It’s official: The Hornets will become the Pelicans next season. There’s a press release here, and you can see the team’s five new logos here. Unfortunately, the team says uniforms won’t be shown until “the coming months,” so we can’t assess the club’s full identity yet. But there’s certainly enough to discuss based on what they’ve shown us so far.
As soon as the logos went public, I whipped up some quick reactions and posted them in this short ESPN piece, so that’s a good place to start if you want to know what I think.
A day later, the two major thoughts that I expressed in that piece have hardened and solidified: I really like the team name (I know some of you probably think pelicans are insufficiently intimidating or some such, in which case I heartily recommend that you read this piece) and I really dislike the logo. The color scheme is the very definition of uninspired, and the overall approach feels very minor league. Given how cool-looking pelicans are, I’m really disappointed by the results here.
Of course, a bad logo doesn’t necessarily correlate with a bad uniform (although it doesn’t bode well). I hated the Nets’ logo when it was unveiled and like the uniforms just fine. So we shall see.
Meanwhile, everyone wants to know if the Bobcats will rebrand as the Hornets. That would present an interesting situation for NBA recordkeeping, which is spelled out here.
Tee-ing off: Many of you may not realize or remember this, but when the Uni Watch membership program was launched in May of 2007, it originally had a bunch of different membership levels, at prices ranging from $25 to $1000. Certain membership levels entitled you to assorted premiums, including the T-shirt shown at right, which was designed by Scott Turner and was available in a variety of colors and styles. After we scrapped the multi-level membership format in March of 2008, the shirt was no longer part of the membership package, and I’ve never made it available for regular sale since then, because I wanted it to be an exclusive thing for the first wave of membership enrollees.
Some of you have recently gotten in touch to say that your membership T-shirt has faded or torn and that you’d like to get a new one. I think enough time has gone by that it’s okay to make this design accessible to everyone, so that’s what I’ve done. It’s now available for purchase in the Uni Watch shop in the following formats:
• Orange on navy in a regular tee or an American Apparel tee (slightly pricier but much nicer against your skin).
• Ringer tees in green, blue, and black.
• And baseball-style tees in red and black.
I’m sure some of you are already thinking, “What a hypocrite! He always says he’s against merchandising, but he’s happy to push his own merch!” So let’s address that now: The reason I’m opposed to most sports jersey/cap/etc. merchandising is that I think it’s bad for uni-verse, because it ends up becoming the tail that wags the on-field dog. If jerseys weren’t available for sale, we wouldn’t have BFBS, or teams with four alternate uniforms, or all the other crap we have to look at while watching a game. That’s very different from a Uni Watch T-shirt, which has no bearing on anything other than, you know, the shirt itself and the person who wants to wear it.
In any case, I’ve never pushed the Uni Watch merch very hard, and I don’t expect to push these new T-shirts very hard either. Also, if you know how Zazzle works, then you also know my cut is about $2 per sale, so this isn’t exactly profiteering. Just wanted you to know they’re available.
Uni Watch News Ticker: The Brewers’ “lager”-colored jersey format, which we’ve occasionally seen for special occasions, is now an official alternate jersey. For those scoring at home, that means the Brewers now have four alternate jerseys: blue home, blue road, throwback, and gold. … A federal judge has ordered the city of New Orleans to cut back the size of its “clean zone” — that’s the area in which only authorized vendors, signs, and banners can be exist in the days leading up to the Stupor Bowl. “The original restrictions would have prohibited simple dive bars from displaying chalkboard signs mentioning drink specials or what bands are
playing, etc.,” says New Orleans resident Chris Falvey, who adds that he plans on staying “far, far, far away from downtown until the game is over.” … I was wondering if the 49ers would keep the Sandy Hook Elementary School memorial decal for the Super Bowl, since that’s also where the Super Bowl logo decal would normally go. So I checked with the team and was told, “Yes, we’ll keep it. We will move the ‘S.H.E.S.’ decal down and put the SBXLVII decal above it.” This isn’t an issue for the Ravens, because they haven’t worn the Sandy Hook decal during the postseason. … Here’s how the Sharks’ George Gund III memorial patch looks on the jersey (thanks, Brinke). ”¦ New hockey arena in the works for the Oilers. ”¦ Speaking of new sports facilities, here’s a shocker: Most stadiums built for the Olympix end up empty and weed-ridden. ”¦ “I was watching Fox Soccer News, and during highlights featuring Sevilla FC (Spain), the host commented on Sevilla’s lack of a jersey sponsor,” says Matthew Dowell. “He said, ‘They