Paul here. As you can see from the subtle graphic above, the new edition of the Uni Watch Power Rankings is now live on ESPN. We’ll be starting with MLB rankings today, followed by the NBA on Tuesday, the NFL on Wednesday, the NHL on Thursday, and the full 122-team chart on Friday.
Also: I’ll be doing a live web chat on ESPN on Friday. Details to follow in another day or two.
Also-also: College football season-preview column next week, and the NFL season preview the week after that. A busy time for Uni Watch on ESPN!
Thanks for listening. Now here’s Phil with the rest of today’s content.
THE Jeff concepts The B1G
What you see below I was going to run on a slow day as a lede, but since Paul is breaking out his much-awaited uni-rankings today, I’ll use this as a “second” lede.
Not too long ago, one of Uni Watch’s more prolific concepters, THE Jeff Provo announced he’d done an entire set of uniform concepts for the Big Ten (B1G) Conference. In typical Jeff fashion, he told me, “I just got bored and decided to do some concepts. I did tOSU first, then just went for the whole conference.”
I asked him if he’d provide short writeups for his concepts, and I would host them. He did.
Take a look at these and let him know what you think. As always, you may not agree with THE Jeff’s ideas (or concepts), but he’s remarkably consistent in his uniform design beliefs. Click any picture below to enlarge.
And now, here are his…
B1G Concepts
By Jeff Provo
Illinois:
Yeah… I put a Native American logo on the helmet. I know it’d be controversial and that it may bother some people, but I think it looks far, far better than the New York Giants logo they wear now.
Indiana:
I gave them a little bit darker red and changed the white to cream.
Iowa:
I wanted to give them a uniform that was a little bit less of a Steelers clone. It’s still quite similar, but I think different enough to stand on it’s own.
Michigan:
These are heavily influenced by the special uniforms they wore last year. The pant striping was an attempt to mimic the converging 3 stripes from the helmet. I left their classic uniform (complete with a gray facemask) as the 3rd option.
Michigan State:
These are also based on a special uniform they’ve worn. Gold isn’t a team color, but that doesn’t seem to matter much today, and I think it works for them.
Minnesota:
How can you not love a happy gopher face on the alternate helmet?
Nebraska:
I changed the N to match what the school uses on everything else, then I gave them a rounded number font, switched from double stripes to single stripes and gave them a black alt, all in the name of not looking like a clone of Wisconsin.
Northwestern:
When you have a striping pattern named for you, it’s probably a good idea to wear it. So I gave them Northwestern stripes on everything, including socks.
Ohio State:
With so many teams wearing gray for no reason, it just seems wrong that OSU doesn’t. The helmet is intended to have a matte finish. I wanted to put a logo on the helmet, but causing a riot would be bad for me since I actually live in Columbus.
Penn State:
We all know this team is due for a refresh, but I didn’t want to go too extreme. I’m afraid they had to lose the blank helmet though.
Purdue:
I think that metallic gold looks far better than the matte khaki color they wear now.
Wisconsin:
I added shadows to the numbers to be a better pairing with the W logo, then I just thought it’d be cool to put Bucky Badger on a helmet.
Also, you may have noticed that I used NFL-style colored socks for every team. I know it isn’t very realistic for NCAA teams, but it’s how I feel a football uniform should look.
Thanks THE Jeff. You’re probably going to rile some strict traditionalists (and of course these are all just in fun anyway), but it’s nice to see there were no real ‘over-the-top’ makeovers. Interesting also that you use the NFL socks — I agree with you there; it’s NOT a college football look, but it’s aesthetically more pleasing to some.
OK. Readers? What say you?
‘Skins Watch…
Here’s the latest on the ‘Skins, ‘Skins name and related issues:
• “School faces fines for not changing mascot name” (h/t Nick Endres)
• “HS fighting to keep Indians moniker.” (related story from Leo Strawn)
• “Redskins grant for JM field is less than cost of project” (thanks to TommyTheCPA).
• “Kitzhaber vetoes Native American mascot bill, says he’ll look for consensus bill in 2014” (from Alex Allen).
