For all photos, click to enlarge
I confess that I do not watch many Miami Marlins games. So when reader Tariq Khero recently asked if I had any thoughts on second baseman Jazz Chisholm’s sunglasses, I had no idea what he was talking about. But as I quickly learned, Chisholm does indeed wear shades unlike anything else currently being worn on a big league diamond (at least to my knowledge). It creates a pretty cool look when he’s in the field:
It turns out that the eyewear is the least of it, because Chisholm has all sorts of additional uni-notable things going on. How many? Let’s count:
1. As you can see in the photo above, he wears a lot of necklaces.
2. His glove is accented in the Marlins’ shade of blue:
3. So is his hair:
4. He sometimes (but not always) wears purple batting gloves and shoes, even though purple isn’t a Marlins color:
5. He’s worn at least four different shinguard colors so far this season (and wore at least one additional color last season):
6. He’s occasionally worn these Nike tights with a gigantic maker’s mark (along with black Stance socks with a tiny maker’s mark):
7. He’s occasionally done the Hunter Pence thing where he wears his pant cuffs above the knee:
8. He has JrOB (which isn’t all that unusual, of course, but it somehow seems appropriate in light of all the other stuff):
———
Obviously, not all of those things are positive, and a few are absurd. Either way, though, Jazz Chisholm — a great name, right? — has a lot going on, uni-wise.
And I still like the shades.
(My thanks to Tariq Khero for bringing Chisholm’s eyewear stylings to my attention.)
ITEM! New AMA installment: This week’s Bulletin article is my quarterly “Ask Me Anything” edition, where I answer questions posed by Uni Watch readers.
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GWU Hippos — coming soon? George Washington University announced yesterday that it will discontinue its “Colonials” team name in about a year. No word yet on what the new name will be, but Uni Watch reader and GWU alum Austin Meo has a hunch:
I think a majority are leaning toward “Hippos,” which has been a de facto secondary logo for the university for a few years now. We even have merchandise in the university store with it, including sweatshirts and stuffed hippos, some going for hundreds of dollars each.
The hippo’s backstory is funny: We have a hippo statue on one corner of campus [shown above]. As the legend goes, one night our old university president purchased it at an antiques store. When he brought it home, his wife told him she wouldn’t keep it in the house, so he donated it to the school. Or at least that’s the story we were told to say as tour guides back in the day.
I love that. Are there any other schools out there that call their teams the Hippos? According to Google, just one — a high school in Texas (although the University of Missouri-KC pretended to switch from Roos to Hippos as an April Fool’s stunt a few years back). So if GWU goes this route, they’d have “Hippos” all to themselves at the college level.
I’m totally rooting for that outcome. Go Hippos!
The Ticker
By Paul
Indigenous Appropriation News: Some Connecticut schools have decided to forgo state funding rather than change their Native American team names (from Kary Klismet).
Baseball News: Old letters spelling out “Milwaukee County Stadium,” which had been in the hands of a private collector after that stadium’s demolition, have been purchased by the Brewers (from Jeff Ash). … White Sox 1B José Abreu used a towel to create a shady spot for himself in the team’s dugout yesterday (from Trevor Williams). … Here’s a unusually good view of how Rays OF Randy Arozarena has the back of his pant cuffs impaled on his spikes (from @uniformcritic).
Football News: Several Giants WRs wore red “no contact” jerseys at a recent practice due to nagging injuries. … Contrary to earlier plans, the Rams will not have a new uniform this season. … Here’s this season’s uni schedule for the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Additional details here (thanks to all who shared). … New helmets for Central Washington.
Hockey News: With the Stanley Cup Final(s) starting last night, here’s how the new Final(s) logo patch looked on both teams’ jerseys. … The NHL has revealed the logos for next season’s Winter Classic, All-Star Game, and Stadium Series game. … Here are the inaugural uniforms for the six teams in 3ICE, a new three-on-three league that kicks off this Saturday and is basically the hockey version of the BIG3 basketball circuit.
Basketball News: Here are the uni numbers for UNC men’s incoming freshmen.
Soccer News: MLS players will wear Juneteenth-themed uni numbers and pregame shirts this weekend (thanks, Phil and Jamie). … New Mexican-American-themed kit for the USL Championship’s San Diego Loyal (from Brandon Wright-Rowan). … The next three are from our own Jamie Rathjen: New home shirt for Scottish side Hibernians. … Another Scottish club, Stenhousemuir, has opted to stick with its kits from last season, explaining that this will help to “control the cost of living for our fans.” Think about that for a minute. … The Premier League has unveiled its 2022-23 ball design. … New home and away shirts for English side Ipswich Town (from Ed Zelaski). … Also from Ed: New home kit for Welsh side Swansea City. … The rest of these are from Kary Klismet: Portsmouth FC of England’s League One is selling off old seats from Fratton Park as part of ongoing renovation work to the historic stadium. … New home kits for Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon. … New home kits for Liga MX club Monterrey. … New away kits for Liga MX club Chivas. … New kits for Turkish side Sivasspor. … New away kits for English Championship side Rotherham United. … New home kits for Leganés of Spain’s Segunda División.