just look weird without sponsors, like they are wearing practice tops.'” ”¦ Ricky Sanders had really wide-spaced TV numbers in Super Bowl XXII (from Todd Herzog). ”¦ Good photos galleries from the 1962, ’63, and ’64 AFL All-Star Games available here (from Rocky Lum). … Mercer University in Georgia is fielding a football team for the first time in 70 years. You can see their new uniforms in the video on this page (from Josh Ringer). … Alabama safety Robert Lester, who’ll be playing in the Senior Bowl, changed the TV numbers on his helmet to his home area code in practice the other day (from Adam Kelley). … Aussie rules football note from Kerry Hudson, who writes: “In a recent match between the Palmerston Magpies and the Tiwi Bombers, both teams wore seat belt graphics on their jerseys to promote road safety.” … The little Nuggets logo patch on the back of Ty Lawson’s jersey was upside-down the other day (from Mark Smith). … Really good piece on the history of the Presidential seal (from Matthew Algeo). … There’s a photo gallery from the ECHL All-Star Game here. “The game’s format was All-Stars vs. Eagles,” explains Peter Einersen, who attended the game. “It was a surprisingly great experience. Hard to explain, but there was just an earnest sense of excitement and a truly explosive energy in the crowd that I hadn’t experienced at a sporting event in a long time. Add in a vague sense of ‘Slapstick LIVE!’ and you have yourself a great night.” … Colorado State’s basketball jerseys have a little “A” at the base of the collar — a shout-out to the school’s old days as Colorado A&M. But guard Wes Eikmeier was missing his “A” the other day (good spot by Jaryd Marquez). … Akron hoops is apparently going BFBS on Feb. 2 (from Nicholas Popczun). … Amar’e Stoudemire was wearing a Man U hat yesterday (from Caldwell Bailey). … Here’s an absolutely sensational piece about how to DIY your own NBA jerseys using fabric markers (big thanks to Enrico Campitelli Jr.). … Remember all that Super Bowl paint I showed yesterday? Here’s some of it being put to good use (from Charles Bowman). … The Metropolitan Museum of Art here in NYC currently has a fantastic-looking exhibit on old photos of women in sports (big thanks to my pal Karen McBurnie). … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Here’s a good look at the White Sox’s 1983 throwbacks, which as you can see are pullovers. The MLB Style Guide calls for traditional belted pants, however, which isn’t historically accurate. The belted pants will have the number on the left thigh, however. … UNC guard Dexter Strickland posted photos of the team’s breast cancer awareness footwear options. He also doesn’t know how to spell “eeny,” but that’s another matter (from Jordan Woodson). … In a related item, Utah wore pink-accented uniforms last night (from Trent Knaphus). ”¦ Sox on sox! Pricey, but still very cool (from Mark Lackinger). … Budweiser ran a uni-driven Stan Musial memorial ad in the current issue of Sports Illustrated (from John Rael). … The Philadelphia Wings — that’s a lacrosse team — will be wearing some kind of godawful camo design this Sunday (from James Ashby). … The Chiba Lotte Marines are the first team in Japan to have team-branded license plates, but they’re only for motorcycles or scooters (from Jeremy Brahm). … Canada’s newly redesigned $20 bill has the wrong maple leaf on it. … New mask design for Senators goalie Ben Bishop (from James Ashby). ”¦ Meanwhile, Red Wings goalie Tom McCollum’s new mask features the late comedian Chris Farley (from Mike McLaughlin). ”¦ Here’s a little item from 1969 about how several Jets players had to wear Bengals jerseys after their own jerseys were stolen (from Bill Schaefer).
Looking ahead: I’ll be off the grid starting at about noon today and extending at least through the weekend, and maybe for most of Monday too, so there’s a chance that the site will be closed on Monday. If that happens, I trust the five or six of you who actually care about my thoughts regarding the Pro Bowl (or anything else regarding the Pro Bowl) will somehow persevere. Have a great weekend and I’ll see you next Monday (maybe) or Tuesday (definitely).
There aren’t many actual comedians these days (as opposed to screamers), but I don’t think Chris Farley was really the last one.
Ugh — meant “late,” not “last.” Now fixed.
What was wrong with the “Old” Orleans?
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That’s brutal…
Hey Todd Herzog… any relation to Frank?
(or is the Redskins/Sanders entry a mere coinkydink?)
The Women in Sports photos/crads are fantastic!
Hey Paul, I spotted a typo in the ticker:
“Alabama Robert safety Robert Lester, who’ll be playing in the Senior Bowl, changed the TV numbers on his helmet to his home area code in practice the other day (from Adam Kelley).”
Thanks. Now fixed.
“Tom McCollum’s new mask features the late comedian Chris Farley ”
If you say so.
looks more like a less wrinkly Meatloaf to me
Exactly! It’s either a pretty good Meatloaf, or a really awful Farley.
Although there are many fancy airbrush designs that do look good (this one definitely does not), I wish some more of the NHL goalies would redecorate their mask in a less overdone style.
