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Posts filed under 'Logo Creep'
Every now and then a debate breaks out in the comments section about the precise definition of logo creep. As the guy who came up with the term, I feel reasonably qualified to define it as follows: Logo creep is visual clutter formed by the unnecessary proliferation of logos where they don’t belong. This can include maker’s marks, league logos, and other sorts of gratuitous logotypes. And have I got a doozy of an example for you today.
Here’s the scoop: As you no doubt recall, the NFL instituted a new rule last season requiring the one radio-equipped helmet on the offensive side of the ball to be adorned with a green sticker (which led to my receiving an endless stream of “What’s that green dot?” e-mails last season, but that’s another story). As you may also recall, there was talk a few months ago of allowing one defensive helmet to be radio-equipped as well. That led many folks to wonder if a corresponding green dot would appear on the defensive side of the ball.
Judging by this photo from the first day of Giants camp, the answer is yes. That’s Antonio pierce wearing the telltale green sticker. But it looks a little smudgy, no? Is there some dirt on the dot, or maybe something printed on it?
It’s tough to tell for sure in that photo. Fortunately, I’m able to provide you with a better view. Here’s what the sticker looks like up close.
This isn’t the stupidest thing the NFL has ever done, but that’s only because they tried to keep Mike Nolan from wearing a suit. Like, seriously, do these people have the NFL logo tattooed on their dicks or what? Do they sit around an NFL logo-shaped table while munching on NFL logo-shaped macaroons and ponder new places to apply the NFL logo? Are they aware that the average NFL player already wears the league’s logo on his jersey, pants, helmet, gloves, towel, wristbands, and those little stretchy bands that Jeremy Shockey likes to wear on his biceps to show what a studmuffin he is?
There’s something about this whole enterprise that reeks of everything that’s wrong with the NFL (and with a lot of other corporate enterprises that spin out of control). For starters, who needs radio-equipped helmets anyway? Larynxes and hand signals and worked fine for decades. Then radio-equipped helmets begat the problem of multiple radio-equipped helmets, so they came up with the rule that there could only be one electronically wired helmet on the field at a time. Which in turn meant they had to come up with the green dots, which looked like shit because they didn’t match any team’s color scheme except the Seahawks’. And now the green dot has been imprinted with a design that looks like a smudge from a distance and looks pathetic up close.
The technology-driven progression here reminds me of instant replay, which seemed like a good idea until it led to lengthy delays, coaches who didn’t know which plays were and weren’t reviewable, teams that would hurry to the line and snap the ball just to prevent the opposing team from asking for a review, bad calls that couldn’t be challenged because the coach had already used up his allotment of challenges, refs who didn’t remember where the ball should be placed after they’d ruled on a challenge, and little red flags that revealed the horrible truth about NFL coaches (namely that they all throw like girls, at least when tossing a red challenge flag). It’s like there’s something about the NFL that makes them take every idea to its most ridiculous extreme until they’ve sapped every ounce of potential enjoyment from the situation. I still like football, but they’re making it harder and harder.
In happier news, I attended yesterday’s Mets/Cards game in the company of my good friend The Rev. Nørb, who’s smarter than everyone at NFL HQ put together — a fact clearly demonstrated by the two installments of his seminal food and drink manifesto, “Rev. Nørb’s Keen Cusine,” which you can enjoy here and here. It has nothing to do with uniforms, but it’s brilliant in precisely the same way that a logo-emblazoned green dot is idiotic, and therefore serves as a handy antidote for these troubled times.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Any further discussions of “the worst baseball uniform ever” will have to reckon with the uni that Dylan Horowitz has turned up. Look, if you dare, here. … Really interesting article here about the guy who makes Ichiro’s gloves (with thanks to Jeremy Brahm). … My recent ESPN column on the 1998 futuristic game between the Royals and Mariners inspired gumball helmet maven Bill Jones to create these. He’s also got lots of updated logo sheets available for sharing, as you can see here. … More Iowa State Baseball Tourney observations from Jesse Gavin: a cool, kinda Negro Leagues-esque cap worn by Grandview Park Baptist; award decals being used by Johnston; and lots of very flat brims. … On the subject of logo-emblazoned socks, Karl Krekeler found these UPS hose. … If you go to this link and then click to page 32, you’ll find an article on the designer who created the Astros’ tequila sunrise design (with thanks to John Weghorst). … Brad Foster nominates the CFL’s now-defunct Memphis Mad Dogs in the “worst jersey ever” sweepstakes (here’s another shot). … Pretty damn cute. … Get this: The first time an Atlanta police detective solves a case, he’s rewarded with a fedora. Additional info and photos here (great find by Brent Hardman). … Last year I wrote about how Carlos Gomez had worn a cap that was a weird hybrid of the Mets’ road and alt caps (blue brim, but that version of the “NY” logo usually appears only on the solid black cap; details here). I assumed it was a one-time manufacturing glitch by New Era, but apparently it’s at least a two-time glitch, because Casey Moses found the same hybrid design in a store (additional pics here, here and here). “It was the only one of its kind at the store, so I bought it as a novelty, even though it’s not my size,” he says. … This story about former Czech president Vaclav Havel includes the following: “And what, if anything, disappoints Havel with the state of contemporary capitalist culture, whose forces he helped unleash as a dissident? ‘I do not like the ads on the shirts of hockey or football players,’ he said. ‘You’d think Coca-Cola is playing against Pepsi Cola.’” I assume he’s talking about European hockey and soccer there, and he’s right (great find by Bryant Robinson). … Hmmm, got logo creep? Looks like they worked in just about every manufacturer (with thanks to Wayne Yeung). … Speaking of logo creep, David Sonny points out that the Reebok logo is front and center on this Sporting News cover photo, which is interesting because the MLB undershirt license actually belongs to Nike, not Reebok — wonder whether it was Yunel Escobar or TSN who was responsible for that little maneuver. … On Friday I quoted a reader asking whether any football teams had replaced their primary helmet logos with anniversary logos. But as many readers immediately pointed out, lots of college teams wore the NCAA’s “100″ mark in 1969, including Ole Miss, ’Bama, ASU, Navy, and many more (thanks to Jim Parker for those pics, and please let’s not have everyone posting every single example — we all get the idea). … Lots of really cool old-timey sports T-shirts available here. I especially like this one (with thanks to Dusty McGowan). … Big news from Steve Dewing (whose baseball photo site remains essential viewing): He’s got a new site devoted to old hockey photos. Check it out here. … Some great new baseball revelations from Steve too, including Chris Spier wearing an Astros helmet in the 1972 All-Star Game and Denny McLain as a Brave. … Interesting NOB here (courtesy of Johnny Garfield) — note that it’s “Miller, M.” instead of “M. Miller.” Anyone know more about this? … Brinke Guthrie notes that several of the Giants’ recent call-ups seem to have their uni numbers riding a tad low. … Reprinted from Saturday’s comments: Cool slideshow of the Oklahoma