Uni Watch News Ticker: In Oregon, state law requires that servicemen fuel up your vehicle at the pump. This photo was taken near Astoria, OR at a Fred Meyer. I instantly thought of UW and your coverage of adverts making there way onto uniforms (thanks to David Dinsmore). … Isaac Mizrahi and ESPN’s Roger Bennett rate the mostly ugly uniforms for the new English Premier League season (from Yusuke Toyoda). … “Word on the street is that the National Federation of High Schools is going to change the football official’s uniform over the next 1 to 3 years,” writes Jarrod Leder. The current uniform looks like this. The prototypes have looked similar to the current shirt worn in Alabama. Many associations are recommending that officials not buy new shirts unless they’re needed until the new shirt comes out. … The 2nd to last paragraph from a story on Luther College (DIII in Decorah, IA) and 100 years of football: “Throughout the 2013 campaign the Norse football team will be wearing a 100 Seasons of Football sticker on the back of its helmets. Norse fans will also see five different designs on the helmets, each representing a different era of Luther football.” (with thanks to Aaron Richards). … Nice NYT article from Tommy Turner, “A Tennessee Clothing Factory Keeps Up the Old Ways.” … Also, a .gif from Tommy, “Shirtless belly-shaking Nats fan.” … The Indy Eleven (an Indianapolis soccer team) are holding a contest to design scarves. Submitter Dave Brown thought this is right up Uni Watch’s alley. … This has been noticed before, but more info — Kevin Fox saw that the Panthers will be wearing black at Buffalo. Based on this pick it looks like the Bills are to wear standing-buffalo throwbacks. … “Curly P for Nats in Atlanta,” writes William Yurasco. “Curly letters all look the same, I guess.” … Our friend Shannon Shark from MetsPolice.com has a post about a 1979 game between the Mets & Giants. In a commercial break, during a Schaeffer commercial, there is Willie Mays wearing a completely generic, blank Giants uniform. … Maks Skuz happened to flip on FOX to catch Tampa Bay and New England play. “The FOX robot showed up with its shield. I caught that the ROBOT has a twitter account.” … Great spot from Paul Quinn, who knows the numbers with the serifs are the first digit of a 2 digit number of the new Vikings jerseys. However, this contradicts the back (and left shoulder) of Chad Greenway’s jersey that was unveiled earlier this year, which had both digits with serifs. “Looking back at the pictures from the unveil, Greenway had no serifs on the front ‘2’ and right shoulder ‘2’ but serifs on the back and left shoulder ‘2’.” … Brian Wilson has taken number “00” with the Dodgers. Asked why, he said, “Instead of getting booed, now I’m going to get ooed,” (thanks to Mark Coale). Here’s another shot of the Beard (h/t Harrison Tishler) … Former Prexy Jimmy Carter wears the 1999 World Series hat. Says Tyler Kepner, “It was the Braves’ last WS, but they got swept.” … Niners Coach Jim Harbaugh was wearing his SB sweatshirt Friday night at Kansas City (Good spot by Brinke). … =bg= also asks, “Is Adidas allowed to show their logo, the three stripes, on the shoe? Just wondering.” Anyone know? … Corporate douchebaggery? Nike withdrew its offer to sponsor the American pole-vaulter Brad Walker after he placed tape over the company’s logo, which he said he did to make sure that a Velcro strap on his shoe stayed tight (good spot by Don Silsby). … Rip City, Motor City, Buzz City? Brad Henry purchased this sticker the Charlotte Bobcats team store–the logo for the “Buzz City” advertising campaign the Bobcats have introduced to build momentum for the name change. “If you notice in the top right corner, the sticker has a NBA copyright date of 2012, even though the name change was not official until just recently in 2013,” says Brad. … We knew this was coming, but now we have photo evidence, thanks to Keenan: “ND contaminated by the new stretch marks.” … More from Brinke: Michelle Wie wearing stars & stripes golf shoes at the Solheim Cup. … Ben Foster found an article about an artist who specializes in drawing baseball uniforms and has been asked to do work for some very reputable baseball organizations. … Busybody Brinke asks, “RG3 wearing adidas in practice? that allowed?” … Todd Gurley with a name change at UGA, notes Preston Feiler, “He is going with Gurley II this season.” … Here’s a bit about the evolution of the Star Wars logo (nice find by Kurt Esposito). … First