[Editor’s Note: With the Daytona 500 set for this Sunday, we have a guest entry by Clark Ruhland, who’ll bring us up to date on all the latest NASCAR paint schemes. ”” PL
By Clark Ruhland
Sunday marks the start of the longest season in professional sports with the 56th running of the Daytona 500. Sponsorship and its direct connection to merchandise sales leads to changes in car paint schemes (or liveries) during the off-season, so here’s a rundown of some notable paint scheme changes for 2014, as listed by car number:
1. Jamie McMurray
Only a slight difference from the 2013 design, with a numerical font change. This has to do with the Ganassi race team breaking ties with Dale Earnhardt Inc., which was the original owner of that design when the team started in 1998.
2. Brad Keselowski
The 2012 Sprint Cup champion is running a special design just at Daytona in conjunction with Miller Lite returning the original can design. His standard 2014 Miller scheme remains the same from 2013.
3. Austin Dillon
The number synonymous with Dale Earnhardt returns to the premier series for the first time since 2001. Dillon is no stranger to the 3 car, as he has won minor league championships with that number. His Cheerios paint scheme has a unique ad campaign that works well with the return of the number. (As you may recall, Dillon drove the Honey Nut Cheerios car last year, which was Paul’s favorite car at the 2013 Daytona 500.)
4. Kevin Harvick
It’s not uncommon for divers to carry sponsors with them when they change to a new race team. However, it’s rare for the new race team to keep the exact same design as the old team. Harvick’s Outback Steakhouse car has a cool fade to it, and everyone will get a free Bloomin’ Onion the following Monday if he finishes in the top 10 in a race.
5. Kasey Kahne
No sponsorship change for the 5 car, but the design has been honed and improved.
10. Danica Patrick
The easiest car to spot on the track last season is sporting a lot more orange in 2014. This is a huge downgrade –the bright green design had been her established look since her first race. The change was likely made to boost merchandise sales.
13 ”“ Casey Mears
The GEICO racing team made a slight visual change this season switching manufacturers from Ford to Chevrolet.
14 ”“ Tony Stewart
It is standard for a driver to have his name above the door of his car, but Stewart has his nickname, Smoke, and he even had the nickaname’s logo changed for 2014. Stewart splits his season with Mobil 1 and both of these designs have been slightly upgraded from the 2013 season.
16. Greg Biffle
3M remains one of the rare sponsors in the sport to be on the car for an entire season, but the design has taken a step back from last season.
17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Also known as Mr. Danica, Stenhouse is riding her popularity more and more in 2014. Despite losing his Best Buy sponsorship in 2013, he picked up Nationwide insurance, which would be good to have after he took out Danica’s car in last Saturday’s Sprint Unlimited preseason race.
18. Kyle Busch
M&M’s remains the major sponsor of the 18 team, but Busch’s Skittles design could have been way more colorful than the last time it was on a car more than a decade ago.
24. Jeff Gordon
AARP’s Drive to End Hunger campaign once again sponsors the four-time Cup champion. The 2014 look is much darker than the 2013 version — a slight improvement. His Axalta Coating Systems car (formerly DuPont Automotive Finishes) stays with the dark theme — again, an upgrade from last season’s design.
31. Ryan Newman
The 31 team has changed drivers after Jeff Burton semi-retired in November. Caterpillar’s design isn’t much different from last year’s, so it will take fans a while to get used to a new driver in a familiar car.
34. David Ragan
Front Row Motorsports, an underfunded race team, is sponsored by CSX Corporation for a few major races. The hood graphic is a bit of a head-scratcher because it’s positioned upside-down. A downgrade from last season.
41. Kurt Busch
The 2004 Cup champion joins a brand new team with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014. He has taken a page from his car owner by putting nickname above the door.
42. Kyle Larson
Along with Austin Dillon, Larson is a heralded rookie. He replaces Juan Pablo Montoya in the Target car and gets a slightly different look from last year’s car.