Even the ones that look great close up are often just a blob from a distance. Some simple bold designs inspired by ones like Denis Herron, Ken Dryden, Kirk McLean, etc. would look good. There is less of a ‘canvas space’ with a modern mask then there was with the old 70s fibreglass masks but it can still work well.
WOW! Those photo galleries of the 1962-64 AFL All-Star Games are amazing…excellent quality pics. I really enjoyed them.
Cheers! ~B
I would’ve been happy with the Pelicans going with black and gold.
Surely I must still be asleep this morning because there’s no way I actually just read that Paul suggested he would prefer the Pelicans in PURPLE and green.
Never thought I would see the day, you can buy a purple Uni-Watch Shirt.
Paul – if memory serves, you had readers create a hand-full of mock-up Pelicans logos… is that right? If so, what’s the link for that? I can’t find it. Thanks.
I invited readers to create a new look for the Hornets. Some chose Pelicans, most chose other names. All the submissions are here:
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link.
I like the Yellow and Sky Blue color scheme
I even like the Gold, Green, and Purple. Why did they go Blu and Red? Makes no sense.
Noticed a lot of NOLA on the concept jerseys (and on one of the logos the team decide on). Is NOLA a common short form used in New Orleans?
Even if it is can’t say I like it (and the many over uses of short forms and acronyms everywhere). Just saw an episode of Gilmore Girls this week: I have the same reaction to NOLA as the daughter did to her mother’s use of FROYO, and HOCHO.
If that form of city/state(or province) short form became a worldwide trend my city would be stuck with TBON.
Maybe the reason they decided “NOLA” works is because when it’s read as one word it sounds like an extremely contracted “New Orleans”, basically a shorter form of the stereotypical “N’awlins”?
To answer you question, Will, it seems to be. I’ve heard it used while there. Even the New Orleans Times Picayune website is nola.com
Of course, one of the sillier ones I’ve heard is Columbia, Missouri referred to as CoMo. Which I always want to end with “-ver”.
Enjoy your weekend off the grid Paul. Sometimes its good to get away.
As for the Brewers, sounds like they need to clean up their uniform selection. I’d say, ditch the road grays and designate the blue “Milwaukee” jersey as the main road jersey, with the “lager” jersey used as a road alternate (in addition to home). Ditch the blue “Brewers” jersey as well. That’ll cut down to five uniform styles, like the Mets, Braves, and (until recently) the Astros. Doesn’t MLB have a limit on how many alternate uniforms one team can have? Granted, unlike the NFL, there’s MANY more games to play, but come on!
A softball top as the road jersey? Surely you jest. A Vegas gold jersey over gray pants? That would look like ass. It’d be even worse if they wore powder blue roads.
There is no limit to MLB alternate jerseys. If a team wanted a home pinstripe, cream, camo, retro, Stars & Stripes, Civil Rights (if it’s them), softball top in various colors they could do it. The whole problem is retail is what’s driving this, not out of necessity. Personally I think it hurts the brand & creates confusion. I don’t think road or alternate caps are necessary & having things like “retro Fridays” & multiple TBTC eras in the same season diminishes the novelty of it. It’s like MLB has ADD.
How about the MLB drops the required gray pants bullshit and the Brewers wear gold jerseys and gold pants for a road uniform? Would that work for you?
“The MLB?”
“required gray pants”?
Something tells me Strickland was victim to autocorrect, but I may be giving him too much credit.
I like the Pelicans’ look… except for the red and blue. Paul’s right: the city has such a rich color history and choosing those two colors just really drops the overall look into bland territory. Why not go with purple and green? That’s an automatic slam dunk (no pun intended)!
Okay, you got me. Pun intended.
The Pelicans’ logos are actually not bad. I think they are a little above average for what we are accustomed to seeing nowadays. I’d prefer the bird not be “angry”, but the odds were very much against it not being. So, I’ll live with that.
The cynic in me says we’ll see a Very Special green/purple/gold alternate jersey, especially around Mardi Gras time. Perhaps if that becomes a huge seller they’ll eventually just do a color swap and replace the blue and red with green and purple. Who knows. I just hate to see yet another iteration of red and blue in professional sports. Enough, already.
I do like the Pelican Alt Logos better than the primary, but overall I like the idea, I agree with the NOLA comments regarding “colors.” I bet they can have a Mardi Gras-Third Jersey to appease us. :)
The town of Pelham (Westchester Cty, NY) has been calling its high school team the Pelicans for generations. Their mascot is usually shown swooping, in profile, highlighting the bill and adding a little crest on the head (a D.A.?)
I think purple and green is too expected for New Orleans. I’m sure New Orleans has a different significance to the people who live there than to the people who visit it to party. I think using purple, green and gold would be catering too much to the Mardi Gras reputation. It’s akin to putting a maple leaf in every Canadian team’s logo or a fleur de lis in every New Orleans team’s logo.