Grab Bag: A Colorado company is making uniforms designed specifically for female firefighters. … As Nike marks its 50th anniversary, here’s a well-written analysis of the brand’s history and how it “has become part of the root system that underlies the culture.” … New flag for Cook County, Ill. (from Jordan Cutler). … Here’s why Nurse Chapel wears a different uniform in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. … New rugby league uniforms for Nadi Panthers and BTS Eagles of Papua New Guinea (from Kary Klismet). … New visual identity for Allegheny College Athletics (from @15IndyIN). … Here are this year’s ballperson uniforms for Wimbledon (thanks, Phil).
There is an open bold tag to be closed.
Fixed.
Really glad my university spent money changing a name for really no reason. The Indians, Chiefs, Braves, Redskins, I all support moving away from but for a university to spend resources altering their athletic mascot when they haven’t fielded a competitive D1 team in a decade is a little absurd. Let alone the improvements that could be made to academics or facilities. Hippos would be an awful rebrand, give me the Continentals.
Not a school, but one of the first-league baseball teams from Brno, Czech Republic is called the Hippos (“Hroši” in Czech). Always thought it was a curious mascot.
‘New home kit for English side Swansea City.’
Swansea City are a Welsh side that play in the English system.
Thanks. Fixed.
Wow, I was really enjoying Chisholm’s stylings until we got to number 4. Not necessarily an anti-purple sentiment, but rather that non uniform gear worn on the field should at least be in one of the team’s colors. Then of course the gross giant Nike ad. All that said, definitely love the shades, glove, and hair stylings.
Re: the GW Colonials, does anyone know the origin of the name? I had assumed it was referring to the Colonial Army, which of course is actually called the Continental Army. In that case how about the Continentals?
I’m not a fan when players wear shoes and other things that aren’t a color of their team. The NBA has jumped the shark, allowing players to wear whatever color shoes they want. Steph Curry’s purple shoes makes no sense, and looks terrible. However, I was wondering what the rules are for MLB? Is Jazz Chisholm breaking the rules, or is this approved and we’ll probably see more of this?
I wish colleges would start to focusing on lowering their prices as opposed to changing their school monikers. From my understanding the term colonials represents the Colonists fighting in the Revolutionary War. I’m all for changes if deemed necessary, but I think we as a society need to start focusing on the things that actually matter.
I wish colleges would start to focusing on lowering their prices as opposed to changing their school monikers.
Actually, those two things are not mutually exclusive. Let’s please not set up false either/or choices. Thanks.
As a GW alum, I’ve wanted to see the end of the Colonials nickname since freshman orientation. The whole point of Washington’s public career was to stop being a colonial subject. Nobody fighting for independence thought of themselves as Colonials. GWU Colonials makes as much sense as Lincoln High Rebels. The soldiers Washington led were Continentals. That should have been the nickname all along. Hippos is fine, too, in that it’s commensurate in dignity with the quality of GWU athletics. Reminds me of a Harper’s article I read in the 1980s or 90s in which scholars polled people in various countries about what they liked to see in a painting. For Americans, the preferences were for historical figures, exotic animals, and landscapes. The scholars commissioned artists to paint pictures to satisfy the various countries’ preferences, and the American one featured George Washington leading a hippo to a watering hole in a mountain forest.
Regarding tuition, GWU has long been the largest private landowner in DC. The price of undergrad tuition has nothing to do with the athletic nickname, nor with the university’s need for income to cover expenses. It’s all about market forces, which means that any solution is a matter of legislation and public policy, not the goodwill of any particular institution.
For the home uniform schedule of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, June 24 is notable.
-The Blue Bombers are wearing white at home. Doing this because it is the Hamilton Tiger-Cats coming to town. The last 2 Grey Cup games featured the Blue Bombers wearing white and defeating the Tiger-Cats.
Also, the Bombers will wear white over the royal blue pants on June 24. The blue pants were unveiled for the new alternate uniforms. White over royal blue is a new uniform combo. See they will also be wearing the socks with stripes that are part of the alternate uniforms.
link
Interesting uni find by Chris Creamer. I have never seen that Warriors design before, my guess would have been incorrect photoshop, but given Foyle started his career with the Warriors, and his rookie year was when they adopted that look, that can’t be the case.
Fellow GW alum (twice over) here…a few notes:
Colonials was apparently an homage to George Washington.
I heard the same story of the Hippo’s origin. The school made up a story about how Washington himself brought Hippos to bathe in the Potomac River. I think there is a trademark issue preventing a full and official adoption of “Hippos” unlikely.
Personally never been a big fan or opponent of the name. I’d be fine with “Hippos” over any generic bs pseudo “just honoring the military” name like “Warriors”.
Surprised the Hippos moniker is not more common. Hippos are one of the deadliest animals on the planet. There are plenty of Lions, Jaguars, Bears, etc, large mammals that are used as nicknames/mascots. Why not Hippos? Is it because the name is funny sounding? Hippopotamus is objectively a funny word.
Go Go Hippos! Let’s go Hippos! Hip Hip Hooray for the Hippos!
I like this. More Hippos, please!