the Smokey Vols, now the Gun Metal Grey Lions? Yep, that’s a “last minute uniform change” made by the BC Lions for their Saturday night game against the Stamps. This apparently camouflaged the numbers (upsetting Jim Vilk for certain). Here’s a ton of game photos (from Mike Styczen). … “Thought you would like these ’70s Pirates bumper stickers,” says Chris Plasencia (apologies if I got the last name wrong). … According to this article, “Small tweaks needed after Redskins’ first Richmond training camp” (thanks to TommyTheCPA). … According to Brian Wulff, Jane McManus (@janesports) tweeted at 1:44 AM on Sun, Aug 18, 2013: “It’s almost 2 am, but MetLife worker bees are swapping out end zone logos, Jets for Giants.” … Sagan Tosu of the J-League had a special uniform pattern for their game on August 17th. Watermelon design, notes Pacific Rim Correspondent Jeremy Brahm. “Green is the official color of Saga Prefecture (where the team is based) and watermelons are part of the summer.” … Check out this 1971 NFL serving tray! Makonnen Weaver was helping a friend clean out his Mom’s garage and found that. … Rob Holecko notes, “The Bucs still have the Nikelace, it’s just the same color as the jersey.” … Who doesn’t love a van covered in beaver? (h/t Alex Allen). … Also from Alex, a WA Lottery ad superimposed on field during Seahawks vs Broncos local ‘hawk broadcast. … More from Rob H.: The Rams are going with their “Civil Rights Game” end zone design. … And the boys who run the Gridiron Uniform Database remind us the Weekly pages are now in for every week from present back to Week 1 1997. … Man, the Dolphins really don’t have much orange on their white uniforms any more, do they. … Brinke can’t save this for Tuesday’s “Collector’s Corner” so if you want “Rare vintage Texaco gas station NHL hockey puck promo display with pucks, better bid on it now. … Matt Lesser Grabbed this screenshot from the San Jose Sharks Instagram page during a video. This is the only still anyone could possibly glean from the video. Matt assumes this is a teaser. … Colorizations? Sure why not. “This is a fantastic reddit” says Nicole Haase, and I’d agree. … New TCU helmet coming soon? First look, leaked last night — Full reveal coming this Friday (thanks to Fungo Frog). … So, on Saturday, I checked out the 65th Annual Artists & Writers Softball Game and guess who drops by and delays play for about 20 minutes. … And finally, it looks like St. Louis fans have nothing on Red Sox fans.
That’s it for this fine Monday in August. Hope everyone had a good weekend, and a good day today. Don’t forget, Paul’s ESPN Uni Rankings begin today and will run every day (and I’ll always link them here once they go live).
Follow me on Twitter @PhilHecken.
Peace.
“Jacksonville’s fading color thing on the helmet: Just so…stupid.”
–Jim Hamerlinck
Unfortunately the Purdue matte khaki is Nike’s version if “Vegas Gold.” It’s horrible and needs to go away. Purdue’s color was changed to this metallic/matte (depending on if it is the helmet or pants) khaki a few years ago when Nike became the uniform provider. The color needs to go back to the intended color of “Old Gold.”
Liked the ads on the safety vest. What is belvita anyway? I think its supposed to be a healthy snack, but I always just think of Velveeta, which certainly isn’t.
They are a brand of breakfast cookie.
The Jeff’s Penn State jersey is better than the real one.
If The were to drop the white oval outline of the lion head on the blue helmet, would that render the logo too abstract or hard to make out?
Ok, I’m not good with faces, so if you could be a leetle specific as to who delayed the softball game…
Hint: His middle name is Jefferson.
Cigar
The way someone is standing behind ol’ Willy, on first glance it looks like he has a really long goatee. Threw me off for a second.
I can’t say I like the MSU concept. Sparty’s colors are green and white. The green and gold always reminds me of Baylor. Also an MSU jersey without “MICHIGAN STATE” on the front looks dumb, I hate nike for changing that. That company, along with Adidas and under armor have ruined college uniforms.
Re: big 10
1. Does the “model” used have flame tattoos on both arms? Seems like something is peeking about below the sleeves…
2. As a u of I alum, I love the chief on the helmet, but why did you pick u of I to have the eight uni combinations? I don’t think I’ve ever seen them wear that many…the usually wear a home and away and that awfully hilarious all orange combo thing….
