaay off-base.”
I didn’t read that as it was an implied sense of entitlement, rather it was a(n unfortunate?) necessity of the business he decided to be in as a professional athlete in that sport. The analogy might be a stretch, but I imagine it is similar to you choosing your career to running and maintaining this website and needing the advertising money to make ends meet (big difference, though, is that you’re not actively auctioning off your website’s prime real estate space). Just a thought and I’m sure some will disagree, but healthy debate/discussion is what makes reading the comments of this site just as readable as the posts everyday.
I thing the Angels are missing an opportunity for a serious butt-kicking mascot. Much of the world thinks of angels with images of delightful, cartoonish cherubs, but in the religious sense, they are thought of as mighty soldiers.
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Everyone needs to watch this video! It is hilarious! I was in the room when this happened!
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I want my minute back.
Ahhhhh, the days when football was a CONTEST not combat… Loved the Super Bowl XII clip!
You realize that Belichick wear the hoodie not to look like a slob, but to stick it to the NFL. I think he is more like us (Uni Watch readers), then most other coaches: link link
Agree.
I don’t know, that sure seems more like an Internet rumor than anything.
Where in that article does it point to evidence of BB actually saying that’s his reason? I think he just doesn’t care how he looks – and he’s entitled to that approach.
It doesn’t say that anywhere. It’s all just the writer’s speculation, backed up by the citation of an Internet legend.
Fully worthy of Bleacher Report.
There is a thing called self-respect and another thing called respect for others and your surroundings. I guess he does not have much of either. It’s one thing not to wear a suit, and quite another to look like you just got out of the gym.
On another note, the red, white, and blue (and gray or silver) Super Bowl is here, again. The Giants always look great. The Pats look presentable at home.
Keep in mind that we have a recent example of an NFL coach (Nolan, San Fran) who *wanted* to wear a jacket and tie, but was chastised for it by league headquarters. Me, I’d try to look like Halas and Lombardi, but that wouldn’t be allowed these days. I give BB credit, if only for making the Walking Billboard men squirm a little.
But wouldn’t it make them squirm if he dressed like those gents of yore? Even Ditka looked good in an orange and blue Bears sweater vest with a tie.
theres a message board where we have a friendly NFL pool every week, and whenever I pick that certain team from the AFC, that will be in the SB, I absolutely cannot type the team name or where they are from, so I say I am picking Uncle Billy with the Dirty Hoodie….
I have had the same problem with the Reebok Team shorts. My Kansas City Chiefs Practice shorts have had letters falling by the way side. I will send evidence.
Sheesh, Reebok quality control seems to be pretty shoddy.
Maybe the NFL should consider using a different supplier. ;)
Just had my buddy post this:
“Superbowl 46…Giants! Patriots! #bringbackthelockout”
Not sports related, but so disappointed with the change at DC Comics. Another attempt to be Ëbold and innovativeË while looking like every other company trying to shift focus on reaching a casual audience.
Maybe, but their old logo was so bad this can’t help but be a step up.
Bring back the bullet.
Agreed about the bullet, but the prior logo was less bad and more late-90s generic. The new logo is early-2010s generic. I don’t see a huge difference in quality; the new logo is just earlier in the cycle of becoming dated.
I was never big on the “BC” (as in Boston College) DC logo and I couldn’t agree more about the Bullet. But at least the ’05 logo had one thing going for it: It looked like it belonged to a comic book company. Not from rich dad-funded independent film group.
Piazza a Met. Own it Met fans!
I go to WVU and literally just saw a girl wearing a polo/rugby with that logo the other day and wondered the same thing. Its kind of an interesting logo but just comes off as sloppy.
The white hat for Baylor’s black on black does not work. They need the green hat with the black top and green britches. If they want to wear the white hat, then wear the white britches with the black shirt.
Baseball fans of the 1970s:
Anyone know the name of the song NBC used between innings during its games? You can hear it throughout the game here, and at the end.
link
Just FYI – This was 4/15/78, according to Retrosheet. Starting pitchers were Larry Christensen fro the Phillies and John Denny, who is wearing beautiful stirrups with full stripes showing.
It was easy to find, as Joe G says Hernandez is batting .500, so it must be VERY early in the year…plus everyone is blowing on their hands.
Nice to watch for a little bit for ‘nostagia’ sake….but a cold boring April game..
Pretty classic 70’s NL umpiring crew though – Montague at HP, Weyer, Wendlestedt, and Dutch Rennert at 3rd..too bad he couldn’t have been at HP…and they LOOK like umpires!