43. Aric Almirola
The red, white, and blue striping may look patriotic, but a Chinese company recently bought the sponsor — oops. Still, this car has the greatest rear bumper in the sport. A major upgrade from 2013.
48. Jimmie Johnson
Seeking his seventh championship this season, Johnson’s team has switched from last year’s dark blue scheme to all-white. In seasons past, the white design was used only in night races. This year it will be run for the majority of the season along with the Kobalt Tools black car.
55. Brian Vickers
Aaron’s, the flagship sponsor for Michael Waltrip Racing, gets a major upgrade from the 2013 car. Vickers will run this car full-time this season after sharing the ride with Mark Martin last year.
88. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The sport’s most popular driver has once again changed his National Guard primary scheme, and it looks awesome. Metallic numbers return after being away from the sport for many years. The new look replaces the white and blue from 2013. Earnhardt’s other major sponsor, Diet Mountain Dew, remains the same from last season.
Like college football, new designs will pop up all over the place as the season progresses. It’s a never-ending cycle and it all begins with the Great American Race on Sunday.
Big news: I’m going to be announcing some big uni news over on ESPN — maybe as soon as today, maybe tomorrow, maybe early next week. Best way to be sure you’re up-to-date is to follow me on Twitter, where the link to the column will be posted.
Free ticket! On Thursday, March 6, 7pm, I’m going to be participating in a very worthwhile benefit event called “Baseball as Good Medicine” at the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse in Manhattan. It will feature half a dozen storytellers, including myself, with each of us telling a short tale about baseball’s redemptive, restorative qualities. All proceeds will go to the Photo ID Foundation, an amazing initiative that puts cameras and other media tools in the hands of childen with life-threatening illnesses, enabling them to create their own media projects and communicate their experiences.
Tickets start at $25, which includes beer and snacks. I know that’s not cheap, but it’s for a very good cause, and today I’m offering a special deal: The first person who buys a ticket (and can prove it by sending me a screen shot of the “Thank you for your purchase” page) will get a second ticket for free. To get your ticket, look here.
Radio alert: I’ll be discussing NFL uniforms this morning, 9:15am Eastern, on the New Orleans radio station WWL. You can access the streaming audio here.
Tick-Tock: Today’s Ticker was compiled and written by Mike Chamernik, except for ’Skins Watch, which was handled by Paul.
’Skins Watch: The Indians recently asked fans to submit designs for a new T-shirt. They’ve now announced the three finalists, none of which includes Chief Wahoo. Yet another fairly obvious step toward Wahoo’s eventual decommissioning Check that, the middle design includes a small Wahoo in the upper part of the “C” (from Leo Strawn Jr.).
Baseball News: The Orioles switched some numbers around this month: pitcher Kevin Gausman wore No. 37, but recently hired pitching coach Dave Wallace took the number. Gausman changed to No. 31, but that’s what newly signed pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez will wear. So, Gausman will wear No. 39. Please adjust accordingly (from Andrew Cosentino). ”¦ The Rays created Joe Maddon Mr. Potato Heads for a gameday promotion this August (from Brinke). ”¦ Is Derek Jeter the best baseball player to ever wear No. 2? (Also from Brinke). ”¦ Don’t expect to find an A-Rod jersey at Steinbrenner Field this spring (from Tom Mulgrew). ”¦ “I work for the City of Salem, Va. where the Boston Red Sox Single-A club is located,” says Clark Ruhland. “As a project for the city magazine, I’ve researched all 75 years of minor league baseball in the city, including the uniforms from various eras.”
NFL News: The Buccaneers will unveil their new helmet and logo tonight, 8pm Eastern, on the NFL Network. ”¦ Speaking of the Bucs, here’s a look at some passed over concepts from 1997 (from Jonathan Daniel). ”¦ David Firestone created a team for the Oklahoma City NFL team design contest mentioned Tuesday. ”¦ A New Orleans writer would like to see the Saints revive their black helmets, which the team wore during the 1969 preseason (from Wesley Eustis). ”¦ NASCAR driver Austin Dillon will wear this Carolina Panthers helmet for dirt track racing (from Bruce Utzig).
