By Morris Levin
The Society for American Baseball Research (“SABR”) is hosting the SABR 43 National Convention this weekend in Philadelphia. SABR publishes for the convention a journal of research papers on area baseball history. This year’s Philadelphia edition is The National Pastime: From Swampoodle to South Philly. The cover, above, features a reproduction of a 1915 schedule featuring the American League Athletics and National League Phillies. You can purchase a print copy here. It is blue and yellow for the city of Philadelphia.
The city adopted the blue and yellow flag in 1874 to honor and reflect the area’s colonization by the Swedish in 1638. There remain in the city today echoes of this Swedish past. Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Church was built in 1697 and continues to stand today in the Queen Village neighborhood. As recently as May of this year, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia visited Philadelphia’s City Hall on the occasion of the 375th anniversary of the establishment of New Sweden.
The city of Pittsburgh’s metropolitan ensign is black and gold. The NFL Steelers have worn black and gold since their inception, when they wore the city shield on their jerseys in 1933, (and recreated in 1994). The Major League Baseball Pirates adopted black and gold in 1948, and the NHL Penguins in January 1980.
Philadelphia’s teams wear different colors but do and have worn city colors.
In 1938 many in the United States and Sweden celebrated the New Sweden Tercentenary. Philadelphia’s American-Swedish Historical Museum hosted an exhibit of 17th Century Sweden in the Age of Greatness. A traveling exhibition of Swedish art toured the country. Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Sweden dined with Mayor Fiorello La Guardia at the Waldorf in July 1938 at a banquet hosted by the New Sweden Tercentenary Committee of New York City.
The Phillies joined the Tercentenary celebrations in 1938 and wore Swedish blue and yellow versions of their uniforms for the season. The team had introduced a navy and red uniform color scheme in 1934, with an upward sloping Phillies script in red and navy. They wore variants on this scheme through 1941 which can be seen here in this Marc Okkonen-Dressed to the Nines survey. The 1938 home and road jerseys are alternate color versions of the uniforms they wore the better part of the decade.
This is Terry Mulholland photographed prior to the 1992 season wearing a Mitchell & Ness 1938 Phillies uniform and Roman Pro 1938 Phillies cap. Mitchell & Ness offered this reproduction of the road jersey.
Professional teams seeking identification with fans on ethnicity, heritage, and popular culture is common today. We see this on March 17 with St. Patrick’s Day spring training jerseys, in the NBA European Live Tour, and for heritage night promotions. This gives us brilliant weird cross-cultural presentations like a ballplayer from Miyazaki Prefecture celebrating the Polish heritage that grew in the American Midwest in the decades following the 1830-1831 November Uprising.
The Phillies were not the first in the city to wear the municipal colors. The Philadelphia Eagles played their first NFL season in 1933 wearing blue and yellow before switching to green. The Eagles wore the colors again in honor of the club’s 75th anniversary in 2007 at home against the Detroit Lions. (And of course the World Football League Philadelphia Bell wore blue and gold in their two seasons in 1974 and 1975.)
Before there was MLS football in Philadelphia, there was the Sons of Ben supporters club. The Sons of Ben began in January 2007 and selected as their colors the city colors. MLS assigned a franchise to the region in February 2008. The team announced the team name and colors in May 2009 and chose navy blue and gold. In a nod to the Sons of Ben, the team includes light blue in the color scheme, and to their credit, the supporters continue to wear light blue and yellow.
Morris Levin is a former Queen Village resident. He is the edtor of 2013 SABR research journal, The National Pastime, 2013 on baseball in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. The journal can be purchased and downloaded from here. Morris is an independent small business consultant and the propietor of Eysian Fields Baseball. He is excited this week for the debut of this page on the history of Philadelphia banana merchants M. Levin & Co.
What the Pelican is Going on Here?
Phil here. By now you’ve no doubt seen the new New Orleans Pelicans uniforms. Across the interwebs, the reviews have largely been either negative or neutral. (If you wish, there are several takes here, here, here, and here.) There are dozens more, and the adjectives largely used to describe these uniforms are “bland,” “uninspired,” and especially “boring.”
Just a few quick looks at my twitter mentions echoes those thoughts, including some thoughts about getting excited over nothing, as well as “lame”, conservative, and a double shot of “LAME and boring”.