football equipment room here. … Also from Saturday: Indiana assistant hoops coach Bennie Seltzer wore the team’s candy-striped warmup pants to get recruits’ attention at a recent summer camp. Details here. … Interesting note from eagle-eyed Josh Edney regarding yesterday’s Phils/Braves game, which had a two-hour rain delay: “The umps started out the game in their powder blue shirts, including home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez, whose shirt was No. 61, even though his number is listed on the MLB web site as 72. When the rain delay concluded, the umps returned to the field wearing black shirts, and Marquez’s had his proper number.” … Mark Mihalik’s footwear site has an interesting tidbit regarding Bronson Arroyo’s swooshes. … Mets-hating Phillies fans should dig this and this, both available here (with thanks to Morris Levin). … The B.C. Lions will be wearing a memorial decal in honor of former team exec Bob Ackles. Details here (courtesy of Alex Tepperman). … Jeremy Brahm reports that the Japanese volleyball team will be wearing this in Beijing. … Several jillion readers wrote in to tell me that Xavier Nady’s uni number and helmet number didn’t match on Saturday. Also, the last item on this page reads like so: “The [Yanks’] new left-handed reliever Dámaso Marte was issued No. 34, with the blessing of the injured pitcher Phil Hughes, who had no luck with the number early this season. Xavier Nady took No. 29, last worn by pitcher Kei Igawa, who was dropped from the 40-man roster.” … Becky Taylor has crated a huge gallery of Georgia high school sports photos — some that she’s taken herself, some scanned from yearbooks she’s collected. … And Hadyn Green has scanned a bunch of photos from old rugby almanacs. … “I was going through some old issues of Pro magazine,” writes Michael Princip. “The Aug. 17, 1978 issue had an article on George Brace and the portraits he did of 1931 Chicago Bears players. Great read [here and here], as well as photos [here and here].” … Terry Proctor along a bunch of pics of the 1956-57 Rochester Royals — note the striped shorts. “Sort of a ‘Globetrotters-meets-NBA’ look to the whole set, he says. … Latest team to wear their BP jerseys for a regular-season game: the Rays yesterday. Even worse, they did while playing the Royals, who were wearing their powder blues, resulting in a pathetic spectacle that was unworthy of MLB status. … Lots of news (much of which we’ve already heard) regarding NHL alts here. … Good story here about America’s last remaining baseball glove factory. … Against all reason (but much to my delight), graphic artists continue to depict baseball players wearing stirrups. Latest example is here. … Absolutely stomach-turning sight, at least for me: Bowie Kuhn wearing a Mets cap. … The more you look through the Sporting News archives, the more you find that the old mag was way into uni-watching, as seen in this 1969 clipping regarding Ken Harrelson’s NOB (great find by John Schaefer). … Two interesting field hockey shots from Tris Wykes: First, rather unusual socks on display here. And what was Kecoughtan High from Hampton, Virginia, thinking when they outfitted their goalkeeper? … Jeremy Sowers looked particularly sharp yesterday. … “So I popped open my Hockey News this week, and the contents page showed Brian Rolston’s nameplate being applied,” writes T.J. Leibowitz (who also sent along some pics of Japanese Little Leaguers wearing stirrups and Asian uni numbers). … “This article seems to argue (midway down, right around the white jersey with LUFC in cursive) that Leeds United’s manager at the time (Don Revie) started manufacturer’s logo creep on soccer jerseys in Britain,” says Andrew Connor. … “Here is a pic of my grandpa, John Novosel, who played for the 1941 Springfield Browns, writes Scott Novosel. “They were a minor league team for the St. Louis Browns that played in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. That year he batted .302 and a scout from the New York Giants came down to see him play. The scout asked the Browns how much it would cost for him. The Browns said $60,000, and the scout said, “No thanks, for that much money, we got a guy who is pretty good in right field.” He was referring to Mel Ott.” … By now you’ve seen that Aquafina commercial with Lou Piniella a few dozen times (if not, it’s here), but Doug Simpson noticed something that nobody else had brought to my attention: The pitcher who’s backing up third base at the very beginning of the ad has no uni number. … The Red Sox have previously flown a Jolly Roger flag in their bullpen, but now they’ve modified it somewhat, as seen here (with thanks to Randy Williams). … “I took this photo at Fenway Saturday,” writes Jere Smith. “As you can see, Ortiz seems to have a flame/torch decal on his bat. He had this bat in BP and, as shown here, on deck during the game. It appears to be red, yellow, and green from left to right, like the Rastafarian flag. I’ve never seen any decal like this on a bat during a game before.” … Speaking of Big Papi, it’s one thing to mark your helmet with a memorial tribute to a deceased family member, teammate, or friend. But I think doing it for a family member of a former teammate, as Ortiz did on Friday night, is pushing it. That inscription on his helmet read, “RIP 45,” for Pedro Martinez’s father — well-meaning, yes, but I say it’s a bit much. … Tigers and Chisox wore Negro Leagues throwbacks on Saturday (additional pics here, here, here, here, here, here, and here). … What the hell is this? Did the Twins really wear this in 1968, as the seller contends, or — as I suspect — is it just a scam? Details, please (as found by Jeff Barak). … Eric Sun notes that Geno Espineli doesn’t just have picture-perfect stirrups, he’s completing the old-school look with a Spalding glove and Puma spikes.
July 28th, 2008
Tomorrow is Independence Day. I always like to call it that — Independence Day, not the 4th of July — because that’s what the holiday is about, after all: our independence from the British crown. It’s a special day, an important day. If you haven’t read the Declaration of Independence lately, I suggest that you do so — it’s a pretty stirring document, and it serves as a compelling reminder that we always need to be vigilant, because liberty is a fragile thing, something we have to nurture and protect from anything that threatens it.
As it happens, I myself have recently identified precisely such a threat, an evil seed that bids to lay waste to everything we hold dear. And I can assure you that I plan to do everything within my power to expunge this threat from the face of this earth.
I am referring, of course, to Ronnie Belliard’s socks.
In case you missed it (as I did myself, until there was a brief mention of it in yesterday’s comments), Belliard — who usually goes pajama-pantsed — hiked up his cuffs on Tuesday night, revealing the mark of the beast on his stockings. Although it’s hard to be sure, it appears that this wasn’t an isolated incident (that photo is from Sunday).
This isn’t the first time the scourge of logo creep has afflicted MLB hose. Back in 2005, I identified at least at least four players with the Rawlings logo on their socks: Kelvim Escobar, Orlando Cabrera, Paul Byrd (here’s another view of him), and Joe Crede. At the time, I worried that we’d soon start seeing sock-borne maker’s marks throughout MLB diamonds. Fortunately, that hasn’t come to pass, but Belliard’s legwear is a reminder that we can’t take lower-leg tranquility for granted.
And to think this team is called the Nationals.
Why is this so important? Because socks are just about the only brand-free oasis remaining on the baseball diamond. Think about it: Jerseys are visibly branded, along with pants, shoes, fielder’s gloves, batting gloves, catching gear, and undershirts (not always, but the chest swoosh is often exposed to view). The only things that aren’t logo-creepy are headwear (well, usually) and socks. Socks are also unbranded — at least for now — in the other major pro sports leagues.
