Today in the Ticker: Some intentional apostrophe catastrophe action, lots of Pi Day news, and more.
Uni Watch News Ticker for March 15, 2023
Posted in:
Baseball
MLB
- Yesterday was Pi Day, so this article lists some pi-related stats for the Tigers. (From Marcus Hall)
Minors
- The Pensacola Blue Wahoos, affiliate of the Marlins, are really leaning into apostrophe catastrophes. (From Aaron Wigg)
More
- New alternate flag-desecration unis for Louisiana Tech.
- Reader Matthew Rashford says he has a solution for the much-derided Great Britain World Baseball Classic jerseys. He’s drawn a concept jersey based on the flag of the United Kingdom, with “bold, white lettering with red outlining.”
Football
NFL
- Cleveland sports radio host Chris McNeil tweeted a photo for Pi Day yesterday featuring Browns players forming the first few numbers of pi. (From multiple readers)
- Speaking of Pi Day: Here are some Bears with pi-related numbers. (From Marcus Hall)
- Also listed in the Grab Bag: Middleton Middle School in Idaho is asking for the public to submit designs for a new logo to accompany its Vikings team name after discontinuing its use of the Minnesota Vikings’ logo. (From Kary Klismet)
College
- Virginia Head Coach Tony Elliott says he’s in talks with the families of Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry about players wearing their numbers. The three were killed in a campus shooting last year. (From our own Jamie Rathjen)
- Arkansas’s stadium will be getting a new name in 2025. (From @charliehog)
More
- Patrician Academy in Meridian, Miss., has received its rings for winning the state championship last fall. (From Kary Klismet)
- The Quad City Steamwheelers — an arena team — will wear John Deere-style jerseys for John Deere Night on March 17. Additional info here. (From Adam Santic)
Hockey
NHL
- Bruins G Linus Ullmark started Monday’s game against the Red Wings wearing his usual mask. He switched masks during the first intermission to a mask featuring his recently-deceased dog, Baronen. (From Brandon Weir)
Basketball
NBA
- More pi action, NBA edition. (From Marcus Hall)
College
- Here’s one writer’s list of the top 10 costumed mascots in this year’s NCAA men’s tournament. (From Kary Klismet)
- Here’s another writer’s ranking of all 68 men’s tournament teams based on their mascots. (Also from Kary)
- The Pitt logo in the tunnel of the University of Dayton Arena fell to the floor ahead of last night’s men’s First Four game. (From Trevor Williams)
- Speaking of Pitt men’s, they went BFBS last night. (From Andrew Cosentino)
- In that same game, most Mississippi State player had a solid, filled-in state of Mississippi icon above the NOB, while others had an outlined version. (Good spot by Jack Valentine)
G League
- The Wisconsin Herd will be wearing environmentalist-themed jerseys this Friday. (From Brian Kerhin)
Soccer
USA
- New second shirts for the Portland Thorns of the NWSL. (From multiple readers)
- Following up on an item from yesterday: Here’s another look at the new second uniforms for Lexington SC of USL League One.
- New shirts for One Knoxville of USL League One.
International
- England: Here’s the evolution of the Premier League’s sleeve patch. (From John Flory)
- Speaking of the Premier League: Here’s their new ball. (From Kary Klismet)
- Staying in England: New third kits for Bristol City of the EFL Championship. (Also from Kary)
- Switzerland: New 125th-anniversary shirts for BSC Young Boys of the Swiss Super League. (One more from Kary)
More
- Gross: New advertiser for fictional club AFC Richmond from the TV series Ted Lasso. (From Steve Kriske)
Auto Racing
- Here’s a look at the silhouettes of different F1 helmet brands. (From our own Anthony Emerson)
Golf
- Jim Ferree, the model for the Senior PGA Tour logo, died yesterday at the age of 92. (From James Gilbert)
Rugby
- There’s been lots of news of women’s teams in many different sports mothballing white shorts due to menstrual concerns. The Ireland women’s national team is doing so as well. (From Michael Vasinko and Jason Hillyer)
Grab Bag
- Spice and seasoning company McCormick is changing its longstanding package design. (From “Block ‘O Canada'”)
- Cross-listed from the NFL section: Middleton Middle School in Idaho is asking for the public to submit designs for a new logo to accompany its Vikings team name after discontinuing its use of the Minnesota Vikings’ logo. (From Kary Klismet)
- Bowie State University’s women’s bowling team unveiled rings for winning the 2022 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association title. (Also from Kary)
Comments (20)
Hi Paul,
It looks like the horizontal line was there on that specific Mississippi State’s uniform, based on this picture: link
I assume in the one you posted above angle of the photographer was just perfect to hide it when the picture was taken.