But lets take a closer look (click all images to enlarge):
Well, if you go simply by the front and back of the home and road jerseys, you could certainly make the argument (and I’d agree with you) that they are pretty basic (I originally called them “tame” on twitter; lest anyone think I felt they were boring — on UW I said the uni unveiling was “pretty boring and nothing extraordinary” — but I was referring to the production/presentation, not the uniforms). But “tame” doesn’t necessarily mean boring. It’s a three color jersey — with blue, red and gold (and white) as the colors, which certainly aren’t fuchsia, volt or whatever trendy colors will soon become trite (think mid-90’s teal).
The wordmark is small and arched (and it’s very odd they didn’t put “PELICANS” on at least the home uniform, especially since they just, ya know, became the Pelicans), and I’m wondering if “NEW ORLEANS,” instead of being radially arched above the number, might have been better off as stacked above the number or split with “NEW” above the number and “ORLEANS” below. But it is what it is.
At first glance, or from a distance, the “NEW ORLEANS” appears to be just a regular block font, but, like the numbers, it’s actually a custom font, and one that is repeated in the numbers. As you can also see, the back of the jersey contains the new Pelicans logo (“Bird-de-lis“) just above the NOB:
Despite the apparent “boring”-ness of the uniforms, I actually kind of like them (at first I joined the chorus of those underwhelmed), and they’ve grown on me as I look at them more. But where the uniforms are certainly more colorful (and less boring) is in the side panels (of which I am not usually a fan). The “splash” photo shows them well, but you can actually get a better look at them in this video game still.
Those panels bring in the color without being too obnoxious, and I love the new crescent basketball logo found at the base of the shorts (which reminds many of the original Boston Patriots helmet logo). I’m not sure what it is about that logo that I like, but I do like it. And I love the waistband “ligature” which combines an “N” and “O” to make a basketball.
The colors of the uniforms, blue, gold and red, were to be expected, as they take on the colors of the new logos and wordmarks already revealed earlier:
Reading from the official Pelicans press release, they describe the uniforms thusly:
To continue to showcase a new identity that represents the culture and character of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region, the New Orleans Pelicans unveiled their new home and road uniforms today. Dark Blue and Gold will be the prominent colors in the new uniforms, while the team’s third color, Red, will serve as an accent. The team’s home uniforms will be white, while the road jerseys will be dark blue.
The Pelicans worked with designer Rodney Richardson to develop the adidas jerseys. The team also worked with Richardson to design the Pelicans’ logos. The word mark on both the home and road uniforms is inspired by French Quarter street signs. The uniforms will feature “New Orleans” on the front of both the home and road jerseys, making the Pelicans one of three teams in the NBA to wear its city’s name on the front of both jerseys.
The Pelicans’ partial logo is featured on the side of the shorts, while the “Bird-de-Lis” will be highlighted in the center back of the neck of the jersey. At the center of the waistband of the shorts sits a unique ligature that combines the letters ”˜N’ and ”˜O’ to form a basketball. This new mark, created specifically and exclusively for the Pelicans, will be used selectively by the team and incorporated into Pelicans’ branding.
Owner Tom Benson remarked, “We love the look of the new uniforms and are especially proud to have New Orleans across the chest of all of our players who will be representing this great city and region.” Now, considering some of the uniforms the Hornets have worn in New Orleans, I guess many were expecting something “flashier,” or more befitting of the City. Perhaps that is coming.
Because these are “first year” uniforms, the Pelicans can only have a home and a road uniform. Next year they will be permitted to add an alt (probably red or gold) and in the third year out, they can wear a second alternate uniform (perhaps going back to something crazy like their two main color Mardi Gras uniforms). But for now, it’s the basic blue and white. Here’s a look at the style guide:
I like the new fonts, although I (as an OCD/anal retentive) am wondering why the 3, 5 & 8 don’t have the mid-number “bumps” the other numerals do. Surely the designers could have worked those in. That part just looks a bit off, almost like they don’t “belong together” (think Vikings new number fonts). I understand why the 3, 5 & 8 don’t have the “bumps” but they seem inconsistent. This is really my biggest peeve.