I’ve already stated that New Orleans official colors are blue, red and gold, but still, most people are complaining about the blue and red. If you read their website, however, it’s pretty clear that this going going to be a predominantly blue and gold team, with accents of red.
I think my complaint with the colors is not that they should have necessarily used purple and green instead, but that red and blue are just way too prolific in sports already. Maybe it’s a good fit for New Orleans and a bad fit for other teams; but regardless, those two colors are the predominant colors in the American pro landscape, and it would have just been nice to see something different. Wouldn’t have to be Mardi Gras colors, but something else would have been better to me, personally.
Of course, I’m hundreds of miles away from NOLA and have no dog in this race. I’m just tired of seeing that color combo .
I was less than impressed with the color scheme. I made a few alternatives to be considered. The current colors look like the LeBron Cavs, the Hawks, the Wizards, etc., etc.. Take a look. I’m not sure which one I like the best, but any of them would be an improvement to the official colors.
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No I don’t think that looks any better, just cliche and expected.
Colorado State player’s A isn’t missing, his jersey is just folded over it in that shot.
Here is another picture from the game with the A…
link..COBOx.k/I0000KoO0Ek8dEQ4/C0000U05lMXQus1E
Better link
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It says all you need to know about alternates that in the poll on the Brewers website, almost two thirds of people prefer the traditional so-called Retro shirt.
So if you opt for the American Apparel shirt you can order it in different colors. I almost ordered it in purple, almost.
The implication in the NY Times feature that the London Olympic Stadium may end up as another unused relic is wrong. Whilst admittedly the arrangements for a tenant for the stadium are yet to be finalised, we already know that it will host both the World Athletics and World Paralympic championships. There is already a tenant for the Copper Box (the handball arena), and both the Aquatics center and Velodrome will reopen as public facilities. The legacy committee announced this week that the park will reopen to the public this summer as a concert venue, replacing Hyde Park as London’s main outdoor venue.
And as bad a reputation as Olympic Stadium in Montreal has/ had, it did serve as the home for the Expos for more than 25 years.
I don’t know the history of the situation, and am too lazy to read up on it, but I don’t think you can call a stadium that hosted the olympics and played “home” to a MLB squad for 25 years a complete waste. The fact is, most stadiums do not enjoy a life span/utilization rate like Fenway, MSG, etc.
Not a complete waste. But it was way over budget. The people of Montreal likely got less for their money (and I have no idea how much they were on the hook for) than in a lot of other places. Just because it was A LOT of money. And, as we know now, stadiums and the Olympics aren’t the actual economic engines they’re made out to be.
The NYT piece also piggybacks on a similar National Geographic piece that ran prior to last summer’s London Games, except the NatGeo piece presented more of a mixed bag. The NYT piece, in comparison, tailors the facts to fit a previously-drawn conclusion: not least due to its citing the 2004 Athens Games as an object lesson, but also by sniffing at the facts that don’t fit its predetermined narrative (well, Montreal’s stadium housed a baseball team for decades but doesn’t anymore, Beijing’s Cube is a way cool water park but some have said it’s overpriced, etc.).
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I thought the deal for West Ham to,get the stadium had finally been settled.
Regarding the ECHL all-star game item…”Slapstick LIVE?” Should that be “Slap Shot LIVE” instead? Makes more sense to me.
Yeah, I don’t get the “Slapstick LIVE” reference either.
There will be a “Pie-in-the-Face” contest between periods.
A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants. That’s my motto.
RIP, Chuckles. All these years later, you are still missed …
All I could think of when watching the Mercer football spot was how ungodly hot it would be to play in all-black uniforms on a sunny day in Macon, GA in August and September. Hopefully their early-season games will be played at night or they’ll wear white jerseys.
The 83 Sox throwback photo shows a Greg Luzinski “Retro Racer” wearing #42, but he actually wore #19
I like the idea of the home Sunday uniform. And with the sox going with beach blanket 83’s for this year I can only hope they will soon bring back the softball big collared 80’s uniform in a future year.
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I’d like to see Spalding cleats make a comeback:
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That Racer is supposed to be Ron Kittle:
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How many teams do “retro racers” now? Is it just the Diamondbacks and White Sox, or are there others? And how many teams have racing mascots/ sausages, aside from the Brewers and Nationals?
Pirates have Pierogi…..
GO POTATO!
My contribution to the cause
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If it’s just an image, can you post the image URL for those who don’t have you as a FB friend?
Speaking of the New Orleans “clean zone” – which I believe was the impetus of your ban on Diet Coke – how is the soda ban going, Paul?
Quite well. I occasionally treat myself to a can of Diet Coke after a good workout at the gym (I’m not allowed to get back on my bike until the end of this month), and I’ll sometimes order a Diet Coke if I’m at a restaurant in a situation where alcohol wouldn’t be appropriate (like a lunch with an editor). But I no longer keep the stuff in the house. In short: I now have a healthy relationship with Diet Coke.