Hockey News: RPI will wear camo unis on Friday (from Tim Fogarty). ”¦ The ECHL’s Toledo Walleye are dressing as the old Toledo Storm this weekend (from Jacob Kubuske). ”¦ The Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL will wear helmet stickers to support a muscular dystrophy fundraising initiative. ”¦ The cover for the Heritage Classic’s program has a great vintage look.
Soccer News: Bayern Munich midfielder Javi Martinez is missing the gold FIFA World Champions patch in the center of his jersey (from Nate Farrer). ”¦ All the remaining soccer items are from Trevor Williams: Chivas USA might be headed for a rebrand. ”¦ Roundup of new kits: Chainat FC has a new houndstooth pattern shirt; FC Schalke 04, Cork City and Limerick FC have new home kits; SE Palmeiras has new home and away kits; FC Copenhagen has a new third kit.
NBA News: NBA and D-League players will start wearing health trackers during games. ”¦ Adidas and Fanatics are selling a historically incorrect Shawn Kemp throwback. The Reign Man had already left the Sonics by the time the team switched to that look (good find, Matt Cooper). ”¦ Alexey Shved wore a protective mask against the Pacers. ”¦ These Cavs unis are probably a fan concept, but they are similar to other Cavs fauxbacks.
College Hoops News: North Dakota State will wear gold uniforms this Saturday. ”¦ Arkansas retired a jersey in honor of Bill Clinton last weekend. “This is only the second jersey to be retired in program history, just too bad they didn’t use the jerseys from ’94,” says Seth Shaw. ”¦ As noted yesterday, Boston College is wearing DK memorial patches for longtime sports information director Dick Kelley. ”¦ Syracuse wore orange-over-blue last night. ”¦ In women’s hoops, Oklahoma wore pink and beat Texas, who went BFBS. ”¦ The Nike Elite Dominance name is seriously misleading (from Lee Wilson). ”¦ UNLV’s Kevin Olekaibe wore light-up sneakers last night. Next week he plans to wear Heelys.
Olympics News: Norway revealed the logo for its bid for the 2022 Winter Games. ”¦ Still having trouble following curling? Here’s a quick primer (from Tom Mulgrew). ”¦ Along with Paul, The Atlantic also tackled the issue of costumes and subjectivity in figure skating (from Kevin Kleinhans). ”¦ A Canadian fan in a PK Subban jersey wore blackface at the Latvia-Canada game (from Phil). … Here are some awesome photos of what’s left of Sarajevo’s Olympic bobsled/luge track.
Grab Bag: Gah! Reindeer from hell!!! No, Finland just sprayed reindeer with reflective paint so drivers can see them better (from Tom Mulgrew). ”¦ Ohio State’s lacrosse team wore uniforms reminiscent of the school’s football team (from Connor Wilson). … “Have you heard about the new A11 Football League?” asks Michael Cahalan. “They are reviving some of the old USFL teams with updated helmets and logos. So far they have done a pretty nice job.” ”¦ The British indie-rock band Kaiser Chiefs has been accused of stealing its logo from a bicycle parts company.
The middle one of the Indians designs does contain a small Chief Wahoo within the C.
Technically, the second fan design for Cleveland’s T-Shirt contest includes a Wahoo. It’s near the serif in the Block-C collage. It’s not very prominent, though.
Ah, I missed that! Thanks for pointing it out. I’ll adjust the text accordingly.
too bad that the design with Chief Wahoo is the best of the 3, in my opinion.
Random question that has nothing to do with what was covered in today’s post…what year did MLB add the league’s logo to the backs of game jerseys above the nameplates?
2000.
Wait, Tampa Bay is changing their uniforms, why? (hopefully they bring back the orange!)