Bottom line: Yes, they’re plain (but so are the Boston Celtics’ uniforms and I’ve never heard them being called “boring”), and no, they probably weren’t what we were expecting. They’re certainly less befitting of a team that plays in New Orleans than say, one that plays in Salt Lake City, but that’s OK. Not every new uniform has to be so “fresh” or “sick” that it will only appeal to the 17-year-olds (and the 17-year-olds in us). I can see these uniforms quickly becoming “classic” and not in need of a redux in five years (like so many). And maybe their alts (coming soon enough) WILL be flashy and loud. But for now, I like these.
Feel free to disagree.
In Case You Missed It: Paul gave his take on the new uniforms yesterday, in an almost instant analysis following the unveiling. At the time (and probably still), Paul found them to be “underwhelming.” Make sure you give that a read if you haven’t already!
NCAAFB Uniform News & Updates
This will be a semi-recurring column on Uni Watch and will appear whenever there is any news or updates on the College Football uniform front.
If you have ANY new NCAAFB news, follow and tweet me at @PhilHecken (and you’ll get your tweet in lights on here). You can also e-mail me (Phil (dot) Hecken (at) Gmail (dot) com) or send/cc: Paul to the following address: NewCollegeUni (at) Gmail (dot) com. OK? OK! (for any image, click to enlarge):
• Kansas Jayhawks:
New KU football jerseys (h/t Jeff Braun ”@brauny1280) pic.twitter.com/hrCT2Jyrcp
— Phil Hecken (@PhilHecken) August 1, 2013
• Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish:
Several readers noticed this and pointed it out to me. If you were to look at the shop ND page, they have an image (captured above) that clearly shows the 2013 unis will have the typical adidas tire-tread pattern on the shoulders.
• Army Black Knights:
Looks like Army Football has black pants for this year. Don’t know if it’s for the whole year or just certain games. Last year was gold. (Thanks to Johnny Rath)
• BYU Cougars:
As has been suspected most of the summer, BYU is going to bring back their royal blue throwbacks for the Utah game this year. Much much much better than the black jerseys they wore last year. (Thanks to Austin Taylor)
• Colgate Raiders:
5 more days! #GATAtude pic.twitter.com/o70Lf5kKwv
— Steve Casula (@Coach_Casula) July 31, 2013
Looks like there may be a black helmet in Colgate’s future. (Thanks to Ryan Dowgin)
That’s it for the college uni news for today. Keep the tips coming folks!
Uni Watch News Ticker: To celebrate 50 years of competition (1964-2013) in the South Australian National Football League, the Central Districts Bulldogs wore a commemorative jumper on the 1st of June against the Woodville-West Torrens Eagles. The guernsey includes the name of every single player that has played a game in the SANFL for Central Districts up until the 1st of June 2013 (thanks to Graham Clayton). … New uniforms for Bath Rugby (from Josh Jacobs). … This ad showed up in the Facebook feed of Brian Eagle — It’s an ad for an upcoming EFLI game between the Delhi Defenders and the Kolkata Vipers but it’s obviously a photo of Tim Tebow that’s been reversed. … Check out NY Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist’s custom Lamborghini: He’s had the Lamborghini script on the rear (which usually looks like this) replaced with this (good spot by Luke Rosnick). … Here’s a cool interactive page about stadium/arena naming-rights deals (thanks Paul). … Scottish Rugby has unveiled a new kit, as have the Leicester Tigers (with thanks to Josh Jacobs). … A couple of items also from Yusuke Toyoda: “There was a previous ticker item about AS Roma going with an unbranded kit because of a dispute with the manufacturer. Then I noticed in Wednesday night’s game against MLS All-Stars that there was some text where the manufacturer logo goes. Turns out, it’s @asromaofficial, the club’s Twitter handle. If you’re keeping count, with the badge on the shirt and the shorts, the “Roma Cares” logo on the front in lieu of a sponsor, the ‘AS Roma’ on each sock, the ‘unbranded’ uniform has six references to the club’s own brand.” Also, earlier this week, Liverpool FC circulated a memo to its players and staff about terms that may be slurs. “Apparently, that memo did not reach Warrior, Liverpool’s uniform supplier, which sent out an email urging customers to ‘man up’.” … Badidas. Oops — adidas mistakenly sends Louisville’s cleats to aTm (props to Paulie Sumner). … Here’s another column dealing with the ‘skins name change debate (from Matt DeMazza). … A new adult soccer league, the Evergreen Premier League, has formed in Washington