Nice work though. Looks good.
I am a fan of the overall concepts of the Jeff. I am a life long Buckeyes fan and traditionalist when it comes their uniform, but I kinda want to see them with a logo on the helmet.
Every single one of The Jeff’s redesigns is brilliant. Forward-thinking without being insane, imaginative, and most importantly, they look like football uniforms.
Agreed!
RE: Nebraska’s makeover. A few key points:
-If Nebraska/adidas’s first two attempts at an alt have shown us anything, it is that the block N on the helmet is not going anywhere.
-Any Husker fan worth his salt will tell you that Nebraska has a horrible record (3-10) while wearing all one color.
-And the biggest injustice of all? Nebraska is not a “clone of Wisconsin”. You can ask Wisky’s AD Barry Alvarez (a NU alum) – it is the other way around. UW’s look is heavily derived from Nebraska.
Agreed — the block N goes nowhere. Furthermore, Nebraska’s secondary logo was changed almost a year ago:
See — link
Finally, I know the recruits seem to love it, but many of us Nebraska fans are dead-set against BFBS in Nebraska’s alternates. If it’s not an official school color, don’t use it… period. The only exception is the school tradition of the blackshirts for defense… but that does not apply to the entire team.
Go B1G Red!
Feit Can Write took the words out of my mouth…
Agreed though, I’m downright offended about the “clone of Wisconsin” remark.
I liked this set of THE’s concepts the first time they ran too. That being said, Wisco should wear link full-time.
Why, God, Why!?!!?
Why would you bring back the Crack-eye Iowa logo (also know as “Heroin Herky”). After 15 years of not being used since its introduction, we’re almost to the point of it becoming the cornfield equivalent to the “lost” 49ers helmet.
Bad. Bad. Bad.
I really didn’t know you Iowa people hated that logo so much. To be honest, while I was doing these, I was grabbing logos from sportslogos.net (where it’s listed as still being a current alternate logo), I saw it and thought “That looks kinda cool, why the heck aren’t they using it?” So I put it on the helmet.
Someone wrote a comment within the last month deriding that alternate logo, explaining its history, and linking to an Iowa fan site with a discussion thread where their hatred for it was expressed in lurid detail. If I can remember it, surely someone who had a full set of B1G concepts could…
Someone wrote a comment within the last month deriding that alternate logo, explaining its history, and linking to an Iowa fan site with a discussion thread where their hatred for it was expressed in lurid detail. If I can remember it, surely someone who had a full set of B1G concepts could…
DJ, I think you might be remembering a post I wrote in the comments section back on link. For the sake of convenience, and because those comments still express my feelings on the matter, I’ll go ahead and cut and past them here:
The, thanks for sharing your Big Ten uniform concepts. I’m a fan of your uniform design style. Classic and understated, but with a few design elements to make your concepts pop. If only Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour would show such restraint!
I like much of what you’ve done with your link in particular. It’s reminiscent of the link worn by Forest Evashevski’s powerhouse teams of the late ’50s and early ’60s. Iowa link of those uniforms about three seasons back. I’ve always thought that uniform, with an updated logo in place of the helmet numbers, would be a great look as a primary uniform.
If I could make one request, I would love to see your Iowa concept rendered with the team’s link on the helmets. The logo you used is widely reviled by Iowa fans, link
The University of Iowa introduced the logo as part of a failed attempt at rebranding the athletics department back in 1999. The fans hated it. The coaches never embraced it, either. The new logo never made its way onto any team uniforms. Today, you almost never see it, except on the occasional bit of obscure clearance merchandise.
The, I love what you did for Iowa below the neck. On the one hand, looking like the Steelers is actually the whole point of the thing. On the other hand, it’s been a long time and Iowa needs to move on. Hayden ain’t the coach anymore, and your unis would make for a nice turn-of-the-page.
