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New Jersey Design Contest! Reimagining The XFL

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By Phil Hecken

After a bit of a hiatus, I’m pleased to announce our next jersey design contest — this time we’ll be tackling the XFL. As in prior contests, Uni Watch will be partnering with Steve Rosenbeck of Garb Athletics, who will grace the winner of the contest with a jersey based on his or her winning design. Before we get into the nitty-gritty…

Here’s Steve:

After the recent 30 for 30 on the XFL, I became really interested in what the XFL would look like today. According to the documentary, the marketing and branding for the XFL was superior at the time to the NFL. If that trend continued, then you would assume that cutting edge marketing would trickle down to uniform design. Garb Athletics is offering a create the winning designer’s uniform that best captures what the XFL uniforms would look like today.

Thanks, Steve — yes, the XFL was innovative (in some good ways and some bad ways), and it will be remembered for having lasted just one single season in the year 2001. I have to say I watched a game or three, but after the first week of hype, it never really impressed me. We look back now at the uniforms (which you’ll see below), and they don’t appear so radical, but at the time, they definitely “weren’t your daddy’s football league.” All the unis were made by Russell, and what always stood out to me were the weird number fonts used by several of the teams. I’m not sure if the big three uni makers today drew their inspiration from those XFL unis (or at least the fonts and patterns), but it’s not hard to see some parallels between those jerseys and what we have going on in a couple NFL and many college programs. For better or for worse.

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Let’s take a trip down memory lane and see the uniforms of the eight teams that comprised the XFL:

Birmingham Thunderbolts (Bolts)

Uniform graphics can be found here or here.

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Chicago Enforcers

Uniform graphics can be found here or here.

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Las Vegas Outlaws

Uniform graphics can be found here or here.

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Los Angeles Xtreme

Uniform graphics can be found here or here.

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Memphis Maniax

Uniform graphics can be found here or here.

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NY/NJ Hitmen

Uniform graphics can be found here or here.

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Orlando Rage

Uniform graphics can be found here or here.

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San Francisco Demons

Uniform graphics can be found here or here.

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Your job is to envision how one of those XFL jerseys would look if the league were still in operation today — a “TATC” if you will, but to 2017. Would teams have kept the same color schemes? Would the uniforms have gotten more and more ‘crazy’ over time as the league tried to reinvent itself to stay cutting edge? Would the font faces have gotten even more illegible? That’s for you to decide.

The rules will be very similar to the last contest.

THE RULES:

• Design ONLY a jersey (so, no pants, caps, helmets, etc.). If you wish to include a helmet and/or pants as part of your design, that’s fine, but we’ll only be considering the jersey for this contest.

• Pick ONE jersey only (it can be either a dark or white version).

• ONE GRAPHIC PER ENTRY! If you want to show multiple views (front, back, side, etc.) PLEASE INCLUDE THESE IN ONE IMAGE (in other words, don’t send me three separate images please put them all into one graphic).

• You MAY include a description of 100 words or less (anything over 100 words will not be considered). You must specify which team you’re reimagining (even if you don’t include a description).

• Your designs can be created in any digital or analog medium (Illustrator, Photoshop, crayon, whatever) and can be submitted in any standard digital format (JPG, PDF, TIFF, etc.). Make sure your NAME is somewhere on the design.

• ONE entry per person.

DEADLINE/VOTING/WHERE TO SEND:

DEADLINE IS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31 11:59 pm EDT. This is Hallowe’en, so it’s easy to remember and you should have plenty of time to create something awesome.

Depending upon the number of submissions, I hope to have all voting take place at one time, so all entries are considered simultaneously. It may require separate sets. Also depending on the number of entries, we may break this into two rounds (like with previous contests where the top vote getters in a set move on to the finals). Again, this will depend upon how many submissions I receive.

Send all entries to my usual g-mail address (phil [dot] hecken [at] gmail [dot] com). Please put as the subject line: “XFL JERSEY CONTEST”. ONLY SEND ME ONE GRAPHIC/IMAGE. Remember to put your name somewhere on your design. That’s it.

OK? OK! Now get crackin!

Big thanks again to Steve for providing a great prize to the winner. You can follow Garb and check out their work on Facebook, on Twitter or visit their website here.

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What They’re Wearing Today…

The following is a list of some (though by no means all, obviously) uniforms, patches or helmets teams have announced for their games today.

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MLB Playoff Uni Tracking

A few years back, reader Alex Rocklein tracked the MLB Playoffs by uniform — you guys may recall this. Here’s what his 2010 Uni Tracking looked like. Alex also tracked the playoffs for Uni Watch last season as well. Here’s how the 2016 World Series looked.

We welcome Alex back this year, having tracked the playoffs through the Division Series and most of the Championship Series’. He sent me what’s below before the Astros evened their series with the Yankees up at 3-3 last night (I hope to have the complete package for you guys after today’s Game 7 — click the graphics below to enlarge).