But what’s the name of the song?
lol – oh yea….don’t know! got lookng at the unis…stirrups and umps…
I think this is the song Geeman:
Midnite Flite – Don’t Turn Away
I spoke with a woman on the NFLShop.com chat and she stated that the Pro Line was nothing more than a filler for the space between Reebok’s older jerseys and Nike’s new jerseys. I asked her if she had seen the new Nike jerseys and she reported that she had not seen them because they are not done with finalizing the designs for all the teams yet. To me it sounds like some teams will have some new-er looking uniforms. I believe some teams will be switching primary colors some what, for example I think the Carolina Panthers will switch from their black primary to their blue alternate. But ultimately on Sundays we will be seeing some of the same stuff we always have with Reebok.
No major changes to the look/logos are expected, but there are definitely some teams changing colors around. I can say from placing orders that every teams line of apparel contains the same logo as this year. There was one surprise that caught me off guard, but it seems to be strictly alternates that are getting some special treatment. Don’t worry though, they aren’t going to make the Bears start wearing Red jerseys or anything too ridiculous
I hope you are longer with that girl who wouldn’t let you watch the Super Bowl !!!
Until I clicked on the link I thought DC Comics was a soccer team.
Wanna see a Ravens fan lose it?
Totally?
link
NSFW language, as you might expect.
Need a life, guy?
That wasn’t really Ed Reed, right?
Cuz I think Reed is taller.
Well that made Jimmy Kimmel last night.
FYI hockey watchers: Local media in Toronto reports Maple Leafs and Islanders will be doing the reverse sweater thing for their home-and-home, starting tonight.
Nothing like a classic Leafs-Isles home & home matchup. On the plus side, we get to see white at home.
And on the plus side again, if the Isles are wearing white, the Leafs have “no choice” but to rock one of their awesome blue sweaters. On the other hand, the Leafs in white *could* technically allow the Isles to wear their putrid non-blue jerseys, which would be a prime example of heresy against the hockey gods.
Oh, good.
49er Kyle Williams has received death threats.
C’mon, people.
Terrible. You know what I think is worse though…?
Giants players admitting that they tried to concuss Williams because he has a history of concussions.
Admitting it or actually trying to do it? Players try to knock guys out every NFL game played. The league is crazy violent. It’s just not PC to admit it.
Camouflage is now a design element in uniforms, and has nothing to do with patriotic support or the like. Whether we like it or not, it’s only going to grow.
link
Booo! If the name is changed, only the Colt .45s ought to be considered.
Uniforms changed? Absolutely.
The author stated the 70s – 80s unis were “infamous” and referred to them as rainbows. Those things are the epitome of Astros baseball. Iconic would be much more accurate.
Colt .45s would never work in this age of copyrights, guns & malt liquor stigma. If the Astros end up changing the name (and they don’t have much time to do it) it should be something completely different like “Vaqueros” or “Chileros” or something with a star or maybe Wild West motif along with an original color scheme (a shade of brown).
I’d rather they’d leave their retro uni’s in the past, as much as I like the 1965-70 set.
D’oh. Forgot my other moniker choice: Houston Toros.
The “Shootong Star” uniforms were pretty close to perfect -and should be brought back in some form at the very least as a Sunday throwback. “In some form” means, use the current color scheme – if different from Navy and Orange, but the same “Shooting Star” chest design, the same clean fonts, and the “H” in the Star hat logo ….
NFL Coaches wearing suits.
For some reason, I recall Mike Nolan wanting to wear a suit on the sidelines in homage to his father, ex-49er/Saint coach Dick Nolan, who wore a suit on the sidelines during his 49er tenure (he wore coaching polos during his Saints tenure). If I remember it right, Dick Nolan had recently passed away and the idea was to honor his father by wearing the suit – as his Dad had done. Not certain how Del Rio’s efforts fit into the deal ….
During Mike Ditka’s years with the Saints, he wore various outfits home and away, but at Saints home games he regularly wore an ensemble of Black slacks, Black sweater vest with team logo, White dress shirt, and a Saints themed tie.
Ditka was about the last coach that attempted to dress well on NFL gamedays that I can recall ….
Repeating a comment I made at espn.com when somebody asked how Nike gains from doing these unis, since they are only worn once or twice, there can’t be that many replica sales, etc.:
“Yeah, but Lukas writes articles about it and we’re all here talking about it. Nike Nike Nike Nike Nike. More free pub. More kids hearing about Nike and wanting Nike. You think Air Jordans are better than any other sneaker? It’s pure hype. It’s like a 3-year-old – if we want Nike to stop, we have to ignore them and buy other stuff.”