But the helmet is all kinds of wrong. OK, not all kinds, just two kinds. First, Heroin Herky? Either you’re a State partisan who did that to spite Hawkeyes fans, or you neglected the most basic level of research needed to do a concept in the first place. But let that bide, and let’s stipulate that Heroin Herky is an aesthetic upgrade over the Hayden Herky, even if it does look more like a parrot than a hawk. (Fins up! And appropriate for Iowa’s recent capture of the status of top party school in America.) Even granting that, which I do when other Iowans aren’t in the room, it’s a mistake to enclose the Tiger Hawk in an oval. The Tiger Hawk logo is big, and it’s black on a gold helmet, gold on a black helmet. Any other adornment, or any element that reduces the size of the logo, is a bad idea.
Anyway, if I squint my eyes and pretend that you got the helmets anywhere close to right, that is an awesome Iowa uniform. Better than the current team deserves, really. Good work.
You’re right Arrrr, I did very little research at all. I pretty much went with whatever I thought looked good (This is, of course, why I’m not an actual designer). But honestly, looking at some of the things put out by the Nike/adidas/UA lately, is research really a requirement? I mean, when Notre Dame is wearing funky 2 colored helmets or metallic gold numbers, it’s obvious that history and tradition have been thrown out the window.
I guess I should also apologize to the Nebraska fans for the clone comment, but they are the new team in the conference, so regardless of being first with the design, they’re the team I felt needed to change more.
Wow. As a MN wrestler, I knew the people/state we look down at took their college sports seriously. I didn’t know they took their yellow chicken logo so seriously. Hmmmm. . . I could see this coming in handy some day. . .
Wow. As a MN wrestler, I knew the people/state we look down at took their college sports seriously. I didn’t know they took their yellow chicken logo so seriously. Hmmmm. . . I could see this coming in handy some day. . .
This coming from a fan of a school whose mascot is a burrowing pest rodent whose primary function in the ecosystem is link?
. . . let’s stipulate that Heroin Herky is an aesthetic upgrade over the Hayden Herky . . . which I do when other Iowans aren’t in the room . . .
Blasphemy! You’re a closet Minnesotan, aren’t you? ;-)
The, I never, ever exaggerate the strength of my opinion, and I’ll challenge anyone who says otherwise to a duel to the death. The thing is, I like almost everything about your whole batch of B1G concepts precisely because they don’t seem at all like the thoughtless crap that Nike, UA & Adidas are spewing out. Which made the Heroin Herky stand out as a misstep! Still, if I didn’t know anything about its history or Iowa’s reaction to it, it’s what I’d have used too.
Closet Minnesotan? Never! I make no bones about being a Minnesota-Iowa dual citizen.
Closet Minnesotan? Never! I make no bones about being a Minnesota-Iowa dual citizen.
Aha! I knew it! I’d like to say that explains a lot… but I’m not really sure what it explains. Other than that perhaps your palate is particularly attuned to the subtleties of both Maid-Rites and hot dish.
Oh wow, Maid Rite. Haven’t had one in like 20 years, and now that you mention it I’d just about kill for one. And not just the Maid Rite sandwich, but also their pork tenderloin sandwich with pickles and mustard. Never had a better tenderloin.
Oh wow, Maid Rite. Haven’t had one in like 20 years, and now that you mention it I’d just about kill for one. And not just the Maid Rite sandwich, but also their pork tenderloin sandwich with pickles and mustard. Never had a better tenderloin.
I hope you can console yourself with a bacon cheeseburger with everything and Cajun fries from Five Guys, or perhaps some five-way Cincinnati chili from Hard Times.
If that doesn’t work, fear not. Now that Maid-Rite has expanded beyond Iowa, link from your next best-ever tenderloin.
On the B1G concepts: Overall, fantastic looks, and well done Jeff. One minor nitpicky thing though: Love the idea of the Chief Illiniwek logo on the orange helmet. With that being said, I also know that as a Illinois fan, the school athletic teams aren’t allowed to use that logo anymore, due to the NCAA prohibitions. The current block I and NYG-style ILLINOIS logo would be good enough, given the circumstances.
Thanks very much for sharing; you always do a great job on your concepts. Wishing you nothing but the best!
Don’t think the Badgers would put Bucky on the helmet again. Tried that in the late 60s, and the team only won 3 games in 3 seasons. It was back to the W after that.
I wouldn’t have a problem with going back to the front/back W’s either. That sort of design seems to be making a comeback.