PS, dumb name for A11FL, but smart move to play in the spring. Never understand why these leagues try to play in the fall. USFL proved you can play in the spring and see moderate success.
the design for the Oklahoma City Crazy Eights is, well, crazy. the pants really draw attention to the, er, um, manly area.
“I work for the City of Salem, Va. where the Boston Red Sox Single-A club is located,” says Clark Ruhland. “As a project for the city magazine, I’ve researched all 75 years of minor league baseball in the city, including the uniforms from various eras.”
Nice historical uni graphic Clark, good job!
Thanks Bruce!
Not especially important, but did the team wear passed down multicolored uniforms around 1980?
RE: A11 football. I saw this….
Headline-> Re-born Bandits will at least have thrice the helmet versatility to kick off 2015
The Tampa Bay Bandits will restart life in spring professional football in March of 2015, and they will do so with a lot more helmet choices than in its previous incarnation.
“We spent a lot of time perfecting the Bandits logo, and we wanted three different helmet designs to give our franchise the most dynamic uniform set in all of Florida,” said Steve Humphries, the A11FL’s Co-Founder and Vice President of Advanced Media. “The Bandits brand will take Florida pro football by storm.”
…it’s a pity all the concussions they may risk having.
In the last entry of the Grab Bag in the ticker, the name of the band is Kaiser Chiefs, not Kaiser
My fault, not Mike’s. Will fix!
So a pitching coach bumped a player from his number? If I was a coach, I’d probably go with some number that players wouldn’t really want. I’d think that the players would get their preference on numbers. Plus, Gausman is one of the Orioles’ top pitching prospects who played a little bit last year. I guess he’s still too green to lay claim to a permanent number.
My guess is none of these numbers mean anything to him, but the number he wants, he can’t get.
That’s a good point.
I bet he wants 33 (Eddie Murray). (I’m guessing and being silly.)
I imagine the Buccaneer’s “redesign” will be something similar to the Vikings’s or the Panthers’s where they update the lines to make it look more modern. I can’t imagine it is an all-out change, just some minor tweeks.
Based on what I’ve heard, I understand it to be an all-out change
that surprises the hell out of me. I wonder if Nike is going to do this sort of thing with one team every year. Seahawks, Jags, and now the Bucs.
I doubt most NFL teams would do what Seattle and Jax are doing. I’m no expert (and Paul certainly knows a lot more), but NFL teams limit what Nike will and can do. Look at the 49ers. They went back to their classic look from the Joe Montana days instead of push ahead with black and junk that they wore during the Jeff Garcia days.
However, with the hint of red and chrome, it sounds like the Bucs are going with something new and flashy.
I heard it was goping to be a minor change.
I guess we’ll all have to gather ’round the TV store window so we watch what happens LIVE in living color!!
I really have no information. I’m only guessing based on semantics and how the news are wording everything. In that story linked above, they say:
“…a new head coach and a new look.”
“…hinting the new look has fire and chrome.”
I would like to think that they’d be going back to a Bucco Bruce type of scheme, but it doesn’t seem like it. All we can do is wait and see.
Based on Sapp’s tweet regarding the chome facemask, I bet they are changing from a red/pewter color scheme, to a somewhat similar red/chrome scheme, but with a new logo, and about 22% more orange than before.
10 News meteorologist Jim Van Fleet tweeted what might or might not be the new Bucs helmet. It does have a chrome facemask, though.
link
I saw Paul post it on the Tweeter.
It does look a bit like they’re trying to combine the two uniform eras into a new uniform. If the leak is correct, some will hate it, and some might like it. (As with everything else.)
Those guys with their spy ..er… weather satellites peering down on Bucs HQ!!
Well the original link is broken now, so I’m guessing the leak is right on… I like it.
link
Sorry Paul, I titled the email, then saw the Wahoo and mentioned it in the email while I was writing, then forgot to change the title of the email to reflect that change. My bad.
btw, that doesn’t change the fact that this appears to be another step to phasing chief wahoo out since his small appearance on the middle shirt is amongst historical elements, not current ones…
I don’t see how 3 fan created designs imply anything about the team’s official plans. They may show that fans are ready for that sort of change, but that’s really about it.