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The Ticker
By Anthony Emerson

Baseball News: Mike Chamernik sends along this article about how the Cubs’ “W” flag became an unmistakable symbol of Cubs fandom. … Todd Radom wrote about the origins of Dodger blue (thanks, Phil). … Here’s a look at the World Series Logo being painted on the field at Dodger Stadium (from Bizbo). … We tend to think only of MLB jerseys having the Majestic logo, but here’s a shot featuring Craig Biggio wearing an Astros uni with a Wilson logo (from Michael J. Miller). … We better hope this fan didn’t pay full price for this Jose Altuve jersey (good spot by Chris Mycoskie). … The inventor of the Little League batting helmet, Creighton Hale, has passed away at the ripe old age of 93 (from Tommy Turner).

Football News: The Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport is getting a new carpet design for Super Bowl LII. The article heavily relies on this website devoted to airport carpets (from Michael Blomquist). … An odd 49ers/Buccaneers mashup logo from a high school in Gainseville, Fl., can be spotted in this article about the school’s football coach attempting to convert, for lack of a better word, white supremacists (from Eric Hoey). … After weeks of going all-white, the Browns are going all-brown against the Titans (from Kyle Good, Mike Kavanaugh and Robert Hayes). … The Jaguars will wear their teal alternate uniform on November 5 against the Bengals (from Justin C. Cliburn). The Eagles are going green jerseys over white pants for this Sunday game against Washington (from James Moton). … Jerry Kulig sends along this photo of Wisconsin’s leather helmets. … This is cool: the Patriots had Nike make a sneaker out of game balls from Super Bowl LI, and have unveiled it before this weekend’s game against the Falcons (from Gene Sanny). … We may have seen this before, but just in case: Memphis scholar athletes wear a “Tiger Scholar” patch on their jerseys (from @Serstylz2). … The University of Florida is doing a fan vote for their favorite unis. White helmets have no F on right rather “Gators” on both sides (from @drryanbohannon). … Troy-Athens junior kicker Jeremy Bouford models a pink specialty uni. Each one features @JennaKastBiM on the nameplate (from CandGSports). … Chris Mycoskie points out the 06 on helmet, 6 on the jersey. … In the CFL last evening, the Calgary Stampeders continued pinktober with pink stripes on their pants (from Steve B.). … These are some interesting helmets (I believe for a High School Team). From Ryan Kraemer. … Here’s a sneak peek at the Dwight Clark Day shirts coming to 49ers fans this Sunday (thanks, Brinke).

Hockey News: This is so cool: the San Diego Gulls, AHL affiliate of the Ducks, incorporated their own logo and the Ducks’ logo into the stitching on their jersey crest (thanks, Phil).
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NBA News: Nike is “very concerned” after LeBron’s jersey tore against the Celtics (thanks, Phil). … New Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is “open to suggestions” on changing the Rockets’ uniforms (thanks, Phil). … The Timberwolves released their jersey schedule for home games (thanks to Scott McDonald and everyone else who sent this in). … Speaking of the Wolves, the team made donuts from each player’s jersey. They didn’t forget the Fitbit ad (from Brandon Baumgartner). … The Bucks had retro-inspired shooting shirts for last night’s game. … The Bucks are bringing back their old MECCA court for an October 26 game against the Celtics (thanks, Paul). … Rookie Jonathon Isaac forgot to wear his jersey under his shooting shirt at Wednesday night’s Magic game, his NBA debut (from Mike Chamernik). … … Here’s a good look at the Pelicans’ opening night T-shirt (from James Lee Gilbert). … After starting the season with all white (or gold) vs. color matchups, last evening we had the Pistons and Wizards going color vs. color (from Wm Starr). … Color vs. Color was also the story of the evening with Boston and Philly going blue/green (from Jackie Treehorn). … In addition we had the Hawks & Hornets doing the dark vs. dark uni thing (from Hit The Glass). … The Lakers wore gold on the road last evening (from @EAMarquez87). … The Cavaliers’ JR Smith was caught wearing a Bucks towel (from Mike Chamernik). … The Warriors busted out their throwback uniforms last night in New Orleans.

College Hoops News: Quinnipiac men’s basketball unveiled their new home jerseys (from Logan Reardon). … UMBC men also unveiled their retro-inspired new uniforms. … UMKC added the Kansas City skyline to their new court (from Todd Engle). … New uniforms for the South Alabama Jags (from David Sullivan, Jr.).

Soccer News: German side Fortuna Düsseldorf will wear the anti-racism slogan “Gegen Rechts” (Against Right) instead of their ad for this weekend’s match (from Ed Żelaski‏). … Austria’s 2018 kit features a sublimated mountain design, evoking the Alps.