And it damn well better stay that way. Because if there’s one thing this country stands for, it’s freedom, and that definitely includes freedom from advertising-infested hosiery. Rise up, my fellow Americans! Whether it means dumping boxes of socks into Boston Harbor, driving a bullpen buggy through the countryside while shouting, “The sock swooshes are coming! The sock swooshes are coming!,” or burning Ronnie Belliard in effigy (maybe just from the knees down), we must take arms against this savage incursion. Repeat after me, fellow citizens: Give us advertising-free socks, or give us death.
Uni Watch Calender Correction: Yesterday I mentioned the possibility of convening a Uni Watch gathering in Manhattan after the Don Larsen perfect game screening “next Tuesday, July 10th” — a tricky concept, since next Tuesday is the actually 8th. Oops. The correct day/date is next Thursday, the 10th. So let’s try this again: If there’s sufficient interest among NYC readers, we can have a Uni Watch confab at 8:30ish on July 10th at Jimmy’s Corner on West 44th. If this appeals, send me a note.
Uni Watch News Ticker: The Giants and Cubs apparently couldn’t wait until the holiday weekend to start wearing the star-spangled caps — further evidence that almost every idea gets taken too far these days. Meanwhile, Chris Bruggeman reports that Ryan Dempster had some XYZ issues during that game. Several Cubs fans apparently noticed it and e-mailed the broadcast team, leading Len Kasper and Bob Brenly to discuss the situation. I don’t have access to the Cubs broadcast feed, alas, but Chris says that at one point Brenly quipped, “If [Dempster] pitches a shutout, I think the whole staff will go out to greet him with their barn doors open.” … In a related item, the Pedro porthole was in full force last night in St. Looey. … In yesterday’s entry on tags and labels, I quoted Terry Proctor thusly: “For the NBA or NFL teams that SandKnit outfitted, they would say something like, ‘Custom-Crafted by Medalist SandKnit for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association’ (or whatever the appropriate team was).” That prompted Doug Rogers to send along a photo of the label from one of his old Vikings jerseys — check it out. Notice anything amiss? They got it right on this one. … Brooks Robinson was presented with an All-Time Gold Glove on Tuesday night. York Revolution players wore “B. Robinson” nameplates in his honor (with thanks to Chris Laughman). … Good observation here about an update to the Hornets’ logo (with thanks to Ernie Ballard). … Another great job by Nike (with thanks to Christian Ruzich). … The Mid-American Conference has a new logo (with thanks to Tom Konecny). … Odd observation from Ellen Schmidt, who notes that Greg Dobbs was wearing eye black early in one of the recent Phils/Rangers games but had removed it later in the game. … Who picks the Twins’ uniforms each day? Answer here (with thanks to Joe Drennan). … LI Phil found something interesting: a site that’s sort of a soda bottle version of Uni Watch. The home page is here. … Also from Phil (reprinted from yesterday’s comments): a bearded Yankee! Must’ve been from one of Thurman’s periodic “I’m gonna fuck with Steinbrenner” phases. … Another smoking athlete (but not in uniform): Sean Avery (courtesy of Andrew Jobe). … Check out what the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings (arenafootball2) will be wearing for the 4th of July. … More news on SMU’s new football togs here, here, here, here, here, here, and here (with thanks to Chris Mycoskie and Tod Meisner). … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: More hoops jerseys with crotch extensions. That’s Washington coach Tippy Dye checking out the team’s uniforms. … Also from yesterday: Full gallery here of the West Michigan Whitecaps’ Darth Vader jerseys. … Yet another noteworthy bit from yesterday’s comments: Numberless catcher? Nope, it’s just Bengie Molina, who combines two rarities: a catcher wearing No. 1 and a really thick vertical strap. … Hey, speaking of graphics on MLB hosiery, check out the stirrups in this photo from Bill Henderson’s CD. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a uni number sewn into the bottom of the strap like that. Also can’t say I recall seeing the ’Stros wearing stars on their calves — hmmmm. … The Brewers and Pirates will wear Negro Leagues throwbacks on Saturday (with thanks to Jeff Ash). …Ever heard of the National Indoor Football League or the United Indoor Football League? Yeah, me neither, but Marc Viquez says a team called the Fort Wayne Freedom belonged to both of those leagues, and he recently spotted one of their helmets for sale at an Indianapolis shop. … Admirably detail-obsessive observation from Brandon Davis, who writes: “It appears that MLB started adding the TM symbol to the MLB logo on the back of batting helmets in 2006, the same time teams started wearing CoolFlo helmets.”
Holiday Schedule: Uni Watch will be closed tomorrow. Bryan will handle the weekend, as usual. See you all next week, and try not to blow off too many of your fingers with fireworks.
July 3rd, 2008
New ESPN column today. It’s my Cubs treatise, and I can pretty well guarantee that it includes at least one item that will surprise just about everyone reading this. Here’s the link.
I’m not the only one who’s been in a Chicago state of mind lately. As several readers informed me yesterday, our good friends at Nike have taken a keen interest in the Windy City. So keen, in fact, that they’ve slapped 10 large advertising decals, including the one shown above, onto Chicago’s lakefront path. And in an impressive display of efficiency and focus, the swooshkateers didn’t waste time bothering to ask anyone’s permission (because, obviously, it would never have been granted). Further nauseating details here.
You shouldn’t have to hate Nike as much as I do to be completely offended by this latest display of corporate hubris. This is vandalism of a public space, period, and should be treated as such: Local officials should charge Nike with a crime, because that’s exactly what it is.
Meanwhile, I wonder if Nike remembers that Chicago is also the city where marathoner Robert Cheruiyot suffered a concussion after slipping on an advertising decal at the Chicago Marathon finish line. What a wonderful bit of synergy for their jogging-path ad campaign!
Raffle Reminder: I’m currently raffling off two pairs of tickets to a Manhattan screening of Don Larsen’s perfect game, including the original commercials. For details, look here.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Someone please sign this guy, quick (with thanks to stirrup-spotter Drew Samuelson). … What does Lance Armstrong do with his Tour de France yellow jerseys? He frames them (with thanks to Eric Stangel). … Rob Gugliotta notes that the “NBA” icon on the Celtics’ championship banners is sometimes solid, sometimes not. Anyone know what that’s about? … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: new logos for Louisiana Tech. … Christmas-in-June Alert: The Red Sox will be wearing green jerseys tomorrow, in honor of the Celtics’ championship. … New blog devoted to vibrating football games here. … “Looks like Tony Gwynn was playing in sneakers-turned-cleats years ago,” writes Greg Riffenburgh. … According to this page, Adidas is about to unveil a bunch of new European soccer kits, along with a cool-sounding photo book (with thanks to Michael Kearney). … Akron’s hoops team will be getting new Lebron-branded uniforms. … In vaguely related item, Jamil Smith says, “I hope LeBron doesn’t sue these guys.” … “Pitcher’s masks have become more and more common in Michigan high school softball,” reports Lisa Lark. “Not mandatory, but several pitchers in the state finals had them on.” … Kate Plimpton was recently in Roswell, where she stopped in at a local historic house and learned that the Roaswell Lions won the 1956 Little League World Series. ” I dig the thickness and texture of the uniform,” she says. … “These pre-draft workouts provide an opportunity to see players wearing logos they may never be paid to wear,” notes Jay Dickson. “A quick search revealed this and this.” … Can’t really argue with this (spotted at yesterday’s Bosox/Phillies game by Paul Kamras). … Jeremy Brahm reports that the Japanese Olympic field hockey team will be wearing this design in Beijing, and the women’s weightlifting team will be wearing this. … Also from Jeremy: Volleyball captains are usually designated by having their front uni number underlined. But Venezuelan captain Andy Rojas wears the underscore on his back. … Carlos Borge passed along this great 1989 article about the company that cleaned, pressed, and mended the Yankees’ uniforms. Never heard of this operation before — anyone know more about them?