Thanks!
OK, thanks. But the back-jersey icon inconsistency is definitely real!
Did I miss something? The only “horizontal line” I’m seeing on the uniform in the photo Brandon linked is the waistline of the player’s shorts.
That item was removed from the Ticker.
I hate to get technical here, but the only issue with that Great Britain concept is that it represents the flag of the United Kingdom, which is different than Great Britain. The United Kingdom is a sovereign nation consisting of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Great Britain is not a nation but an island consisting of England, Scotland and Wales (but not Northern Ireland).
Strangely enough, ballplayers from Northern Ireland don’t play on a United Kingdom baseball team, they play on a combined Ireland team, which represents the Republic of Ireland (the sovereign nation we commonly refer to as “Ireland”, and Northern Ireland (which is actually part of the sovereign nation of the United Kingdom.)
It’s almost as if citizens of Alaska played on the Canadian national team.
While that’s true, Great Britain sports teams (as you correctly point out, technically incorrectly) compete under the UK flag in international competition (e.g., the Olympics, FIBA, gymnastics, etc. Notable exceptions are FIFA and the Commonwealth Games, among others, where the Home Nations compete individually): link.
The flag of Great Britain (link) hasn’t been officially recognized since 1801. Athletes from Northern Ireland have the option of competing for Ireland or Great Britain.
I think you have this the wrong way round.
In the Olympics, for certain, a UK team, *correctly* uses the Union flag, but *incorrectly* uses the name Great Britain.
But athletes from Northern Ireland can, and do, compete in Team GB in the Olympics.
Some athletes from Northern Ireland prefer to compete for Ireland, as is their right.
There is a degree of inconsistency whether Northern Ireland is included in all-Ireland teams (as in Rugby Union) in UK/GB teams (Olympics) or competes on its own (Internatioonal football/soccer)
And, at World Athletics events, the team is officially known as “Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”
Exactly. Though it is not actually that uncommon an arrangement, in particular in relation to Ireland where the Republic and Northern Ireland often form combined governing bodies for sport where it is more practical to do so. Most notably, the current number 1 ranked “nation” in the world in rugby union is an all island Ireland team. In reality, most world sports governing bodies are happy to be flexible with national boarders where convenience dictates that other geographical factors have a greater bearing on the organisation of particular sports.
The Linus Ullmark item is from Saturday’s game. Neither the Bruins nor Red Wings played Monday, as they played a home-and-home on Saturday and Sunday.
“Cleveland sports radio host Chris McNeil”
Wait, @reflog_18 has a radio show now? Didn’t know that, good for him.
Speaking of Pi Day (yesterday), it also happened to fall on Taco Tuesday… So for lunch I had super nachos (Taco Tuesday), and for dinner I had pizza (Pi Day). Needless to say, my belly felt like crap by the time I went to bed.
But my obligations as a good American were fulfilled at least.
Lee
Is it “Steamwheelers”, not “Steamrollers”?
Yes, thanks. Fixed.
I’m torn on the Thorns tattoo style uniforms. Has this style been done before in pro sports? Initial reaction was positive but then someone mentioned Ed Hardy and early 2000s!
“..ranking of all 68 men’s tournament teams based on their mascots.”
Never realized how much the Duke mascot of today resembles a certain costumed character’s action figure likeness from yesteryear:
link
Being an admitted soccer novice, when I look at the new Nike Premier League ball, I wonder why soccer balls don’t have more of a uniformity in grooves and panels? I would think the differences would make the balls perform differently.
“I would think the differences would make the balls perform differently.”
Oh, they absolutely do. I don’t know exactly if you could go so far as to say “it’s a feature, not a bug” but to a certain extent the manufacturers will go out of their way to make balls that “perform” a certain way in order to tout their technological prowess.
Wisconsin Herd promoting environmentalism by creating a single-use jersey?
Was Pitt really BFBS? I know those unis are not school colors but black and yellow is definitely their thing around there.