“a situation where alcohol wouldn’t be appropriate (like a lunch with an editor)”
What a snub to the hallowed journalistic tradition of day-drinking!
Wait…what?
In other words, Ring Lardner is probably rolling over in his grave now.
I’m convinced that if you charted the incidence of drinking before deadline on the same graph as the general quality of American journalism, you’d only have a single, downward line. And it wouldn’t be a coincidence.
Pelican’s logo looks just like the Atlanta Hawks
Pelican’s colors is just like the Cleveland Cavs circa the Lebron years.
While in priciple, I am against camo jerseys, those actually are better than most others I’ve seen.
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Tim Banic Design award winning submission is such a better option than what the Pelicans decided upon. What a missed opportunity by the Hornets!
I dislike the name, colors, brand hierarchy on NEW ORLEANS and the busyness within the mark…
In your opinion, but how was the opportunity missed? The logo was done well in advance of the contest.
Opportunity to choose something attractive and brand relevant was the miss.
Brand hierarchy?
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This New Orleans Pelicans design would have been a much better solution although some purple and green with the gold would have been the preverbal “Slam Dunk” solution.
What a boring logo. Why must every logo condense all these different elements into some type of patch? Instantly forgettable.
I look at that thing and feel…nothing. No spark. No humor. No pop.
I mean, come on…….
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I actually dig the bird-de-lis pelican logo. Or rather, it cracked me up when I saw it so I guess that is a good thing?
As for the Brewers, they are my favorite team. I kind of wish they’d just do a redesign of the uni set instead of adding alternate jerseys. (Though, I do admit the current uni set has grown on me from ‘meh’ to ‘I’m used to it and I therefore kind of like it now.’) They seriously need lager stripes on their socks to pull off a lager jersey. And Beer Barrel Man. Above all else…we need the Beer Barrel Man.
I would just like to agree with everything you’ve said about the Brewers. Bravo, sir.
I’d like the “O” in Orlenas to be capitalized. Yeah I know what they were going for, and it it would upset the symetry, but still………..
And there’s not a single Pelican beak pouch (the feature that a pelican is most noted for, to be had!
The Crescent City logo is my fave.
Nice symmetrical Pelicans logo, but I’m not digging that empty blue space between the gold wings and the outlines of them.
That’s called negative space. And I actually think it adds to the design, as it mimics actual pelican wings. Do a google image search and you’ll see that a lot of pelicans have wings with dark outer halves or tips.
Not a fan of the Pelicans design/color scheme, for the most part. I do, however, really love the way they worked in the Crescent City into the circular logo. That crescent is all over the city, and is most definitely a fitting image for the team. The rest of those logos? Meh.
This whole thing with the Bobcats possibly becoming the Hornets, with the Pelicans move.. (along with Kings/Super Sonics) in contrast to the Browns move (they got the old Browns history and records) that article makes an even better point, what about the team’s records. I guess the article is saying that unlike the Browns, like the Winnipeg Jets, the Hornets-Pelicans and the Bobcats-Hornets would each keep their own records.
In the future will an announcer say, “so-and-so just set a ‘franchise’ record (meaning 2004-2014 Bobcats/2015- Hornets) with 58 points in a game, but the Charlotte record is 62 points set in 1994, while the “Hornets” record was 69 points, but that was set back when the Pelicans used to be the New Orleans Hornets.”
And assuming the new Charlotte Hornets take the colors and style of the old Charlotte Hornets, if the Pelicans ever do a throwback game when playing against Charlotte, it’ll look like an intrascrimmage game.
I can’t wait for the April 10 New Orleans-Sacramento game when the lame duck Hornets take on the lame duck Kings.
Charlotte Hornets will have the Bobcats colors
Which is pretty dumb, if you ask me.
Source?
its not offical but it’s kind of the big rumor. i heard that MJ wants to keep the ‘Cats color scheme because the teal/purple are outdated.
For the love of God, why?!?
If that’s true, that suuuucks.
Paul, I am in total agreement about the missed opportunity to use the Mardi Gras color scheme (purple, green, gold) for the Pelicans. I could nit-pick about the logo but when I compare it to the landscape of other NBA teams, I think whoever worked on this identity did an A+ job.
Agreed, just link at some of the more recent logos, this one ain’t that bad.
Bobcats, Thunder, Wizards, Cavs, Mavs, Nets. I’d place it in the upper 1/2 of NBA logos. (Disclosure: I’m a sucker for link link.)
I’m OK with the Pelicans not using Mardi Gras colors. I mean, does anyone complain that the Saints don’t look like a New Orleans team? But the red and blue thing is just the wrong choice. Almost literally any color scheme that didn’t use both red and blue together would have been an improvement.