June 19th, 2008
As many of you know, we’re lucky to have a trademark attorney in the Uni Watch readership. That would be Anthony Verna (who, in addition to his legal practice, has a blog devoted to trademark law). After my little ramble last Friday about the the circle-R trademark symbol that appears on the Cubs’ home jersey patch (if you missed that spiel, look here), Anthony generously offered to help sort out the situation — an offer I happily accepted.
Anthony ended up sending me a fairly lengthy explanation. With his permission, I’ve taken the liberty of shaping it into the following Q-and-A:
What’s the point of the ® symbol?
The simple answer is this: Companies whose trademarks are registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office must use the symbol or else the registration may be lost. That symbol is the only symbol that shows that a company’s trademark is registered with the USPTO.
Okay, but why register a trademark to begin with?
The basic answer is to show to the world what the mark signifies. It shows the source of goods or services and the quality of those goods or services. (Please, no joking about how the Cubs have played over the last century or so!)
But do you have to use the ® every single time your mark appears?
Many trademark attorneys advise their clients to place the ® symbol everywhere (in fact, an employee at a company that’s a client of mine complained about having to make sure that the symbol was always there). There may be times when there might be a business-related reason not to include the symbol, but I advise my clients to keep those to a minimum. For example, would anyone want to buy a CD by a band whose name is followed by the ® symbol? The symbol should certainly be on items such as advertisements, press releases, web sites, etc.
Okay, so how does this all apply to the Cubs? When did they register their logo?
The Cubs’ first registered trademark that I can find comes from May 20, 1969. It’s the familiar logo where “Cubs” is in a circle and the “C” is bigger than the rest of the word.
But if you look at photos from the 1970s, the Cubs didn’t use the ®. If they registered the mark in 1969, why did they wait until the early ’80s to add the symbol?
It’s hard to say why. My only guess would be that an aggressive trademark attorney joined their corporate structure around the time the symbol started appearing.
Alright, so that covers the Cubs. But what about other teams — don’t all major-level sports teams register their logos?
I think so. (The old Hartford Whalers were an exception — their logo was never registered. The NHL started the process once the team moved to Carolina and was renamed the Hurricanes but never finished.)
Then why don’t all these other teams wear the trademark symbol?
They’ve chosen not to. As a trademark lawyer and a sports fan, I like the example of the New Jersey Devils. Their red “NJ” logo has been registered since January 10, 1984, but of course the ® symbol isn’t on their uniform. And why should it be? The uniform itself tells us that they are the New Jersey Devils. They do use the symbol, however, on their licensed goods. To me, this strikes the right balance. We already know, as sports fans, who the mark belongs to, so the appearance of the symbol seems redundant to me on the uniform when worn on the field. But using it in all other areas, such as licensed goods, is an effective way to communicate that the mark is a registered trademark and that the goods or services represented by the mark come from the proper companies.
So you’re basically saying that the Cubs’ logo is no more (or less) trademarked than any other team’s logo, but that the Cubs engage in a bit of overkill by taking the extra step of using the ® symbol on their uniform?
Yes.
So there you have it: Just about every team could add the symbol, but the Cubs are the only ones who’ve gone to that extreme. Let’s hope it stays that way. Big thanks to Anthony for helping to explain this complex situation.
Personally, I still suspect the symbol began appearing on the uniform more or less by accident (i.e., the company making the chest patches based their embroidery pattern on a logo sheet that happened to have the trademark symbol, and it’s been stuck there ever since), but I suspect we’ll never know for sure.
One thing we can try to determine, though, is exactly when the symbol began appearing on the uniform. The earliest instance I’ve found of the symbol appearing in a positively dated photo is 1984. But the photo for this 1983 baseball card was almost certainly taken in 1982 (Jenkins didn’t pitch for the Cubs in ’81, so it couldn’t have been taken then), so ’82 is now my benchmark year. If you have any old Cubs yearbooks, programs, or any other photographic evidence that would help sort this out, please get in touch.
Pedro Update: I’m not declaring a winner yet in the “name Pedro’s missing button” sweepstakes, because one of the submissions raises some interesting questions. In yesterday’s comments, Roger Faso wrote, “Pedro unbuttons that button to whip out his crucifix and kiss it. I say we call it the Jesus Hole.” This is the first time I’ve heard anyone suggest a reason for the open button. If true, it will definitely affect the name we assign to this phenomenon.
Just one problem: I’ve never noticed Pedro pulling his necklace out through the area of the second button. Has anyone else? I wrote to Roger and asked if he’d actually seen Pedro doing this, or if he was just speculating, or joking, or what, but so far no response. Stay tuned.
Special Raffle for NYC-Area Readers: We’ve all seen the final few pitches of Don Larsen’s perfect game. But how’d you like to see the entire game (well, beginning in the top of the 2nd), complete with the original play-by-play commentary and even the original commercials? A screening of precisely that will be taking place on Thursday, July 10th, at 6pm. It’s at B.B. King’s in Times Square (odd venue, right?), and the ticket price is $30 (crazy, right?), but I’ve got two pairs of tickets to give away.
To enter, send a blank e-mail with your name in the subject line to uniraffle [at] earthlink [dot] net (please note that this is not the usual Uni Watch e-mail address) by 10pm eastern this Friday. Please enter only if you’ll actually be able to use the tickets yourself. Since that stipulation will narrow down the pool of entrants considerably, there will be no bonus entries for membership program enrollees on this raffle — one person, one entry, period. I’ll announce the winners next Monday.
I’ll be attending the screening myself, by the way, so maybe we can convene a Uni Watch gathering afterward. More details on that later on.