One other thing if I may: In the last ticker entry of the Cardinal fan: He was part of a group of counter protesters harassing anti-war protesters in the exurb of St. Charles, MO at the start of the Iraq War in 2003. The pic went viral and he’s been known ever since as Cardinal fan Brian Moran. Don’t know whatever happened to him, but he has been made a fool of ever since. And now you know. *lol*
I couldn’t help myself. . .
Illinois: Love the primary helmet (yeah, I’m insensitive like that). I would like to see the blue-white-blue for the road uni.
Indiana: I like the whole set. Striped socks!! Would love to see your take on a candy striped alternate.
Iowa: Not a huge fan of contrasting shoulders, but I like the consistency. The single pant stripe feels bold in its simplicity. I like it. The oval around the helmet logo makes it feel more complete, but I think they should stick with a black finish for their primary.
Michigan: I like the home set. The white away feels a bit out of place with the rest of the set. Would like to have seen a “maize” away set like you used for MN.
Michigan: The gold feels to “Irish” to be a primary set for Michigan. Swap the alternates and home/road and it would be sweet.
Minnesota: M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A! Minnesota, Minnesota! Yay, Gophers! RAH! I love all 4 sets, but would have preferred some of the other gopher logo’s available (running gopher or vintage “sitting” gopher)
Nebraska: The single pant and sleeve stripes, solid socks and no outline on the numbers combine to feel a little too plain. But that’s just me.
Northwestern: No brainer on the Northwestern stripes. Great execution. I prefer the 1st alternate as the home set though.
Ohio State: Nailed it!
Penn State: Nailed it!!
Purdue: Nailed it!!!
Wisconsin: Add some striped socks, but otherwise, nailed it!!!!
I like all of them except Nebraska. Overall, great looking sets. Now to get some work done. . .
Power Rankings are now live: link
Paul, Is it the Indians Wahoo baggage that keeps them down or the design? I’d say they are middle of the road average based on design only. Yes? No?
Both!
Great job, Paul.
No reverse order again this year? I think you explained why last year, but why?
As one keen on noticing details, and I’m surprised no one has pointed this out, the neon green outside stroke on the seams of the football on the Uni Watch Power Rankings logo is really bothering. It seems to be on the ESPN version as well. I don’t think i’m nitpicking, it screams sloppy design.
Ask not what clip-art can do for you… Ask what you can do for clip-art.
Thanks a lot! I hadn’t noticed it, but now it’s bothering me too.
If you are doing a drop shadow on Wisconsin’s uniform, mimic the shadow on the W. The shadows should have consistent light sources, on the shadow on the W comes from about 2 o’clock and the shadow on the numbers comes from about 10 o’clock.
Overall, fantastic work.
Wisconsin has somehow made the leading shadow work for the W. I don’t think a leading shadow would have worked as well on the numbers.
If memory serves correctly, Hayden Fry purposefully wanted the Hawkeyes to mimic the Steelers. The Hawkeyes were coming off of decades of poor play on the field. They took the hottest team in professional sports and accustomed their unis to look. Success quickly followed.
If memory serves correctly, Hayden Fry purposefully wanted the Hawkeyes to mimic the Steelers. The Hawkeyes were coming off of decades of poor play on the field. They took the hottest team in professional sports and accustomed their unis to look. Success quickly followed.
Your memory does serve you correctly, B.C. link explaining the history of Iowa’s change to Steelers-inspired uniforms after Hayden Fry was hired prior to the 1979 season.
When Bill Snyder left Iowa to come to Kansas State he followed the Iowa method and had the Wildcats redesign the football uniforms. Much like Iowa used the Steelers, Snyder used the Cowboys as a template. He also had the same gentleman who designed the Hawkeye logo design the new Power Cat logo.
Nebraska looks like a Wisconsin clone? Really? Someone needs to do a little better job looking at the history of the school’s uniforms. Wisconsin was heavily influenced by Nebraska via Barry Alvarez.
Second-Nebraska will never wear a monochrome uniform again. The W-L record is horrible when they do that.
The Bills’ local preseason broadcast of their game against the Vikings also superimposed an ad. They had an ad for Toyota “on the field”. When it first popped on the screen, the left portion of the Toyota logo was cut off. The camera then panned left & the entire logo was visible. I wonder if this is practice for the regular season?