Hell, just last week the store I work in received a shipment of Indians sweatshirts with the original crude version of the logo on them.
I don’t see how 3 fan created designs imply anything about the team’s official plans. They may show that fans are ready for that sort of change, but that’s really about it.
Jeff, please stop being disingenuous. You know as well I do that when the team chooses three design finalists that include virtually no Wahoo presence, that clearly says something about the team’s direction. And it fits with the many well-documented ways in which they’ve been de-emphasizing Wahoo.
Bill Clinton’s didn’t have a number retired at Arkansas. They just honored him with the number. You can read about it in this article from the official Arkansas site.
link
Would it surprise anyone if the Bucs tweaked the unis and used the Bucs font for the numbers?
They used to do that with their practice jerseys. The results were… not great.
link
Ouch! The goggles, do nothing!
Yikes!
Note to designers: Just cuz you make a logo does NOT mean there has to be a complete font set to accompany it.
Note to teams: Just cuz you have a new logo does NOT mean you need to invent a complete font set based on it.
That look is almost 11% as bad as the Atlanta Falcons current clown suits.
OSU has had the throwback lacrosse uniforms since 2012.
They were made for the first OSU/Michigan game which was played at the Big House. Michigan had always had a club lacrosse program until 2012 not a varsity one.
link
Love the revival of USFL names, but shouldn’t the Dallas team be the Gamblers, and the Bay Area team be the Invaders? I know it’s not a full-on resurrection of the late, lamented spring league, but still….
Hope the trend continues with the as-yet-unannounced teams.
The Gamblers played in Houston. Dallas never had a USFL team.
Lee
Well, yes, but the Wranglers played in Arizona, not Dallas.
Apparently new #3 driver, and Daytona 500 Pole Winner Austin Dillon is a [Carolina Panthers fan](link). I wonder what [backup QB Derek Anderson](link) thinks about that.
Out of all the bucs prototypes, I could see the combination of the white helmet with the revised logo of the oversized crossbones over the flag- no sword holding the flag
i love white helmets
Stripes alert! From the MN girls hockey state tournament.
link
Not sure this has been covered before but it explains what the green lights are on the curling stones at the olympics. link
I knew there was an electronic system for hog line violations but I never knew what it was (club play doesn’t have that system and you hardly ever see a violation in elite play)
I’ve watched a lot of curling this week and I haven’t seen any lights on the rock – where is it?
The Grand Rapids Griffins will also be wearing – and auctioning off – red camo uniforms on Friday night as part of their Salute to Heroes Night.
link
On Syracuse’s unis last night– Are there any college teams that currently wear different color jersey and shorts regularly? Was there an era where this was more common?
It was very common for high school teams from the 1940s to the mid-1970s to wear contrasting colored shorts. My high school in Livonia, NY wore Orange jerseys with Royal shorts on the road from 1942-43 until 1973-74. It was our trademark. I kind of miss the look.
For only the second time since the building opened in 1980, Syracuse wore an orange jersey at the Carrier Dome last night with the visiting team, B.C., wearing its home white uniform.
The first time was Dec. 4, 1990 in the ACC-Big East Challenge vs. N.C. State. Teams that played on their home court in the challenge were designated as the visiting team. Syracuse wore orange and N.C. State wore white.
Syracuse wore white jerseys in three Big East Tournament games and four NCAA Tournament games it played in the Dome.
Typical lazy & selective research by Marty Noble on famous #2 in baseball. Noble only acknowledges the retired #2 and the HOF members as being the best. Do guys like Noble refuse to realize that the internet exists and you can find this information rather quickly? There was a lot of number switching during the early days of baseball and there’s more number switching in the last 30-40 years because of free agency and player movement.