State. Check out their logo, which submitter Markus Kamp thinks is “an interesting take on the Jerry Dior MLB logo.” … A couple of people sent this one in: look at the facemask on this Ohio State helmet. As that article intimates, it probably won’t see the field of play. … There is a site on the French sports daily, L’Équipe that allows you to vote on the best looking shirts for the upcoming Ligue 1 soccer season (from Robert J. Hudson). … Reader Warren Junium sends in this pic of Notre Dame footballs being prepped for play. … Non-uni (but cool) article on “The History Behind The Logos Of Famous Car Brands” (thanks, Brinke). … Slight changes to the court design at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Joel Mathwig says to note the center logo does not have the ball and net within the D, as well as the GoDuke.com text on the near sideline. … Denver Gregg thinks UW readers might get a kick out of some of these unis for over-50 baseballers near Denver. Gregg thinks the first one is the most amusing. … Some funny High School football chatter in this thread entitled the “Phil Knight Memorial Ugliest Uniforms/Helmets” sent in by Chris Bisbee. … Texas A&M-Commerce has installed a massive midfield logo on their football field (thanks to Gil Neumann for sharing). … Heh, another non-uni, but for obsessives like us, “VICTORY! Apple Has Fixed the Number 1 in iOS 7’s Calendar” (nice find by Jarrod Leder). … This from Paul — The Olympix, bringing people together. … Sick of all those “angry” mascots & logos? Brinke points you to some kindler & gentler logos. … “The Phillies have a commemorative patch on their alumni weekend uniforms you might be interested in,” writes Michael Paolucci. “Only good shot I got was from their Instagram account. Doesn’t appear current team is wearing this patch, just the alumni who have assembled on the field before the game.” … Andy Chalifour got a nice grab of Daniel Nava checking a pocket scouting report last night reverse Seattle. … Don’t you just HATE it when a team spells a name “wrong”? What’s a ‘Linx’? (h/t Sully @pal3327). … And what’s worse than spelling a name wrong? Fakes! Chesterfield police arrested man for selling fake NFL apparel (with thanks to Tom Turner).
And that, folks, is going to do it for me for this week, as Paul continues to enjoy his Blog-cation. Johnny Ek will take you through the weekend, and there is a big week ahead next week (including a reappearance from Paul with at least one very special announcement). Have a great weekend everyone, and I’ll catch you back here on Monday. Big thanks to Morris Levin for penning today’s lede article (he’ll be back again every Friday while Paul is on break).
Follow me on Twitter @PhilHecken
Peace.
“It’s just weird that they went to the trouble of naming themselves ‘Pelicans,’ and now they’re not displaying it on the uniform. It’s like getting a $150 haircut, then wearing a hat to go outside.”
–‘terriblehuman’
Duke hasn’t used the basketball/net logo on the court for several years.
It also seems that Duke is using a brighter shade of blue; certainly not the Duke Blue that you see on signage all over campus and in the university style guide.
Aside from some of the font inconsistencies, I much prefer the staid, “boring” approach to an extreme dinosaur palming the ball in the color of barfed up Kool-Aid. I like the way the sides bring the gold, but I also really like the way one or more colors can help a city identify (like the black and yellow/gold of Pittsburgh), so the more gold, the better.
Don’t know how accurate or complete the list on Wikipedia is, but the Phillies apparently have not played a turn back the clock game in the 1938 uniforms. Yet they have played a game as the 1938 Philadelphia Stars.
I wrote the Wikipedia list of Phillies turn back the clock games. The Phillies have not worn 1938 uniforms, They wore 1933 uniforms in 1993, and twice wore the Stars uniforms.
That’s great work, Morris. I hope the Phillies break out the 1938 uniform set at some point in the future.
I can’t decide if I like the new Pelicans unis or just find them “OK”. Two things keep circling into head, however.
First, after reading today’s lead about teams using city colors, it occurred to me that the flag of New Orleans features red, blue, and yellow- colors very similar to those used for the Pelicans’ rebranding.
The other thing (and I’m reading this while still only half awake) is that I remember seeing a news article when the logo was released that mentioned the new colors were chosen because Mrs. Benson (wife of the team owner) likes them. Ill try to find this article later and post a link.