Uni Watch News Ticker: I’m completely stoked over my latest vintage jersey. No idea what it was used for (soccer?), but it’s totally boss (extra-special thanks to Scott Turner, who tipped me wise to this one after spotting it on eBay). … Father’s Day follow-up: A few of the White Sox players wore blue face paint on Sunday (with thanks to Steve Johnston). … Good article here about the Yankees prospect who can pitch with either arm and wears a glove with six fingers and two webs (with thanks to Eric Stengel). … Latest accessory for rodeo clowns: faux stirrups (good catch by Benjamin C. Graff). … I’ve heard about Tony Conigliaro wearing a “Tony C.” NOB, but I’d never seen it until now (great find by Rich Kauffman). … Logo creep alert from Greg Riffenburgh, who notes that Czech soccer coach Karel Brückner had a Puma logo on his shirt collar the other day. … Also from Greg: Bit of a dust-up regarding the new TSA uniforms. … Great stripe-o-rama submission from John Calabrese. The player is Daultan Leveille of the St. Catherine’s Falcons. … Many of you have seen this already, but Michigan’s new Adidas football jerseys will apparently look like this and this. … “I was watching the Tigers/Giants game Monday night,” writes Alan Topolski. “They were highlighting different moments in Giants history, and they highlighted July 5, 1987, when Kevin Mitchell made his Giants debut by homering at Wrigley. The equipment manager must have been given very short notice, because Mitchell had NNOB!” … I’ll be off the grid for most of today (interviewing for a Mets coaching position, natch), so play nice. Back tomorrow.
June 17th, 2008
Got a note the other day from reader Chris Hurley, who describes himself as a lifelong Indiana University basketball fan and appears to have discovered an interesting detail on the team’s footwear. Here’s the scoop, in his own words:
Some of Indiana’s players wear what appears to be adidas’s “Lightspeed” line of shoes (mostly white with some red accents), and these players seem to have a replication of Indiana national championship banners on the inside of the right heel.
I first noticed it when I was reading the most recent copy of Sports Illustrated, which has a shot from the Indiana/Kentucky game from 12/8/07. If you look at Lance Stemler’s shoe here, you can see what looks like a rectangle with one side as an arrow pointing down.
Although the shape isn’t an exact replica of the banners they have hanging in Assembly Hall, it does match the oft-seen composite banner of the five championships.
I’ve never seen a college team commemorate its championships like this, but I’m pretty sure that’s what’s on the white shoes. In contrast, the players who wear the all-red adidas shoes do not appear to have a similar image.
I’ve never seen anything like this either, but then I’m neither a sneakerhead nor a particularly big college hoops fan, so I may be behind the curve on this one. In any case, I contacted Indiana’s athletic department, where media relations director J.D. Campbell confirmed that the graphic on the white sneakers is indeed the composite banner that Chris was referring to, and that the sneaker design was just introduced for this season.
Of course, the graphic on the sneaker isn’t an exact match of the banner. Just to refresh your memory, the banner design is here — and here’s a close-up of the sneaker. As you can see, there are several differences, but I trust you can all guess which one I find most interesting.
Research Project: I’m looking to compile a list of interesting memorial patches (or memorial decals, or other memorial gestures). No simple black armbands or anything routine like that — I’m looking for things that were more inspired. Historical examples are good, too. All contributions welcome here.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Fun article here about old NASL jerseys (with thanks to Joseph Spak). … Speaking of NASL jerseys, there’s a good site devoted to them here (as found by Harry Roth). … Good query from Bernie Langer, who writes: “The Phillies just signed free agent Chad Durbin. Since they already have J.D. Durbin on the team, this probably means a first initial on the back for Chad. But what about J.D.? One initial or two?” Hmmmmm. … Meanwhile, Steve Francis notes that brothers Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn, who play for the Canadiens, are both initial-free. … The Rams retired Marshall Faulk’s jersey last night. Unfortunately, he chose purple neckwear for the occasion. … Ryan Burns sent along this shot of Donnie Baseball. “My best guess is it’s the 1984 International League all-star game,” he says. Anyone know more about it? … All this speculation about the Browns supposedly getting new unis next year (occasioned by a Kellen Winslow interview in Penthouse, which I’d say are a source and a venue of roughly equal repute) is getting out of hand. It’s all bullshit — the Brownies got new unis last season, which means they’re locked into their current design for at least three more years. But since we have a Clevelander on the non-payroll: Hey, Vince, could you please get an official comment from the team? … Great view here of the differing sleeve stripe treatments worn by the Redskins’ two QBs (thanks, Bryan). … Here’s something you don’t see every day: Ben Wallace wearing Zeljko Rebraca’s warm-ups (good find by Doug Mooney). … Think logo creep is inevitable? Then check out this article about a store specializing in unbranded, label-free products. … Latest installment of Joe Skiba’s video series, devoted to cold-weather preparations, is available on the Giants home page. … There’s a bit of a controversy about Roberto Luongo’s pads. … Here’s a first: The Grizzlies are going to wear a patch on their warm-ups in support of their mascot actor, who’s out with lymphoma. Details toward the end of this page (with thanks to Jon McKay). … If you need a last-minute Xmas gift idea, you could do a lot worse than this.
Holiday Schedule: We’ll have our usual weekend discussion sessions, and an open disucssion on Christmas Day as well (mainly so all the Jewish readers can post comments about movies and Chinese food). Not sure yet about Monday — might post a regular entry, might just toss up a discussion photo, depending on how my weekend goes. Either way, regular content will definitely resume on the 26th. Okay? Okay!
December 21st, 2007
Two Sundays ago, Bryan posted this photo and complained about all the ACC logos visible therein. This led to a lengthy back-and-forth in the comments section about logo creep — mostly about swooshes and other maker’s marks, not about conference logos. The discussion, which I did not take part in (I was at a bar watching football and caught up on the comments later), featured several arguments and analogies that I hear again and again regarding logo creep — arguments that are, frankly, way off-base. Some similar arguments came up yesterday regarding Michael Jordan’s taped-over Adidas logo.
As you all know, I hate logo creep and see it as a symptom of a much bigger problem (i.e., the encroachment of advertising into public space). I know some of you feel differently, and I also know that to a certain extent this is generational: I grew up in an era when there were no manufacturer’s logos on uniforms; many of you have grown up in an era when such logos are ubiquitous. But even if we disagree on whether logo creep is a problem, we can at least try to keep the debate on a logical plane and not make straw man arguments or apples/oranges comparisons.
With that in mind, I’m going to try to address many of the arguments that came up two Sundays ago, along with some other arguments I frequently hear. I know some of you are tired of this topic, but you’ll have to deal with it for one more day — I wanted to get all my thoughts on the matter in one place, and that place is here.
Let’s start with a simple premise that I think everyone here can agree with: Uniforms are special. They serve as the primary bond between fan and team. Players come and go, yet we keep rooting for (or against) that uniform, no matter who wears it. Jerry Seinfeld described this as “rooting for laundry”; I go further and say it’s a unique form of brand loyalty. Elsewhere on the consumer landscape, your loyalty to a brand is at least somewhat dependant on the content and quality of that brand — it has to taste good, or function well, or whatever. If the content changes, your loyalty will probably change too (that’s what the Coke execs learned with the New Coke debacle). But with sports, the content of a team, and the quality of that content, is changing all the time, yet we remain loyal to that logo, those colors, that uniform.