Oh, man, Paul’s reranking of MLB take a list I already mostly disagreed with and makes it even further from how I’d have ranked the league. Which actually makes me like it more. Seems more consistent in its standards this year with the way the teams have shifted. I respect that a lot. The biggest actual quibble I have is that some of the little details called out as mistakes for some higher-rank teams seem like they ought to have dropped the team more significantly in the ratings. Anyway, it’s good grist for conversation, and I like that teams seem to have shifted in part based on how they wear their unis. Some unis that look good on paper don’t hold up as well in real life on the field, or in the face of a team’s decision to use “alternate” elements as their primary unis.
Two things on the Michigan concept:
1. The split-M logo is now on the prohibited list of acceptable Michigan logos.
2. Because Michigan is an Adidas school, the three sleeve stripes are not allowed under NCAA guidelines, as they’re considered Adidas branding markings. There can only be one brand logo on the jersey, and it must be under 2 1/4 square inches.
Players in the KBO will be wearing this patch (home on left, away on right) from August 22nd-28th. (It’s to help get baseball/softball back into the Olympics.)
link
can also be seen at: link
Really nice work, The. Kudos.
My only objection is the inclusion of colors that aren’t official team colors. It’s not that the Michigan State uniform doesn’t look good, but it’s jarring and wrong to see gold represented. Make those the alternates, if you must. Same with Northwestern and that confounding black business.
Can’t argue too much with the MLB rankings; I’d probably drop the Cubs and Angels a bit, up the Giants, Braves and Chi Sox. I’d also sink the Phils in an effort to get them to switch from red to Maroon. The team’s going nowhere fast, shake things up!
Two other notes: I have to agree with Phil, link the bat also. I know folks love the kitschy touch of the O’s white panel hat, but the link is an absolute mess. If you’re wearing solids tops, have the decency of matching it with the link.
How much higher on the power rankings would the Red Sox be if they ditched their red and navy blue alts for an alt/throwback to the 70s pullovers with the red hats, El Tiante style?
link
I’ll tell you…a lot higher.
The mlb rankings are pretty close to how I see ‘um.
Paul’s description of the Twins look is perfect. Sadly.
I’m not sure that San Diego’s uniform is any less bland than Tampa Bay’s. In fact, I would rank the Padres a hair above the Rays. But when Tampa wears those incredible striped socks, that generic uniform suddenly demands all your attention.
I like Boston’s road script. A lot. Very old-timey and understated.
Arizona and Miami…take a look at yourself. You’re hideous. It’s never too late to make amends in baseball design. Now get rolling.
We knew this was coming, but now we have photo evidence, thanks to Keenan: “link”
Ugh! Inexcusably horrible. These jerseys suffer from the same problem I noted last week about adidas’ new Tennessee jerseys: the “stretch mark” pattern makes the players’ shoulders look narrow and their chests look concave.
The Indiana concept is nearly perfect. I loved IU’s one-season dalliance with shoulder stripes in 2010. I’ve never been a huge fan of “HOOSIERS” across the chest and this concept eliminates that. I part ways in only two places:
1)I really liked the double helmet stripe that IU wore from late 2007 through 2010. I suppose one could argue that there already are enough stripes in this concept.
2) I would lose the black trim around the numbers. IU had such trim in the mid-1990s under Bill Mallory with this same crimson color, and it made it look too dark. Also, since IU’s department-wide color and logo revamp in 2002 IU has been consistent in eschewing any uniform color other than cream (“varsity cream,” i.e. white) and crimson. I like it that way.
Regarding the vest that attendant is wearing, I have never seen that in Oregon, crazy. I also abhor this law and irritates me beyond measure, I can pump my own f’in gas thank you very much but I always have to wait at every station.
Regarding Frank Gore and RG III wearing adidas gear. They can wear whatever brand of gloves, arm sleeves and cleats they want. adidas has a contract with the NFL to show their logo just on those specified items. But of course, all workout gear, sideline gear, and the jerseys and pants must all be Nike. That’s why RG III was fined last year for covering up the Swoosh on his official workout shirt.
Kind of a cheap shot at the Nats, given that your number one team (Cardinals) has three caps too.