Technically Jimmy Foxx is probably the best player to wear #2 as he wore it in the 1935 season. Gehringer is probably the best player to wear the number over an extended period of time.
He also makes it seem like there have only been 4 players to wear #2 in the HOF? How about Rick Ferrell, Joe Sewell, Gabby Hartnett, Mickey Cochrane, Ernie Lombardi, Heinie Manush. How about HOF managers like Sparky Anderson and Leo Durocher
It’s odd that he didn’t mention Billy Herman who is a HOF and wore the number for 5 seasons in the mid 1930’s.
Graig Nettles wore #2 on the 1969 Twins. Roberto Alomar wore #2 on the 2004 D-Back.
Jeff Kent wore #2 on the 1996 Indians. Darrell Evans wore #2 on the 1969 Braves.
Underrated players like Bret Butler, Chet Lemon, Tony Phillips wore #2
Joe Judge wore #2.
I posted something similar a couple years ago and got flamed out within an inch of my life for it. Who wants to be first on this?
My god what a disingenuous “analysis.” Let me see, there are 3 HOF players who wore #2 predominantly: Fox, Schoendienst & Gehringer. Fox & Schoendienst are ruled out b/c they were voted in by the Veterans Committee. Oh and Gehringer, who was voted in by the writers and is superior to Jeter in literally EVERY SINGLE statistical measure? Warrants nary a mention. No, what makes Jeter the greatest to wear #2 is that he’s got 5 WS rings in an era where it’s “a greater challenge to reach the World Series” b/c there’s multiple playoff rounds – totally overlooking the fact that 2 of those 5 rings were only even possible due to the existence of said multiple playoff rounds.
Jesus what a hack.
The standardized driver’s name above the windshield with the manufacturer logos is kinda cool. Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch both have their full names spelled out (FNAW?) and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s says “JR” (JrAW?).
They started that last year I believe, but I’m not really sure who it helps. Very rarely do they show an above/front angle on TV, and cars go too fast at the track to make it out. Numbers and paint schemes (even though they change paint ofter) is a much better identifier.
They tweaked the lettering, making it bigger, and I think it looks better as a result.
RE: Kevin Olekaibe, his sneakers are actually fully customized Jordan 3s complete with Runnin’ Rebel branding on the tongue and a Jumpman logo modified in his image.
link
North Dakota State will wear gold uniforms this Saturday.
Yeah…and their coach is barefoot….What’s with that?
I believe many coaches go barefoot one specific day for some charity about giving shoes to poor kids in Africa/other impoverished places.
David Ragan’s hood graphic is upside down because it’s a speech bubble pointing at the driver, and its meant to look like the driver is saying “I brake for trains”. Slightly clever, still ugly.
Yeah, I got it too, but it still seems backwards.
I figured that was the case. Maybe they’re hoping more people may notice it because it’s different?
Thanks for the entry Clark.
When I was a child growing up in the late 80s and 90s I was a huge NASCAR fan and I showed early-risk uni-watch behavior back then when I obsessively collected all the die-cast cars and still have encyclopedic knowledge of the
drivers and paint schemes from that era.
Around 2001 the series went through a lot of changes and I lost interest for a number of reasons.
Today I can’t believe how hard it is recognize a driver if you’re a casual fan. In the 80s/90s a paint scheme would last longer than the average driver stuck with a team. Today it seems like there’s a different paint scheme every week and there’s more major multi-sponsorships. That gives me much less brand identity to the teams. It’s just a mess in my eyes.
Thanks Eric. Like you, I grew up in the 90’s and had boxes and boxes of the little 1/64 cars. If you want a little nostalgia refresher, check out the index of cars this guy has done on the diecast crazy forum – link
Geez Clark, That was a refresher. I have a gigantic storage of unopened Racing Champions and other 1:64 scale from 1989-1997 that I’d buy at the local stores. I figured they’d be worth something one day, but the whole thing kind of fell flat. Maybe i’ll bust them out and look at them all next time I’m back visiting my parents.