And while I don’t disagree strongly with any of Paul’s critiques of the logos, the new Pelicans logo is still easily a top-5 in the NBA for me.
Other than the colors, my biggest complaint is that the pelican head/beak would be much more interesting if it weren’t symmetrical and head-on. Break the tyranny of left/right symmetry!
Looking at the pictures from the ’64 AFL all-star game it looks like the Chargers players have a logo on the front of their helmets between the lightning bolts. I have never seen this before and was wondering what they were for?
That’s the “San Diego: All-America City” crest, which the Chargers wore in 1963 and ’64:
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There’s a good color view of it on the helmet here:
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Gonna have to disagree w Paul on this one, I love the new logos (especially the NOLA logo) and color scheme. They’re actually meaningful and have something to do with the culture of the city. I don’t find it anymore “minor league” than most NBA logo’s to be honest, so many of them are just so ridiculous.
The color scheme is probably debateable, but I think the logo is excellent. Really, really good. I like how it got the NOLA-style font in there without being as busy as some fan submissions, I like that it worked in the fleur-de-lis and a crescent both, and it presented a good balanced design of the Pelican itself. Also, of course, the name is fantastic.
It’s hard to believe this is the same sport that vomited up the red and purple RAPTORS not that long ago.
I would have rather seen a more full bird-esque logo, not another modern heavy-detail head profile like the Mavs, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Bucks. The question is now, when Charlotte goes to the Hornets moniker again, will they revert back to Hugo?
At this point, I think I’d actually welcome the Atlanta Hawks returning to snot green & royal uni’s. From the new Pelicans merchandise I saw, navy blue is the primary color, but it could be red & the NBA needs another navy or red team like it needs another logo with a basketball – it doesn’t.
I was hoping you guys could help me. I have to modify a few pairs of softball pants by adding a 3-color stripe to each leg. Where can you find these stripes? Has anybody found anywhere online that will make custom stripes?
I’m trying to think of an adjective to describe most modern sports logos other than busy or ornate … overwhelming?
Rococo? Gratuitous?
Overdone does it for me. The sweet spot in sports logo design was early Sixties (think about the derrick on the Oilers’ helmet) through the early Eighties (no complaints about the USFL).
Great point. Look at the revision from original Falcons to current Falcons as exhibit 1. There were some busier logos in that era (Bucco Bruce anyone?), but for the most part logos were simpler.
I have but one complaint about USFL logos:
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Overdesigned. Just because you can add a: 3D bevel, drop shadow, gradient at the touch of a button, doesn’t mean you have to.
I have to disagree with Paul on this one. I think the logo is beautiful (save the capitalized s at the end), and I love that everything related to the logo is local. I always assumed that the Mardi Gras colors were most associated with NOLA, but navy, red and gold are the city’s official colors. Besides, in the NBA the Jazz likely have that color scheme pretty locked down. After being so underwhelmed by many rebrands recently, I’m glad to see something I feel is well executed.
I’m hoping the fact that the logos were presented with a gold background means the uni is gold heavy. Would also fall into the “city identity” the Saints have built.
Yeah… if they’re mostly gold with red & blue trim, they might be ok. If they’re primarily red or blue, then they’ve pretty much failed.
From your keyboard to the Pelicans’ screens, The.
Considering that blue link, gold a secondary and red the tertiary, I suspect you’re going to be disappointed.
I wonder why Sevilla is going sponsor-less. In the first half of this Spanish season they sported a particularly ugly and clashing sponsor logo. They look infinitely better in blank shirts, obviously.
Sometimes teams will go without a sponsor rather than agree a less lucrative deal that hurts the overall value for which they can sell sponsorship rights further down the line. The Glasgow Warriors rugby club have been doing that this year.
Im surprised some of the lower economic teams dont sign kit deals just for when they play RM or Barca.
From one of the pics in that DIY NBA jersey article…
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Portland and Seattle going color vs. color at Seattle Center Coliseum!
That was probably from the Slam Dunk Contest.
Interesting article, but I have to point this out:
So depending on what jersey you’re making, pop on some tunes that will connect you to that athlete. For example,
if you’re making a Shawn Kemp Sonics jerz, listen to Eazy-E.If you’re crafting a Waymond Tisdale, put on some Teddy Pendergrass.First of all, it’s Wayman Tisdale, not Waymond. And second, if you’re crafting a Wayman Tisdale (as I have pondered…he’s one of five KC/Scaramento Kings ballers I’d consider), why not put on some, you know, link?
I have a few of his albums and one of his trading cards. RIP, Wayman.
You should make a Bill Walton jersey, popunderchimpyboy.
I’d make this one,
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but if I’m doing the SD Clippers it’s Lloyd Free, baby.
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Good call, Vilk. Must’ve been 1987, when the game was at the Kingdome.