Just to make the point in a more specific way: Everyone here knows that I love the Mets and hate the Yankees. But if those two rosters were traded for each other today — straight up, 25 guys for 25 guys — who would I root for tomorrow? It’s a no-brainer: I’d root for the guys wearing the Mets uniforms, even if I hated them the day before. That, my friends, is a very special and unique bond. And that’s ultimately why most of us are here at this site to begin with.
Personally, I feel that cluttering up the fan/team bond with advertising logos — whether it’s a Nike swoosh, a McDonald’s patch, or a big soccer sponsorship insignia — cheapens and sullies that bond. It diminishes the team and, by extension, all of us. You may disagree. Let’s discuss…
Look, of course companies are gonna put their logos on the uniforms they make. Duh, it’s called marketing.
Yes, we all know it’s called marketing. The question isn’t about why they do it; the question is whether there are some places — like, say, on a uniform — where marketing is inappropriate.
But it is appropriate on a uniform. It makes sense for a company to put its logo on the clothing it makes. They’d be stupid not to do it.
Take a look at your feet right now. Unless you’re wearing sneakers, I’m willing to bet that there are no logos on your footwear. There are probably no visible logos on your shirt or sweater, either. If you’re wearing a tie, there’s almost certainly no visible logo on that. Are the manufacturers of those products stupid?
More to the point, look at any pre-1990 major-level sports photo. You won’t see any manufacturers’ logos there, either. Were Spalding, Wilson, and Rawlings all stupid for decades, and then they suddenly wised up in the 1990s? Or did the sportswear industry decide to push the boundaries to see how much advertising they could push into the public eye?
While we’re at it, let’s look at some non-sports uniforms, like the ones being worn by UPS deliverymen, cops, airline pilots, or Burger King employees. See any manufacturers’ logos on any of those?
Look, a sports uniform is a logo, and it already stands for a brand — the brand of the team that wears it. The uni manufacturer is simply a vendor providing a product to a client. The client (i.e., the team) is what’s important, not the vendor.
Here’s another way to look at it: Some company made the buttons on the uniform, and another company made the zippers, and some mill made the fabric, and another mill made the thread, and some sewing shop stitched all the components together. But you don’t see all their logos on the uniform, right? Of course not — what matters is the end-product brand, not all the little sub-contracted components. And in the case of a uniform, the end-product brand is the team.
Saying that the Reebok logo shouldn’t appear on, say, the Cowboys’ football uniform is like saying a car company shouldn’t put its logo on a car that it makes.
No, that’s a poor analogy. Let’s take, for example, the Ford Focus. The brand that it stands for is, y’know, the Ford Focus, so of course Ford is gonna put their name on it. But the Cowboys uniform stands for the Dallas Cowboys — it has nothing to do with Reebok. (In fact, the Cowboys’ uniform has been largely unchanged for decades, so what exactly is the difference between their uniform now, when it has the Reebok logo on the sleeve, versus 10 years ago, when it had the Nike swoosh on the sleeve? Nothing, except for the change in logos. In short, a different company bought advertising space on the jersey.)
Getting back to the car analogy: What if the steel mill that produced the steel for the Focus insisted that its logo be visible on all of the car’s doors? And what if the manufacturer of every other component of the car did the same? That’s the proper analogy — that would be the automotive equivalent of logo creep. But of course those companies don’t put their logos all over a car, nor would it be appropriate for them to do so.
Wait a minute, my car has Firestone tires and AC sparkplugs, and those logos are visible.
But those are items that you, the driver, can switch out and replace with other brands — they’re more akin to a fielder’s glove or a goalie’s pads. They’re equipment, which can be purchased from a variety of sources, not part of the car’s “uniform.” I’ve never had a problem with logos on equipment, because equipment is a matter of personal choice, not team uniformity.
OK, maybe you have a point when a company is just the latest manufacturer to produce an old, pre-existing design. But in a lot of cases, the sportswear companies are actually creating the designs we see on the field. Why shouldn’t they take credit for that in a visible way?
Do you know who designed the chair you’re sitting in right now? Or the building where that chair is situated? Or any of the hundreds of objects with which you interact on a daily basis? For better or worse, designers in our culture generally don’t get to sign their work — they, like the manufacturers they work for, are simply vendors supplying a service for a client.
Even if you think designers should get visible credit (an argument that I agree has some merit, but one that we’ll save for another day), that doesn’t really change the parameters of the logo creep debate as it applies to uniforms. Small example: Todd Radom designed the Anaheim Angels’ uniforms — so should his logo or initials be on the sleeve? I think most of us (maybe even Todd) would agree that the answer is no. And if that’s the case, then why should a uniform designed by Nike carry a swoosh?
Look, sports is all about business now, so logo creep is just part of the deal.
Romantic nostalgia aside, sports has always been a business. You think Walter O’Malley wasn’t a businessman? Or Calvin Griffith? Or Charles Comiskey? In fact, the team owners from that era were arguably more revenue-obsessed than today’s owners, because most of them had no other business holdings besides their teams, while many of today’s owners got wealthy in other industries and then bought a team as a vanity project. So while the dollar amounts may be bigger today, it’s not as though sports has suddenly morphed into a business after spending generations functioning as something else.
Anyway, the “It’s just business” argument misses the larger point: Yes, sports teams are business entities, but I would argue, strongly, that they’re also civic entities — that’s why we care about them so much! They carry the name of our cities and states, we rally around them, we live and die with them. Moreover, most of them have gotten big tax breaks and/or play in facilities that were built with public money, and many college and most high school teams represent public scholastic institutions, so the public has a stake in their behavior — a stake that goes beyond the bottom line of the accounting ledger. In short: I don’t want to see my team, in which I have a huge emotional investment, selling out part of its uniform to an advertiser. These teams already make tons of money — there’s a big difference between business and greed.
How can you tell a team, or a league, or anyone else, not to capitalize on a potential revenue stream? That’s just common sense, plus it’s the American way.
Just because you can sell something, that doesn’t mean you should sell it. You could make a lot of money selling a kidney, putting your family’s heirloom silverware up for auction on eBay, or pimping out your sister, but that doesn’t mean any of those things is a good idea. There are certain things that we, as a society, have said are not for sale. Remember the outcry when MLB wanted to put Spider-Man 2 ads on the bases a few years back? Personally, I see little difference between that and a swoosh on a uniform sleeve, although I realize many fans don’t see those as comparable examples.
In the larger sense, the “It’s just business” argument essentially boils down every human interaction to its economic value, which is both reductive and offensive. The things we value most highly — love, faith, art, genius, charity, friendship, family, nature, community, etc. — all transcend monetary issues. In fact, that’s a big part of why we value them so highly. I believe the fan/team relationship, as symbolized by the uniform, should fall into that category too.
As for the “American way” argument, putting ad logos on uniforms is actually the European way. We’ve mostly avoided that here in America, except for manufacturer’s marks. I wish we could avoid those, too.
Well, good for you, Mr. Holier Than Thou, but the horse is already out of the barn. Look around you — you’ve lost the argument. Logo creep is everywhere in sports. Give it up already!