Always fun reading a NASCAR article on Uni-Watch. Keep up the great work Clark!
When I heard about the Bucs logo and helmet tweak, I figured it would be changed to a white shell so they could bring back the throwbacks.
It wouldn’t be that hard to switch out the decals and facemasks for two games per season.
Thanks for the NASCAR preview. There are not two more iconic images in racing than Richard Petty’s #43 in that iconic font, and RCR’s forward thrusting #3. While I don’t follow racing with the fervor I used to, I always look forward to Speedweeks at Daytona.
I am chiming in to say that I love the NASCAR update. Many thanks to Clark.
On the one hand, I’m looking forward to the new TB helmet. It is the weak link in an otherwise nice set. A flag is basically the canvas for a logo, much like a helmet is the canvas for a logo; so they essentially have a (below-par) logo on a canvas on a canvas. I’m hoping they move to something like a re-colored Bucco Bruce that will work with the pewter helmet.
On the other hand, Sapp’s comment about a chrome facemask is not a good sign for the overall design. Even if the new logo is great, a chrome helmet would be awful, just like every other chrome helmet out there.
When did Uni become Reddit? First the NBA pics and now the Sarajevo pics?
I’m not sure what that means frankly. Does Reddit hold exclusive rights to certain parts of the internet or something? Besides, Uni Watch has been featuring ruin porn (particularly for old sports venues) for as long as I can remember. It’s pretty much right in the UW wheelhouse.
Hey Paul, one of the Kyle Larson picks isn’t linked, just the url is being displayed.
Thanks. Now fixed.
The Austin Dillon helmet is virtually the same as the Panthers helmet Bobby Labonte wore while with Joe Gibbs racing, except they added a facemask. I like it, but here is the Labonte design for comparison
link
New Bucs helmet may — or may not — have leaked:
link
Bad link here, though the twitter one worked a moment ago.
If it is a white hat, that’s the 4th team to go back to white hats in recent years after going from white to some other color in prior decades. Quite a trend the Jets started there.
I’d like to see a front shot to see what that striping looks like. It seems a bit weird to me. I’m dreading seeing the “chrome”.
But when I first heard it my thought was white shell with orange chrome facemask. They’d keep the same basic color scheme and allow them to tweak the logo and change the decals for the unnecessary throwbacks.
I’m not a Bucs fan, but if that’s it… I’m really disappointed. I love the throwbacks, but wearing them twice a year or whatever is not reason enough to wear this ugly thing. It would be a major downgrade, IMO.
Warren Sapp told Jim Van Fleet that the helmet depicted in the tweet was “not even close”.
link
You expected him to say, “Yeah, that’s it”?
Not saying that’s definitely the design (my personal hunch is that it’s not). Just saying Sapp’s denial doesn’t mean much.
It’s definitely photoshopped, whether or not that means anything. The buckle for the high-point part of the chinstrap has been erased, likely during the process of adding the logo to the side of the helmet.
I wasn’t expecting Sapp to respond, let alone beyond a simple “no”. If the helmet really is vastly different from the one shown, it’s a testament to the Bucs’ ability to keep the real McCoy under wraps in the Internet age (no pun intended, BTW).
see my response below
this was a concept done by a Reddit user, that a weather man came across and thought it was the actual helmet
link…/my_buccaneers_new_helmet_concept/
here’s the link to the sentinel article
link
Neither of those links are working. I’m still thinking white shell with an orange chrome mask to allow for the creasickles which will make me very sad. I hate the Bucs but the look they have is very nice when they don’t go white over white on the road.
Maddon’s “happy to be lyonnaised’ as Mr. Potato Head. What a great pun. I love Joe Maddon.
Just saw a commercial for the Gwinnett Gladiators (ECHL)upcoming promotion this weekend. They will be wearing artic camo jerseys for “Puck Dynasty” Weekend. link
Turns out Chivas USA isn’t just being rebranded, link and will sell the franchise to a new ownership group.