Grab Bag: Here’s something I didn’t know existed: many countries have a “national racing color.” Cool discovery by @bdh_photos. … Wayne State University has unveiled their new logo set (from Ryan Keberly). … Bryan O’Nolan sends along this piece about medieval fabrics. … North Springs (Ga.) High School’s logo is a modified Michigan State logo with an ‘S’ (from @pwillia). … Cleveland State volleyball went pink for breast cancer awareness (from Ed Żelaski). … Amherst College has a new official logo: the Amherst Mammoth (from @mrmoose12358).

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Comments (33)

    “All the unis were made by Russell…”

    They all have Champion logos on them.

    I still love you, and Paul, and the site, and the work you all put in that allows people like me to point out tiny mistakes.

    Re: Calgary Stampeders ticker about pants stripe last night. They were not pink.

    They did wear their alternate black “Outlaw” uniforms last night. It was there usual alternate pants with the red stripes worn.

    True, it did look similar to the pink spats depending on the light when watching the game on TV. I did have to take a second look. Here are some of the photos from last night showing the stripes were red:

    link

    link

    I have 3 suggestions for New Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta

    1 Leave the Rockets uniforms alone
    2 Buy the San Diego Padres and switch them back to Brown/Yellow
    3 ….then buy the Jacksonville Jaguars and lose that trashy helmet and change their uniforms while you are at it.

    Thanks Mr Fertitta!

    I agree with 2 & 3, but he may as well hit the trifecta. For the love of Moses Eugene Malone, just go back to the ketchup & mustard and the italic “houston”!

    Yes, this year’s Nike unis are a step up from last year’s. And yes, they’re WAY better than the pinstriped angry rocket cartoon monstrosity of the late 90s. Still, it’s time to admit they never should’ve changed their classic look.

    Before anyone dismisses this as the musings of someone hopelessly stuck in the past, let me add that Minnesota (except for the ad patch) has never looked better.

    Right on all fronts. Red/yellow (athletic gold) and royal blue/yellow are criminally underused color combinations. Hell – even the Rockets’ current design is better simply by going ketchup & mustard.

    “They don’t appear so radical (now), but at the time…”

    As a “minor league” football fan, the XFL threads have aged better thank a lot of the Arena / etc things which are best forgotten. (And of course, the NFL Color Rashes.)

    link

    Good choice in photo to make your point. Not just for the Storm in Zubaz, but also because the opponent was the Miami Hooters.

    I remember the Miami Hooters.

    Nobody could ever tell me what they called their cheerleaders, and it’s probably just as well if they didn’t have a name.

    In case the rules weren’t clear — ONE jersey from ONE team. One entry per person.

    Would leave Vegas, Los Angeles and Orlando uniforms alone, loved them. In fact Outlaws colors similar to Vegas Golden Knights.

    This one is tricky…. make some of the worst jerseys look like a today jersey, which, with current trends, will logically be even worse…. and once we do that, if we win…. stay with me here…. we GET A REAL LIFE VERSION of potentially the worst jersey ever in the history of personkind…. hold my beer.

    By the way, as of 12:30ish Eastern Time the site is being a little wacky, at least in the mobile version. Yesterday’s entire post is condensed before today’s comments.

    The full size Firefox version is very wacky as well. Top banner has weird tab titles. When I click to read comments, whole posting re-appears below the original, with a bold font.

    Just some feedback on the Saturday Uniwatch experience. I read this site every day and have done so for at least 7 years (maybe more). I have not only contributed at least 100 or so links, I have done at least 4 submissions that were treated as features.

    Now that you have some background on my level of interest and participation please consider the following:

    Please just post links to the “what will this nike school or that adidas university be wearing” instead of embedding the entire video or picture. By embedding the picture/video it makes the page take FOREVER to scroll through and forces me to look at a ton of crappy merch for “schools” I care nothing about. Perhaps they could just be placed in the football section where they belong.

    I just dont understand why these Saturday “what they will wear” are given special treatment on this site when they occur EVERY miserable week.

    Thanks for hearing me out. I will hang up and listen.

    Valar Morghulis

    Yeah, that’s a good suggestion. I can see my battery power run down as I scroll past all that on my phone.

    Thanks for the input. I’ve been doing it this way for about a year, maybe more, and this is the first complaint — however, I do agree that it really slows the load time.

    I’ll probably skip this ‘feature’ from now on.

    i agree with Toto’s onservation though I usually only visit on weekends. However, I didn’t take it as a complaint but constructive and fair feedback.

    One of the great things about this uniwatch community is posters seem to voice opinions and Paul and his staff post replies that are maturely stated and not snarky nor rude.

    I dare say this might be the tamest and most pleasant website on the WWW.

    Cheers!

    With regards to the XFL contest, if anybody needs more references for the original uniforms, there’s the link, and SportsLogos.net has link, of course.

    Michigan back to wearing the maize pants on the road, at least against Penn State tonight. They look sooooooooo much better that way…the white pants they’ve been wearing on the road the last 2-3 years need to be mothballed forever.

Comments are closed.