The Power Rankings are a lot of fun! As for mlb…
I think the Phils, Angels and Cubs are too high (a little for the Cubbies, and a LOT for Philly and LA). Pirates, Giants, Tigers, Mets and Braves would all be higher on my list, based mostly on very solid homes for each. Miami and SD at 29 and 30 is spot on, though. Honestly, any combination of Arizona, Miami and San Diego at the bottom is pretty fair.
Hey Paul, Indian Motorcycles are starting back up next year. Are you planning on attacking them next after you bring down the Washington football club???
A few points of contention on the Yankees’ uniform ranking. 1.) Why do the Yankees get dinged for having different cap and jersey logos but the Tigers don’t? Was it just a space consideration?
2.) Why do they get dinged for the “pinstripes not looking good in the pajama pants era” while two of the teams ranked above them (Phillies, Cubs) also wear pinstripes? Is it because the Yankees’ pinstripes are a darker color and thus stand out more?
I do agree on the Yankees road uniforms being pretty bleh. I would prefer they go back to the Mantle-era road uniforms without all that unnecessary piping they added in the 1970s.
The inconsistent Yankee logos have been around more than 60 years and are so ingrained now, correcting them would mar tradition. If you’d like to see what would happen if the cap matched the jersey, here is a shot from Billy Crystal’s link A little disconcerting isn’t it? Matching the jersey to the hat would look even more ridiculous, IMO.
jeff~
nice job today. obviously your exercise was to change/tweak every team, and if that is your starting point you did a very good job here, and stayed respectful to teams for sure. a single pants stripe for psu, iowa overall, and many other choices you made are what i would make too. not that i, or anybody could agree with every move, like a matte grey helmet for the schmuckeyes, or the stripes on michigan(although the pants were clever, i’ll give you that). but still, a very good job.
pigs just flew, and hell froze over,
~robert
Comments on the Big Ten uniform designs:
1. Illinois: Looks great! Maybe a blue facemask on the blue helmet.
2. Indiana: Looks great!
3. Iowa: I like it all except the helmet. Leave the helmet logo the same as it currently is, and its a winner.
4. Michigan: Not crazy about the home jersey with the stripes. Too much tradition with the home jersey
5. MSU: Like it!
6. Minnesota: Helmet it too busy. Maybe a maroon facemask rather than yellow?
7. Nebraska: Not a fan of the black outline on the N on the white helmet (maybe make it red), nor the number fonts on the jersey.
8. Northwestern: Like it!
9. Ohio State: Hate the red facemask. Should be gray. Don’t like the outlined numbers. Much too busy. Don’t like the contrasting collar on the white and gray jersey. I’d like to see white numbers on the red and the gray jersey.
10. Penn State: Leave the white helmet without a logo and its a winner.
11. Purdue: Not much change.
12. Wisconsin: Like the idea of the shadows on the numbers. Should match the direction and amount of shadowing to the helmet logo.
Your blog sucks, you racist fucknut.
troll alert
The B C Lions of the CFL midnight black
Uniforms are Fantastic
Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook named his son after his uniform … number. Does he earn a spot in the Uni Watch Hall of Fame or Uni Watch Hall of Shame? Seriously:
link
David Beckham did the same thing too: he has a daughter named Harper Seven Beckham.
Somehow, I find that to be less tacky than Roger Clemens giving all of his children a first initial of K, the symbol for strikeout.
The Giants jerseys sport
the Boston Strong patch tonight as they are hosting the Red Sox.
Just a heads up for everyone who liked (or didn’t like) the B1G concepts… I’m also planning on doing the SEC and PAC12, and maybe a few other random teams like Notre Dame. I’m not sure when, but it’ll be before the end of the football season.
That beautiful NFL helmet serving tray is actually the 1972 edition as Washington and Houston changed to the helmets displayed that year. I have the 1971 edition tray with Washington’s short-lived R logo and the Oilers’ gorgeous silver helmet.
While I’m at it I’ll also point out that the Steelers’ logo is on the wrong side of the helmet on both editions of the tray.
Love the IU and great work all around. I’m not sure if it’s quite “crimson and cream”, but close enough!
As an alumnus, I’m curious – Did you use the official IU crimson (Pantone® 201) Jeff?
For the record, the Steelers took Iowa’s uniforms… not the other way around contrary to popular belief
Uh….no. link