Yep, the game was at the Kingdome, but the dunk contest was at the Seattle Center Coliseum.
That’s a great homeless man look…
NFL uni police story –
Eric Davis (former 49er DB and current 49er color commentator) was on the radio last night and mentioned that he was fined $10,000 at the Pro Bowl one year because his jersey was too short and was not tucked into his pants.
He appealed his fine on the grounds that the NFL game him the jersey (it wasn’t tailored) and it just happened to be too short for him to tuck in.
He lost his appeal.
Hey Paul,
I think I just found a movie that may be as anti-conglomerate as you appear to be.
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They shot a whole movie in Disney World and didn’t get caught.
quick question, why is the basketball on the pelicans logo multicolored (as if there is a light shining down upon it?), and the rest of the logo isn’t?
as someone commented earlier, this logo is EASILY forgettable…
(however, i LOVE the name!)
the highlight is meant as a nod to Crescent City
Nod to the old ABA balls?
Mike Eruzione’s selling the jersey from the Miracle on Ice. (Not because he needs the money, apparently, but for his kids and grandkids.)
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I’m hopeful someone buys it and allows it to be displayed somewhere (like the Hockey Hall of Fame, whether in Toronto or Minnesota or as a traveling exhibit) rather than just mounting it and putting it in their rec room.
In the ECHL photos, is #19 of the Eagles wearing a helmet camera?? (Photos 2-4) Peter, any shots from that during the game?
Apologies if this has already been addressed, but I noticed on the New Orleans Hornets website, they are selling Pelicans sweatshirts that say “Est. 2013.” That might support the notion that they are not “keeping” the Charlotte Hornets’ records/history, and that it would instead revert to the Bobcats (assuming they become the Hornets). Alternatively, it could mean nothing at all.
I guess this just goes to show you how silly these leagues are in pretending they can decide where records belong. Records are facts, and as power-hungry as these owners and executives are, they can’t change facts. I’m a Browns fan, and I generally think of the old Browns and the new Browns as just “the Browns.” But, that doesn’t change the fact that the franchise that now plays in Baltimore played in Cleveland for x number of years, won Y number and lost Z number of games, and moved to Baltimore. That’s just what happened.
I’m guessing it means nothing at all. I just don’t think the people who design and sell and market team wear don’t think as deeply about these things as we do. To them, the “New Orleans Pelicans” was a brand established in 2013. The fact its underlying franchise (without which the brand is just ephemeral) existed for 20+ years prior to that, in two cities, doesn’t matter to them.
And maybe it shouldn’t matter to us, but considering the amount of time we spend obsessing about stripes and fabrics and NOBs and NNOBs and BFBS, I think that ship has sailed.
The NFL considers the Ravens to be a separate (“new”) franchise, because, as part of the lawsuit stemming from Modell’s move, the history (as ephemeral as THAT is) stays in Cleveland. Back in 1984, nobody really thought of forcing the Colts to leave the Super Bowl V trophy and all the other stuff behind. Bob Irsay considered it “his stuff,” not “Baltimore’s stuff.”
A fan in Cleveland has every right to consider the current Browns to be a continuation, if he or she desires. I don’t see anybody being hurt by that. By the same token, nobody in Minneapolis/St. Paul gives a shit about Walter Johnson, and that’s okay, too. The rest is just bookeeping.
St. Louis Blues to wear Stan Musial Blues jerseys for warm-ups Saturday.
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This would be a whole lot more interesting if they wore Cardinals jerseys instead.
I honestly like the Pelicans Rebranding. I think it fits well, though I wish the colors were different and not ubiquitous red and blue but choices such as Gold and Green or Gold and Purple, Green and Purple, or all three. Yea there are some minor tweaks I would do to the logo but I think it is a great start even if it feels a bit Minor/D Leagueish. Though all of this is contingent that Charlotte takes back the Hornet’s name. If the Bobcats stay as the Bobcats then I do not want to lose that Team Branding. Also if there is any team I felt was the most minor/D League/Semi-Pro feel was the Bobcats, the logos are not terrible but feel uninspired and the jerseys are yea…..
The Kings/Sonics Move is a bit different to me though because both are very historic. The Hornets/Pelicans and hopefully Bobcats/Hornets move would be equivalent to if the Jazz or Lakers wanted to rebrand to be more geographically relevant, I would want someone to pick those name, logo, and uniform history and keep them in the NBA. This is mostly because of the familiarity because they were probably similarly gimmicky when moved. Also because of the fact that they have came to a point to were they have come common-place but not ubiquitous. I call it a good move as long as the Bobcats change to Hornets. What would have been great is if the Utah Rebranded to something great and New Orleans go back to the Jazz and Bobcats take Hornets, but then that in some essence looses even though it is still there the uniforms and similar logos are reminders of John Stockton and Karl Malone and Jerry Sloan.