First of all, it’s not everywhere. There are no manufacturer’s logos on NBA uniforms (to David Stern’s everlasting credit), or on college basketball jerseys, or on MLB caps, or on socks in any of the four major pro leagues, and I want to make sure those situations stay that way. Moreover, I want to raise awareness about the encroachment of advertising in places where I don’t think it belongs. Even if it’s too late to keep the Majestic logo off of a baseball uniform, I hope it’s not too late to make sure a MasterCard sleeve patch never appears there. And it’s never too late to make people think a bit harder about what they see during a sporting event — that’s what Uni Watch is all about.
Well, it’s fine for you to say a team shouldn’t maximize its revenue. But Nike gives college athletic departments a lot of money in return for all those swooshes, and that money goes a long way toward helping all sorts of student athletes. If they turn down that money, how are you gonna replace it? Are you gonna write a big check yourself?
I’m not going to get into a long discussion over the cesspool of money that characterizes so much of college sports, but the above-stated argument makes two major suppositions: (1) Major funding for college athletics is an entitlement, and (2) the athletic department is essentially for sale to the highest bidder. I reject both of these notions.
But for the sake of argument, let’s go along with the idea that big money for college athletics is a good thing. Now, we both know that Nike isn’t giving out all that money from the goodness of their hearts — they’re doing it because they think they’ll get a good return on that investment, which means it’s essentially dirty money. By way of analogy, let’s say American Express offered to give the state of Illinois a huge sum of money targeted for the state’s school system — but in return, the AmEx logo would have to be printed on the statehouse dome, AmEx ads would have to be posted throughout state facilities, and the state itself would have to be renamed “American Express Presents Illinois.” Would that be a good idea? Not to me, no matter how much money they were offering. And if you think that hypothetical example is ridiculous, ask yourself how ridiculous “the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl” and “the FedEx Orange Bowl” would have sounded 15 years ago.
I’m sick of all this corporate-bashing — you just hate brands and products and capitalism and consumerism.
If you knew anything about my pre-Uni Watch writing, you’d know that I’m fascinated by consumer culture. Hell, I have an iconic product tattooed on my right arm. Again, my problem isn’t with consumerism per se — it’s with consumerism run amok. We may all have different ideas of what “run amok” means, but to me it means, among other things, a Nike logo on a uniform sleeve. And it certainly means MJ having to tape over the Adidas logo on his practice jersey.
You’re such a hypocrite. If you hate logos so much, why do you slap the Uni Watch logo on T-shirts, coffee mugs, and lots of other merchandise?
Yes, I put my logo on T-shirts, just like the Mets put their logo on T-shirts, and Nike puts a giant swoosh on T-shirts. I have no problem with any of that — I just don’t want a swoosh and a Mets logo together on the same shirt, because they have nothing to do with each other. I’m not taking issue with marketing per se — my gripe is about marketing in inappropriate places, like on a uniform.
Yeah, but you’re still a big phony, because the Google logo appears all over the Uni Watch home page. Now there’s some logo creep!
Actually, quite a few logos appear on the Uni Watch home page. That’s advertising for ya. Publications and web sites are traditional and appropriate places for ads to appear — that’s how publications and web sites stay in business (especially web sites, since most of them — including this one — give away their content for free, as opposed to most publications, which have a cover price). One more time: I’m not opposed to advertising and marketing per se — I’m simply opposed to them in places where I feel they don’t belong. I think a team’s uniform is one of those places.
You know, I don’t necessarily disagree with you, but I’m sick of hearing about it. I love sports, I love uniforms, and I want to enjoy them without thinking too hard about any of this stuff.
I’m actually more sympathetic to this point of view than you might expect. I think we all have areas where we’d rather have blinders on and ignore troubling information because it gets in the way of our enjoyment. Case in point: I love animals, but I also love eating meat. When I hear vegetarians talking about the deplorable conditions in cattle feedlots and such, I tend to tune it out — not because I think they’re wrong, but because I want to keep enjoying my steak without wrestling too hard with any ethical and moral implications. This is, as Al Gore puts it, an inconvenient truth.
So I understand that I may come across as a crank regarding this issue. And really, I’m not trying to ruin your good time — it’s just something I happen to feel strongly about. And that feeling comes from the same place as the rest of Uni Watch.
Thanks for listening. From now on, when logo creep discussions break out in the comments section, I’ll just refer people to this page.
Raffle Results: The five winners of the holiday raffle, in descending order from first prize to the fith prize, are M. L. Durón, Dave Kendrick, Patrick Taylor, Gabe Kleinfeld, and someone who didn’t leave his name but whose e-mail address starts with “Shadydem” (I’m not printing his full address, to protect his privacy). These five people should all contact me as soon as possible to claim your prizes.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Yet another reason to always wear your helmet. … Maybe the Vikings were actually ahead of the curve. … Jared Wheeler just sent me some awesome photos. First, check out these 1940s shots of the Freddy Shubach, who was the Eagles’ equipment manager. Next, look at this gorgeous game-worn Phillies jersey from 1945, with black felt insignia, chain-stitched sleeve patch, and nylon underarm ribbing. Meanwhile, what the fuck is that on Pete Rose’s head? … I’ve previously run this shot of Clarence Weathers and his FNOB. But Randy Williams was watching footage of the 1986 Jets/Browns divisional playoff game and noticed Weathers wearing a handwritten “20″ on his helmet. Anyone know what that was about? … The first trailer for Leatherheads is out, and the uniforms look sensational. Check it out here (with thanks to Ronnie Poore). … Quick someone buy Vince this for Xmas (good find by Brendon Yarian). … In a vaguely related item, check out the best Browns helmet design concept ever here. … Ohio State and LSU will both wear home uniforms in the BCS title game, but that’s not exactly a major story since LSU normally wears white at home anyway. … In the spirit of the season, and to provide a light-hearted counterpoint to today’s lengthy and serious main entry, here’s my favorite Christmas video (if the embedded video isn’t visible below, just click here). The dialogue is definitely NSFW, so use headphones. Enjoy.
December 20th, 2007
The nice thing about co-owning an NBA team is that you can work out with the players whenever you want. And of course you’ll get an official team practice jersey to wear — hey, you’re a part owner, you can raid the pro shop for whatever gear you want. High-five! But wait, the practice jersey features the logo of the company that manufactured it, and you have a longstanding promotional arrangement with a rival company. That’s a slight dilemma, but everyone knows what a savvy businessman you are, so you’ll come up with a smart and elegant solution.
That was the situation facing Michael Jordan yesterday. And here was his smart and elegant solution: He slapped a piece of white tape over the Adidas logo on his chest, although I think it’s fair to say that this maneuver went straight into the “Not fooling anybody” file, especially since he didn’t bother covering up the Adidas stripe treatment (presumably because they ran out of white tape).