It would seem that navy has become the color dejour for Pro teams. Very bland indeed. How is this different from the James era Cavs jerseys or current Hawks? Just all around boring. Most of the designs submitted in the Unieatch contest were far and away better. No brand identity here. Less can definitely be more if its done right (Brooklyn,Celtics,Knicks,etc) but this is just cookie cutter lazy. In some ways I miss the unis from the 90’s like the original Grizzlies and Raptors. They were over the top but at least there was an effort made to give each team it’s own unique look. I think what we are seeing with new uniforms (especially in the NBA) is a conscious effort to be more restrained. I think a happy medium can be found and teams like The Clippers, Spurs and the Heat (their standard home and away) are a good example of this. They feature an insignia that is immediately identifiable but does not look out of place on the court with the more traditional uniforms. The current Cavs, Pelicans and Skeeved Warriors look like NCAA teams. I do love Golden states non Alts though as they are almost perfect in my opinion.
Totally agree, Kyle.
Phil, you said that the Boston Celtics uniforms are plain. Sure. But they are unique, and instantly identifiable. These Pelicans duds just look like AnyUni, USA. They look very similar to other uniforms, and there is nothing really Pelican-y about them.
Right. It’s not that it’s boring. It doesn’t stand out. I mean, if you switched the Pelicans with link, who would notice?
AnyUni, USA
I might have to use that.
AnyUni is right! They’re actually quite nice, as far as anyunis go (Brewers, Rays, OKC, etc.), maybe a little better, even. I like the side panels and think they created an appropriate font. However, all reasonable explanations aside, I cannot forgive them for not going with the green/yellow/purple color scheme. TOO RESERVED, TOO POLITE. Man, why not translate the unique, colorful culture of that city and those people into those uniforms?? There’s no music in those uniforms. There’s no rhythm or dance or life in those uniforms. NOLA is special, and their uniforms should be too.
Something that was noted yesterday during the Pelicans’ jersey release is that the side panels form the outline of a Pelicans’ beak. You can really see it on the style sheet. I think this was missed by most who just saw photos of the players at the event.
actually some have pointed out that it actually resembles the street lights of New Orleans
I love the side panels, the way they rest on the logo at the bottom of the shorts is also a plus. But the rest of the uniform is clearly a missed opportunity.
I think they would have been better served sticking with the font they used as the Hornets, or at least choosing a hybrid between those and what they wound up using. The 3’s don’t look like they even belong with the set.
Here’s a better photo of the Phillies alumni jersey patch with Wall of Fame patch for Schilling’s induction.
link
Just for clarification on the BYU uni’s. In the post, it made it sound like they wore their black uni’s for the Holy War (BYU vs. Utah) This didn’t seem correct to since I was at the game. Traditionally, bith teams wear their standard uniforms, and since they both left the MWC they have played color vs. color, as seen here from last year’s game: link
They wore their black uniforms against Oregon State: link
I welcome the trowback uni’s for the big game in Provo this year. BYU is still going to lose, but they will look sharp doing it.
There’s a photo circulating the Interweb, showing Cosmo Cougar, BYU’s mascot, standing with some Ute fans. He’s flashing the “U” symbol.
For those unfamiliar with the Holy War, this is sort of like Nick Saban showing up for the first day of Spring practice, wearing an LSU cap. Or Ali Khamenei showing up at his mosque in a kippah and a “PRAY THE ROSARY” tee-shirt.
For your reference here is the photo you mentioned: link
I think it was from the Pioneer Day parade (Local Utah Holiday, July 24)
Oddly, there are no Philadelphia teams currently sporting the blue and yellow palette. Speaking of Philly, have you noticed the Flyers are about to turn fifty and they have had one, and only one, insignia? The same applies to the Chicago Bulls. There are probably others- mostly baseball teams, but the two I mentioned have been refreshingly tweak-free.
The Philadelphia Union wear navy and gold which while ostensibly echoing the Continental Army uniforms, is in the spirit of the municipal blue and yellow.
Speaking of “municipal blue and yellow”, the city of Philadelphia owned the Vet.
When they replaced the color-coded sections with all blue seating in the mid-’90s, they used yellow for the end-of-row markings:
link
Unless you consider the 3-D-ish version they used on an alternate jersey a few years back. link
I take it about as seriously as the duck jumping through the ice on the Anaheim alternate sweater from around that time:)
There was that early-mid 2000’s alternate jersey with a tweaked, chromey crest:
link
La Salle and Drexel Athletics both wear blue and gold, as do George Washington HS and La Salle College HS (though no longer located in Philly proper).