After the OKC Thunder and NEW ORLEANS pelicans rebrand snafus; it really makes the Bobcats expansion identity stand out as the correct way to introduce a new team identity. So many things wrong with Thunder and Pelicans logos.
Are you saying you prefer the Bobcats’s logo (a.k.a. the worst logo in the NBA)? Or are you referring to the process of their branding and not the result?
Not sure if it’s been mentioned yet but just noticed the “A” in Orleans is different than the “A” in NOLA…
As a Mercer University graduate, I am highly disappointed that they are bringing back football.
However, black & orange have always been the school colors. They were supposedly chosen by Jesse Mercer himself back in the 1830’s.
I am Curious as to why you are disappointed about this?
For years, decades really, the school administration railed against the corrupting influence of football when alumni brought it up (which was often). It will be impossible to reconcile their earlier positions with the new team.
Also, Mercer has a long tradition of requiring student-athletes to meet the same academic standards as non-athletes for admission and maintain them throughout their stay. That will make Mercer football bad, even by FCS standards. A bad football team is worse for a school’s reputation than none at all.
I clearly understand those points, especially the decades of rallying against it. It is somewhat all about the type of Student-Athlete you bring in and what standards you have for them. The only thing I would like to present is that Football generally has a bad rap for bringing in not the greatest of individuals, though this may be, that is also a numbers thing because the clear size of a football team say to even a soccer team is tremendous and I would argue that there are good and bad student-athletes in all programs its just football headlines because the teams are so large. I slightly feel like that is why the really good ones on a football team are showcased more than the other great student-athletes on other teams. Also this may be a geography thing. I do not know the financial standing but I always assumed it did well. I have plenty of friends at Mercer’s MacAffee School of Divinity, I am a student at Carson-Newman College/now University. Going back to the financial though the cost at first getting at Athletics program set up for a football team is noteworthy but with in especially Georgia, where football is king and is only dominated by Texas. Then it could also be a ploy for some money and more revenue.
But like I said I get your points and see how this can be shell shocking and does not feel right for the school.
Official Pro Bowl Uniform unveiling. Pretty bland, but bland may be the right way to go considering the Pro Bowl’s historical uniform shenanigans.
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but this is news, because wasn’t it thought that it would be color v. color?
I guess that is a jersey that they get to keep (better to display a colored jersey in one’s home than a white one), Kinda bummed that it won’t be color v. color, red an blue are more than different enough it just doesn’t make sense for one team to haver to wear white.
I know the Warriors have plans to move to a new arena on the pier in San Francisco…any word on whether they’re planning to revert to the San Francisco Warriors name?
I can only hope
And just a silly question, in the Pelicans’ logo, are we supposed to think that the basketball is the pelican’s pouch/?
I think it would be the same color as the beak if that were the case.
The Tennis facility has been used since the ’96 games.
Nothing has stuck for very long though, for a while it actually was a tennis facility but eventually that failed.
Its very close to where I live, so we pass by it fairly often. We’re convinced that the acoustics have to be horrible because despite being perfectly design for outdoor concerts one has never been held there.
You would think that they would at least hold High School Tennis championships there, but nope, no regional finals and no state finals. Which is very surprising because there are no facilities designed for tennis that could support as many people as it does in the State (at least not until Tech finishes redoing their tennis facility).
If it ever became a concert venue, a Target is already there to provide cheap free parking (if you can avoid security) and low-priced sneak-in snacks. Many use the Target next to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont IL for the same purposes.
The target closed down about 2 years ago, so they wouldn’t even have to worry about that.
The Gwinnett Arena has become a major concert venue in the state over the last half decade, there may have some politicing going on there, but I think the acoustics are just awful, because it was empty well before that place opened.
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The NO Pelicans made me first think “Capitals.” I pulled up Chris Creamer’s site for a refresher. The new New Orleans logo looks like an amalgamation of 3 Caps logos and colors used mid-1990s to mid-2000s. I don’t like it for the reasons Paul covered. I DO like “Pelicans” and the bird-d-lis.
I lived in the Tampa Bay Area during the existence of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. The St. Pete franchise was the Pelicans. Their colors were kinda maroon and kinda mustard. I remember interlocking St P but I can’t recall a bird logo.
I don’t like basketball.
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I’m waiting for team licensed scapulars.
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I might be the only one, but I preferred the couple of Pelicans-with-Top-Hats fan-made logos I saw online.
“The color scheme is the very definition of uninspired” Ugh, their colors are the New Orleans city flag. That IS the very definition of inspiration.
Response 1: I say “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with basing team colors off your city flag. It’s endearing in a way, and local, and sports is better when it connects with the community.”
Response 2: I look up my hometown (Seattle) city flag.
Response 3: “Oh God, I take it all back. No.”
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