I don’t know if Jordan’s still contractually forbidden to wear non-Nike gear, or the very idea of flashing a non-swoosh logo simply gives him a rash, but this little episode really highlights the continuing absurdity of how sportswear companies have become entangled with leagues and athletes. Did Jordan really think nobody would notice the piece of tape, or understand why it was there? Didn’t this actually draw more attention to the fact that he was wearing Adidas gear than if he hadn’t worn the tape to begin with? Couldn’t he have avoided this problem altogether if he’d just turned the shirt inside-out or worn a some other shirt? Oh, but then the Bobcats logo wouldn’t have been visible, so he wouldn’t have been promoting his team and its merch. What a mess — the whole situation reeks.
I’ll have more to say about logo creep tomorrow. Meanwhile, how much you wanna bet that some kid out there is gonna start wearing a piece of tape over the Adidas logo on his Bobcats jersey, just like his idol, MJ?
Raffle Reminder: Today’s the last day to enter the holiday raffle. For details, scroll down to the middle of Friday’s entry. As always, you can increase your odds of winning by joining the Uni Watch membership program. I’ll announce the winners tomorrow.
And hey, speaking of raffles: Are you excited about the Pro Bowl? Right, me neither. But the NFL is raffling off a free trip to its annual snooze-a-thon all-star game, and let’s face it, a free trip to Hawaii is a free trip to Hawaii, even if it does entail watching the world’s lamest football game. Plus the Pro Bowl is a uni watcher’s dream (assuming you dream about the really bad design), so it’s a win-win. To enter, look here.
Uni Watch News Ticker: The Vikings’ solid-purple look will not be repeated (that good news brought our way by Chad Burma). … Weird sequence of events yesterday, beginning when Kenn Tomasch sent me a note reporting that Steve Young’s orange jersey didn’t have stripes in 1985 like the rest of the Bucs had. Upon further investigation I discovered several other anomalies, to wit: Young appears to have ghosted sleeve stripes here and here; some of Tampa’s linemen didn’t have sleeve stripes either; kicker Donald Igwebuike (one of my all-time favorite sports names) had stripes, but his sleeve connected to his jersey down around his belly; if you factor in the sleeves, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen another NFL jersey look as mesh-y as this. … Michael Vick may not be in the NFL anymore, but he’s leaving quite a trail in his wake. … Looks like a Georgia Southern player was wearing a one-sleeved undershirt the other day (with thanks to Bob Jaye). … The Rutgers football team’s equipment manager is retiring (with thanks to Bruce Soltys). … Greg Riffenburgh notes that Minnesota’s Anthony Herrera appeared to be violating the NFL’s “only one footwear trim color allowed” rule the other night. … If you can’t prevent a concussion, at least you can know if you’ve gotten one. … Todd Krevanchi notes that Houston is using different font sets for its front and back uni numbers, and you can see in the 2s here. … Reprinted from last night’s comments: Awesome old newsreel footage shot in the Red Wings and Rangers locker rooms here.
December 19th, 2007
Some stories seem so obvious, you wonder why they never popped up before. That was my reaction when I recently got a note from reader Benjamin Guest. I’ll let him tell the tale in his own words:
Auburn University recently released their schedule for the 2008 season. Scanning over it, I realized there was a team I knew absolutely nothing about, the University of Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks. So I went to their website to scope out their uniforms.
Shocking stuff awaited. They appear to be wearing Auburn’s uniforms. Every stripe is exactly the same, the team name on the chest is identical in shape, type and placement. Here’s their quarterback, and here’s our quarterback, Brandon Cox. Their road whites match Auburn’s whites, too. So next year’s match-up at Auburn should look a lot like the annual A-Day game that ends spring practice.
The obvious difference is Auburn’s Under Armour logo vs. UTM’s Russell logo. But here’s the thing: Auburn, due to its proximity to Russell headquarters, wore Russell uniforms until the 2006 season. Here’s Brandon Cox in 2005 wearing a Russell jersey — perhaps the exact same jersey the Skyhawk QB is wearing in that other photo.
Did Russell just have piles of unused Auburn jerseys? Did they rip “Tigers” off the chest and sew “Skyhawks” in its stead? Apparently this is the first season that they’ve been copying our style. Last year they were outfitted by Nike and wore lots of royal blue. And after poking around on their web site, it looks like all their teams wore royal last season.
One really odd thing about all this: seeing long-retired Auburn numbers back in action, like Bo Jackson’s number on a Martin player.
Fascinating stuff. We’ve seen plenty of examples of a team being forced to wear its opponent’s uniforms due to a luggage snafu or some similar special circumstance, but are there other examples of two opposing teams whose standard designs are more or less identical? Seems like we would have seen this come up before, but nothing’s coming to mind.
Also, does anyone know more about how Tennessee-Martin ended up with this Auburn-esque design? Benjamin’s theory about Russell simply dumping a lot of surplus Auburn gear on UTM sounds depressingly plausible.
Next-to-Last Will and Testament, More or Less: Tomorrow morning I have to undergo what promises to be a rather nasty round of oral surgery. That is not code for oral sex, or tearing into a big-ass steak, or throwing darts at Orel Hershiser — it’s your basic periodontal torture session staring me in the face, and I’m told it will be exactly zero fun. There’s still about 24 hours for me to be run over by a truck or struck by lightning before the procedure commences, but with my luck that probably won’t happen. Dang.
Anyway: Depending on how miserable and/or looped on painkillers I am afterward, it is possible — not likely, but possible — that we’ll have to run an open thread on Thursday or Friday. It’s also possible — again, not likely, but possible — that I’ll enjoy the painkillers so much that I’ll just stay in bed with a big, goofy smile on my face until the prescription runs out. So if things are a little weird over the next few days, blame it on the dental profession.
Uni Watch News Ticker: I think this was originally supposed to read, “Free Mike Vick jerseys available at the merch table on Level 2,” but they ran out of room. … Decal maven Chris Willis checked in regarding the Bears’ chronically torn helmet logos: “Don’t know what’s going on, but we’re going to try to find out. As the decals get colder, they tend to get brittle — my Canadian guys tell me that sometimes the decals get so cold up there that they just shatter.” … Southern Illinois had some uni number problems over the weekend (with thanks to Drew VanNess). … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Willis McGahee’s “Ravens” chest wordmark was missing once again on Sunday. … Forgot to mention yesterday that Minnesota’s two starting CBs both wore solid white socks, which made them look like ballet artists, as you can here (with thanks to Wayne Yeung for the overhead shot). … Rob Ward reports that the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL will be wearing jerseys to honor the Boise State Broncos football team. Details here. … Serious typo the other day at UW-Milwaukee, where Jineen Williams’s jersey read, “Milaukee” (with thanks to Jerre Schlax). … Reprinted from last night’s comments: Byron Leftwich has been wearing a teal undershirt, presumably left over from his Jaguars days. … Also from last night: Bob Sanders of the Colts had some helmet stripe problems on Sunday night. … Indiana will be wearing two helmet stripes at the Insight Bowl. … While researching last night’s Brooklyn Dodgers presentation, I came across this photo. Check out the guy who’s very out of uniform at the far left. Dem Bums? Dem buns!
December 11th, 2007
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