Philly’s first NFL team, The Frankford Yellow Jackets (who do not share their history with the Eagles), wore that color combination as well.
The Independence of the defunct WPS also wore Philly flag hues.
Their home field was on the campus of Widener University (in a Philly suburb), a school whose colors are also blue and gold.
You’re forgetting about link flying the Swedish colors high and proud.
NOLA shorts look like an expansion team. that pelican logo looks like an expansion logo
Speaking of being anal, I ave always found it disrespectful when someone half-jokingly says tat they are ‘OCD’ about something.
OCD can truly be a debilitating disorder to those who suffer from it. If you do suffer from it, then I hope you get some help and relief. But f you don’t, just say you’re obsessive about it. OCD is much, much more than just being obsessive over minor thins.
I was diagnosed with a mild form of OCD while in college, actually. Not nearly as bad as many (and I do know one person so afflicted). Apologies if I have offended.
Didn’t offended me. I too have minor OCD. It just seems a lot of people se the phrase “I am so OCD about…” And they have no idea what OCD truly us and how much some people suffer with it.
The NBA Warriors wore predominately Royal & Gold uniforms during their years in Phila (1946-62).
As to the Pelicans uniforms…ho hum (yawwwn).
Terry just forwarded me this Warriors blue & gold jersey, so I’m posting it here.
The Philadelphia Warriors did wear blue and gold and I am remiss for not including them in this survey. This color scheme also includes red, as in here, link, and I do not see this blue, red, and gold scheme as directly linked with Philadelphia’s muni-colors. I do welcome any primary sources to show a connection.
Morris, the Warriors wore just Blue & Gold for their uniforms from 1946 until the late ’50s when they added the Red. Why I don’t know.
You see now THAT’S a relatively simple design that just pops! It impressed me the moment I clicked on it.
One shouldn’t have to work so hard to like a uniform. I don’t want to squint to see what I may like.
The Swedish national colors of blue and yellow are a delight. One reason is because the blue is not a navy blue but a light, airy blue (like the Dodgers?). And the Swedish flag is such a minimalist beaut, and instantly recognizable. And if anybody here has a chance to go to Stockholm, do it: an ambitious, self-important, good-looking city. No question about it: a culture that knows good design.
But the Delaware/ Pennsylvania experiment of Nya Sverige was short-lived and close to inconsequential. It wasn’t the Brits who took the place over in 1655, but the troops of Peter Stuyvesant, Governor of New Netherlands. The Dutch orange-and-blue (NYC flag, NYS license plates, the Knicks) lowered the Swedish yellow-and-blue, and that was that. But then, of course, soon thereafter the Brits ousted the Dutch, and then there was some unpleasantness in Massachusetts in 1775.
the Swedish flag is such a minimalist beaut, and instantly recognizable
Thank the Danes – they created the design. You can see why all the Nordic countries adopted it.
Yeah, that’s right. Were the Danes the first to use a simple cross (no images of Jesus, no heraldry) as the design of their national ensign? That is — apart from the Nordic countries — can it be shown that other European nations that adopted a simple cross motif (England, pre-1789-France, Switzerland] were following the Danish lead?
Know the joke about the Nordic shipwreck? Two Swedes, Two Danes, Two Norwegians, Two Finns washed up on an island. The Finns cut down all the trees, the Norwegians built a fishing boat, the Danes organized the co-op, and the Swedes were waiting to be properly introduced to each other. Haw-haw! That the Irish are the funniest people in northern Europe is not such a great accomplishment.
Story is that the link is the oldest flag still in use. The Byzantines used the double-eagle and most other insignia at the time were merely the heraldic achievements of the local ruler.
The link flag was used in limited areas in the 15th century, but that’s still a couple centuries younger than the somewhat similar Dannebrog.
Hey all, I was wondering if there is a forum that any of you know for folks that want to modify existing jerseys. I picked up an Authentic Nike Welker Pats jersey yesterday for $20 and was seeing if there was a local place that could swap numbers and nameplates.
I don’t understand what the people who don’t like the new Pelicans’ uniforms would rather have. A pelican on this uniform: link ?