Regarding branding:
“The club will play as Chivas USA during the 2014 MLS season and will be rebranded with a new team name and logo in connection with the sale to a new owner.”
“Under the terms of the purchase agreement, Mr. Vergara and Ms. Fuentes retain all branding and licensing rights to the Chivas name with MLS permitted to continue using the Chivas USA brand name on a transitional basis.”
Man…cannot wait for the Chivas experiment to be long gone.
Get out of here with that stuff. Time for something much better to happen. LA Gunners? I know ownership at Arsenal has expressed interest in doing such.
Would this hypothetical LA Gunners team have some kind of deal with Axl Rose?
We have a leak, check this out link
such a minor change to the logo I’m pleasantly relieved, here’s hoping the helmet tweak is just as minor.
A minor tweak indeed but still a downgrade IMO. I just hope the helmet isn’t as disappointing. But I’m sure it’ll be as awful as it sounds.
Meh. A minor downgrade. Let’s see the rest of it.
helmet leak here link
it actually isn’t bad, logo would be better on pewter but I do like the logo modification and the word mark I would say is an upgrade if not on an even level. If they keep the current uniform I approve.
I hope that’s not it. The guy who posted it says it was leaked at buccaneers.com, but it’s not anywhere on that site, so it might not be it.
I liked the weather guy’s leak better than that.
Ych. Fail. If that’s the actual proportion, a major downgrade.
Oh no. Sapp and McCoy sure love it, though.
my eyes! the goggles! they do nothing!
Bucs:
link
link
Typeface: big upgrade;
Logo: minor upgrade – less busy, so more feasible for a ten-year-old to try to draw on the back of his math homework, also a diminished bfbs effect, a little lighter which is fitting for a team at a beach location;
Helmet: logo is too freaking big, but at least it does show a modicum of sense in accommodating the helmet vents, chrome facemask is a remarkably poor design element.
They’re still not down to the Vikings, Cards, Jackwagons, or Falcons, but overall it’s not for the better.
As a lifelong BUCS fan, I was DREADING this ‘unveiling’ ever since I heard about it. But, aside from the MASSIVE logo (which itself is an upgrade) & chrome grille (which is just gimmicky & adds NOTHING to the design) I’m, thankfully, not disappointed.
I agree with sean, as a bucs fan I was hoping they wouldn’t try to go near the creamsicle which thankfully they didn’t. it seems very similar to the ravens now as they also have a large helmet decal, I’m just hoping they also go with minimal changes to the uniform with maybe just a modernized nob font, the new battleship logo on the arms to replace the old one and the new wordmark under the collar. if they do that and keep the numbers and colors the same then I think we have a winner. knowing Nike however I fear they go all Seahawks and make the bucs look like an airport ground crew with chrome pewter instead of neon green on red.
As a lifelong Buc fan as well, this helmet makes me want to debate whether not figure skating is a sport some more.
Now I’m going to be dreading what the unis might look like. The brighter red I am not convinced about yet. I liked the darker shade, myself. My only real concern concerning the jerseys would be the very real possibility that the number font will be changed to something goofy as hell.
Pro Football Talk says March 5 for the uniforms.
I am also afraid of a horrible number font especially if they try to keep the chrome trend up. it seems like they’re sticking to just modifying the existing template so there is hope based on what I’ve seen today. Then again a Seahawks fan could’ve said there wouldn’t be big changes prior to the Nike unveil so really it’s a crap shoot.
I kinda wonder, could a chrome face-mask effect ones vision in the sun?
also after looking at the logo again, based on the almost creamsicle orange color of the football (it’s clearly lighter than it was before) I believe the striping on the pants and collar will likely be the same combination of red white and creamsicle. I guess Bucco Bruce is done for good or atleast until the nfl rules change again.
Wordmark, logo update, and helmet all a major downgrade IMO. That new skull just makes me think of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin for some reason. They had a good look and took a huge step back with these. I hope any uniform updates aren’t as big of a step backwards.