“Hungry-hungry Hip-POES!!! Hungry-hungry Hip-POES!!!” I’ve seen the commercial; this cheer is a natural.
The animal though seems to be thought of as big, dopey, funny creatures that like to eat watermelons in one bite. Not a “typical” image for a university sports program. GWU has repeatedly tried to make the leap to a big-time program and I doubt the leadership (and uniform manufacturers) will think “Hippos” can help. Again, I’d be fine with “Hippos”! It’s fun, unusual and instantly recognizable.
I doubt GW will go any kind of generic-military route. An undergrad friend of mine was in the Army ROTC, which doesn’t exist on campus, so he had to do all his Army stuff at Georgetown. There is a Navy ROTC program, but Washington himself was famously not an admiral. Fun fact: Young Washington wanted to join the Royal Navy, but his maniacally overweening mother (herself now a mascot for the Fredericksburg Nationals) refused to let him go.
Given that GW hasn’t had a football program in forever, if they can’t use Hippos or Continentals, then I support a football term. The GW QBs! Or follow another old collegiate tradition and just adopt the distinctive colors as the nickname: The GW Buff & Blue. It’s right there in the school song: “Hail to the buff, hail to the blue, hail to the Buff and Blue!”
Maybe they could combine Hippos and the river in Washington and be the “Hippopotomacs.”
So what kind of shades does Jazz Chisholm wear? I’d like to look into getting a pair.
I love Chisholm’s onfield style, but just a quick comment on his Jr. I get why players do this, but I always link the Jr. with the first name. When it’s linked to a last name on a jersey I always think: Wouldn’t we all be Jrs?
As a Portuguese league fan, pretty disappointed two of the big clubs (sporting and porto) have a betting ad. I can’t explain why it’s any worse than, say, a telecom ad placement, but betting shirt ads seem much more ‘low rent’ to me. I realize there’s some cognitive dissonance for me on this thing lol
Completely agree: get rid of betting companies sponsoring sport teams. It cheapens the shirt and adds to widespread gambling addictions. I am not making this up, surveys in different countries around the world have proven this. We do not carry tobacco companies or alcoholic beverages on our shirts, extend it to betting companies. Just as addictive.
I LOVE Jazz’s blue tipped glove. Wish that was more common in the MLB. Very fun player as well
I’m old enough to remember when when Lance Parrish and Rick Dempsey (a very fun player as well, especially during rain delays) had mitt accents in team colors ; )
Since the teal is off the table, I wish the Marlins would increase their usage of Miami Blue.
Jazz is fun. It also helps that he’s a really good player. I do wonder how his flair would be received by teammates and fans if he were slumping or if he only had average talent.
Baseball needs more players like Jazz. But his choice of big logo socks is not in great taste.
Regarding Continentals (too much like a car or a hotel) or Hippos (nice, if more for a junior high school or a summer league team): what about Presidents as a nickname for GWU? Go Prez!
In the first paragraph about Chisholm, I’m guessing it should be “on the field” not “in the field”.
I meant “in the field,” as opposed to “at bat” (because he doesn’t wear the shades when batting).
I live about 2 miles from the Hutto Hippo stadium and it’s very fitting they are the only team (currently) in existence with that moniker. Everyone in that town has a hippo statue, there are giant hippos everywhere you go, and it’s genuinely an obsession. I kinda love it.
I’m not a big hockey fan and unfamiliar – is Stanley Cup Final and Finals interchangeable, or is there a “correct” way to refer to it. I like the NBA and know they use plural and wondering the reasoning behind writing the NHL one as Final(s).
The official NHL name is “Final,” but I think that’s silly because everyone says “Finals.” So I write it in a way that acknowledges both the official name and the more common vernacular.
Chisholm’s glove is not just accented in marlins colors, it’s modeled after an ice cream cone.
He is the company’s “director of culture”
link
If he’s the company’s “director of culture,” one would think his glove should be modeled after a frozen yogurt cone. ;)
“has become part of the root system that underlies the culture.”
More undermines than underlies…
Two Star Trek ticker items in two days? Is that a first?
(I should have commented on it yesterday, but that ranking combined the TNG and DS9/Voyager uniforms as though they are the same, which invalidates the whole exercise as far as I’m concerned.)
Agree completely. I didn’t make that comment because it felt like too deep of a nerd dive.
(I would have also distinguished between s1/2 TNG and s3-7 TNG because even though they were similar the subtle changes in s3 turned them from disposable crap into the best look ever. But that would have been an even deeper nerd dive)
RE: Ticker
It’s just Hibernian, not “Hibernians”! (Slightly confusing, as their nickname is Hibs.)
The Continentals: can’t stop picturing Christoper Walken on SNL.
I have never seen the word moniker used more in a story than that one about GWU.
“Monikers” as a nickname would be very very in with the campus culture of GWU as I experienced it in the 1990s!
New Eagles wordmark. link
The Philadelphia Eagles have decided to acquiesce and make it easier for Nike’s factories to create their merchandise
link
There’s nothing wrong with calling a team the Colonials or anything else from that era in American history; Continentals, Patriots, Minutemen, Revolution etc.