I feel like we’ve reached a point where no team can win when it introduces a new design. Either they are too plain and boring or too extreme and “just for 17-year-olds.” There is no middle ground. To me, this is a nice balance of clean without being boring thanks to the font and the side panels. If you want boring, look at the Celtics. If you want ugly, look at the Kings. I think the uniform is going to look good on the court, and that is what should matter – not how it looks in the front/back press shots from the unveiling.
I think there’s a middle ground between “boring” and Zubaz. And the problem isn’t that it’s boring – it’s that it feels generic and unaligned with the New Orleans culture.
People keep bringing up Celtics as the counterpoint, but as “boring” as it may be, it’s distinctive. The contrasting stripes and the waist elastic are subtle, but unmistakable elements that make the uniform memorable. It’s distinctive, partly because it’s been around for a while, but that’s kind of the point – the Celtics’ brand is one that’s classic, so they have a design from another era.
You couldn’t put any other team’s branding on the Celtics uniform and get away with it. But the Pelicans uni could work for a million high school and AAU teams.
I don’t disagree that the uniform could have been more distinctive, more evocative of the city or jazzier (no pun intended). But I think, as people look at it more and more, it will grow on them, as it did with me.
On Paul’s good or stupid scale, it would fall on the “good” side, and I never said I “loved” the uniform (though I do love the crescent logo and waistband ligature), but I do like it. If I were grading it on a letter-grade scale, it would be a B. It’s certainly not a ‘top 10’ NBA uni, but it’s not in the bottom 10 either. I highly doubt ANY new uniform would crack the top 10.
And I agree that the Celtics jersey IS a classic (partly due to longevity, partly due to its distinct color); but no new jersey is going to be an instant classic, and this likely won’t even be given a chance to stand the test of time to become a classic.
To those who argue that there is too much navy blue already, I wouldn’t disagree, but there are really only so many colors on the spectrum that would work on a basketball uniform. And, it does take the colors of the New Orleans flag, so there is at lease some attempt to form an attachment to the city that way.
Could the Pelicans uniform “work for a million” other teams? Sure, because it’s a NEW uniform. Does it work specifically for a team from New Orleans? I would argue, albeit not that strongly though, that it does. Let’s give this some time, see what they introduce for an alt, and then render a final judgment on the unis.
I agree for the most part, especially its place on the good/stupid scale. I also agree that it’s probably unfair to demand instant recognition for a new uniform – that equity is going to build over time.
Basically, I don’t love it, I don’t really like it, but I don’t hate it either. The “meh” is exactly what it is – it could’ve been worse, but it could’ve been better. And as an observer, it’s more fun to either love or hate something. The middle is okay, but boring.
I give an official “meh” to the Pelicans. The wordmark is definitely too small, and I think they should have used more gold. They don’t look bad, but they aren’t exactly eye-catching either.
Also, the NBA rules regarding alternates are just stupid. There’s absolutely no logical reason for the Pelicans to not be allowed to have a 3rd uniform.
I imagine the NBA Store wants to give the primary unis enough traction before introducing a third one that cannibalizes sales.
Plus, waiting on releasing the third = more novelty + another media event
Definitely needs more gold.
Remember how players kept showing up to Bayern press conferences in Nike t-shirts and angering the adidas shareholders?
Turnabout is fair play, with link.
And Cristiano Ronaldo, throwing out the first (and second) pitches at Dodger Stadium, link.
Ronaldo is representing Real Madrid, an adidas team. Nike has no say on what his team’s deal is. I bet he was probably wearing some Nike shoes, that appeases the Nike-gods.
I imagine that that Xavi probably got some flack for wearing an adidas top at a Barcelona presser. Couldn’t possibly gotten away with that.
Thinking of the new Notre Dame jerseys…if that ad is accurate, it seems that the trim on the numbers is thinner, and has changed color: from the “sandstorm” color that Adidas uses for the rest of Notre Dame’s merchandise to the old-school “old gold” that Notre Dame began using for their football pants last season.
I think their Media Day is next week; we’ll be able to tell then, as well as get a look at whatever obnoxious uniform they will wear in Dallas when they play Arizona State.
Re: The Pelicans
Why didn’t they just use the “New Orleans” script from the logo? That would have looked a lot better than the smaller spaced out script they went with.
link
Indeed. Combine that wordmark with gold numbers, and I’d be happy with them.
That’s the best point I’ve seen brought up yet. That’s exactly what they should have done.
Great point!
You uni-nerds are impossible to please.
If this Pelicans uni set were any busier, you’d call it a travesty and hearken back to the olden days of classic, simple two-tone white jerseys with traditional colors.
That’s what they came up with, and it’s “BORING”?
Well excuse me, would you rather they do something “EXCITING” like, say, early-90’s Raptors?
Guilty as charged! That’s why they give us a blog so we can beat our breasts and rend our garments, in our impotent fashion, and it winds up hurting nobody.
link
NFL.com is still using the old Dolphins helmet on their image for the Hall of Fame game. Sad. You’d think the official league site could get that part right.
Did anyone else notice that the “Linx” also have the wrong hand up to signify an “L.” I assume that is what they were trying to do since they all have their thumbs out.
“Before there was MLS football in Philadelphia”? I think know what Mr. Levin is trying to say but still . . .
The Sons of Ben supporters club organized itself before Major League Soccer awarded an expansion franchise to the Philadelphia media market, and created the team that would become the Union.
Here’s the answer on why the Pelians’ uniforms are more mellow: Tom Benson, 86 years old
“Clearly my grandfather likes things that are a little more conservative and then there’s other things I like that are edgy,” owner and vice chairman of the board Rita Benson LeBlanc said. “Whether it’s NOLA or the Crescent City, these are our elements.
My only complaint is the colors. I wish they’d gone with green, yellow and purple. Other than that, I like ’em.
Ditto.
No doubt. Too much blue in all of pro sports and amateur sports.
The Pelicans uniforms remind me of the Philadelphia Blue Jays design: you have a team nickname that is not without some controversy (not everyone in New Orleans likes the new name), and a uniform where the only acknowledgment of the renaming is a small bird logo (not a “small bird” logo — pelicans are gargantuan — a small logo in the shape of a bird). They’re trying to avoid reminding the naysayers that they chose a large, somewhat comical (albeit noble) winged mascot, rather than a Voodoo priest, or a Dixieland band, or a beaded sorority girl puking into a trash barrel, or whatever captures the Delta zeitgeist these days.
It’s not a bad uniform. It just feels like a Neville Chamberlain design: meant to appease, rather than make a bold statement.
so the Pelicans got sloppy seconds on the Cavs old colors..
Well, except that they’re using them in completely different ways. Navy and gold with a touch of red.
Light reading about the link from Sports on Earth.
Thank you Pete Woodall at Hidden City Philadelphia for pointing me to this article by Michael Burlando on the Philadelphia city flag: link
The Celtics uniforms are classic (as opposed to plain). A modern version of “classic” are the Nets new uniforms(despite its apparent “plainness”), so it is possible. My issue with the Pelicans uniforms is that that they are plain without being classic – just boring in a modern way (the side panels, the almost computer graphic generated fonts, coupled an underwhelming color scheme, which would not have been underwhelming with a better design). In my opinion, they should have gone old school (even in a fun ABA way, which is what I thought they might go due to the very ABA feel of “Pelicans”, a choice I loved). I think someone on here via the “create the Pelicans contest” created a Pelicans uni using light blue and brown and with Pelicans in script, which was awesome. In contrast, these are so boring and cookie cutter in a modern way. Very very disappointed. Great name, great city with lots of very cool symbols/imagery to work with, and they came up with blah. What a lost opportunity.
Fine assessment.
Killing two UW topic birds with one stone: the link, who do a better job of incorporating that bird into their team branding while using similar colors to the city of Philadelphia.
The Pelicans jersey is a huge disappointment. They look like a D-League team now.
The Parramatta Eels of the Australian National Rugby League have always worn blue and gold since entering the competition in 1947. Their current home strip is predominantly blue with gold piping. I prefer the away strip:
link
I don’t have the functionality to do this, but if anyone in this group can grab a screencap of the Central East Maui little league team (playing in the Little League West Regional in San Bernardino, and currently televising on ESPN3) — their uniform is a treat and would be appreciated by the folks here….
I’d kinda like to see if there are more pictures of that “Lundqvist” Lamborghini logo — looks photoshopped to me