Assessing Cleveland’s Big Uni Weekend

By Paul Lukas, on July 26, 2021

For all images, click to enlarge

As you probably know by now, there was a lot of Cleveland-related uni news over the past few days, as the Cleveland MLB team announced its new “Guardians” identity and the Browns finally unveiled their 1946 throwbacks (part of their 75th-anniversary celebration). Before I get to my own thoughts on those developments, let’s have a standing O for Phil, who provided great coverage over the weekend. If you haven’t already read his stories on the Guardians and Browns, I strongly urge you to do so.

As for me: Let’s start with the Browns, since that’s a fairly straightforward situation. Just to refresh your memory, here’s a look at the design:

As Phil did a good job of explaining, this isn’t a true 1946 throwback, because the one-shell rule makes it impossible for them to use the era-appropriate white helmet. So instead they’ve added TV numbers and a white stripe to their standard orange shell, mimicking the look they had in the late 1950s.

While the resulting uni may be more fauxback than throwback, it still looks great. I love the helmet, the block-shadowed jersey numbers, and the sleeve/sock stripes. My only gripe: The “1946” jersey patch seems really cheesy to me. I mean, imagine if every throwback uni had a patch indicating its year of origin — lame-o. And the matching “1946” decal on the back of the helmet isn’t even accurate, since that helmet design didn’t yet exist in ’46.

Those are minor quibbles, though. Overall, this gets a big thumbs-up from me.

Okay, now let’s talk about the Guardians, going one element at a time:

The Name
Ever since the team announced that it would be changing its identity, people have been asking me what I think the new name should be. My answer has been the same all along: “I have no dog in this fight. As long as they move away from the Native American theme, it’s an upgrade.” And that’s still what I think — “Guardians” is way, way better than “Indians.” (And yes, they both end in “dians,” which was no doubt a factor in the final choice.)

As you’ve probably heard by now, the new name is based on the city’s “Guardians of Traffic” statues (you can learn a lot more about them here). That’s a very local reference — I’ve been to Cleveland at least half a dozen times but was not even aware of the statues’ existence until the name change was announced on Friday, and I get the feeling that I’m not alone in that regard — which makes this feel very much like a City or City Connect approach. Similarly, the party line throughout the team’s messaging about the new identity has been “It’s the first name that counts; Cleveland, that’s what counts.” Again, that feels very City Connect to me. That’s not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing — it’s just the vibe I get from the name, its inspiration, and how they’re framing it.

I do worry a bit that “Guardians” lends itself to all sorts of comic book/superhero nonsense, but let’s see how they leverage the name in the months and years to come. Any way you slice it, it’s better than the old name, and the local Indigenous community seems pleased with it. I’m happy for them.

(As an aside: “Cleveland Guardians” is also the trademarked name of a men’s roller derby team. The MLB team definitely knows about them and has been in touch. More details in this Twitter thread.)

The Colors
Given how many other teams out there use red and blue, I was wondering if they might use the new identity as an opportunity to stake out some new chromatic territory. But that would probably be too jarring a change for the fan base, so I understand why the team has chosen to stick with the existing color scheme. Sensible, if a bit conservative.

The Script
I hate the script. H-a-t-e the script. It’s all sharp corners and clunky angles. In this regard, it reminds me so much of the Milwaukee Bucks’ “Cream City” script from a few years ago (which itself was clearly based on the Milwaukee Tools logo), except the Guardians script feels more ham-handed, sort of like a Flintstones version of the Bucks script:


The use of corners instead of curvatures is apparently supposed to evoke a chiseled-in-stone effect, because the Guardians of Traffic are made of stone. In any case, the resulting script feels both brutal and Brutalist — no elegance, no flow.

The “Winged Baseball” Logo
This logo, which will be used as a sleeve patch and maybe as an alternate cap logo, feels very, very minor league to me — although with a few tweaks it could look Major League:

Sort of bizarre that the stitches on the new logo are oriented almost exactly the same as the stitches on the Major League logo, no?

More importantly: It seems odd that this “G” doesn’t match the one in the script.

The Wordmark and “C” Logo

Again, this feels very Flintstones to me: clunky, uneven, unpleasant to process with the eye. The standalone “C,” which will be used as a cap logo, is a particular disappointment — after the boring block-C, I figured they’d go for something with a lot more character. Also, the standalone “C” doesn’t match the one in the wordmark (are you sensing a pattern here?).

The font is called “Bridge Print” — again, an apparent reference to chiseled letters in the bridge where the Guardians of Traffic stand sentinel. This is the same mistake the Tennessee Titans made with their chiseled-font uni numbers — type that looks like it’s chiseled into stone might make for good “storytelling,” but doesn’t read well on a uniform.

Speaking of the uniforms, the team has released these mock-ups:

I’ll say this much: Most of the graphics look better on those mock-ups than they do on their own, although the overall effect is still pretty underwhelming. I’ll reserve further judgment until we see the full uniform set in real life.

To longtime Indians fans: I realize that this is hard for you. I totally get the emotional connection that forms between fans and their favorite team’s visual identity — hell, that connection is a big part of why Uni Watch exists — so I understand that you may be mourning a bit about the name change, even if you were in favor of it happening. Please accept my condolences — I feel for you.

(My thanks to Twitter-er Brian Chesnick for the ‘Major League’ joke and mock-up, and to Rick Moreno for pointing me toward the roller derby thread.)

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Click to enlarge

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it!”: On Friday we drove up to western Massachusetts, where we saw some music and spent the night with Mary’s brother and his family. The next day we drove southwest to the Hudson Valley, where we met up with friends and spent the night near Kingston, N.Y. Along the way, we passed the town of Rock City, N.Y., where there’s a fork in the road — two of them, in fact.

The forks are at the intersection of Routes 199 and 308. The two roads split around a grassy triangle of land, where a local artist named Stephen Schreiber erected a 31-foot-high fork in 2000. The sculpture is locally famous and has been featured in various road guides, but we had no idea it was there until we drove by it. Seemed worth a stop, so we pulled over and took a few pics:

As we were getting set to move on, we noticed another piece of playful art (by the same artist, I’m pretty sure:

After being stuck at home for so long during the pandemic, it’s great to see roadside attractions like these. Looking forward to more of the same next month, when we have a nine-day road trip planned.

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Click to enlarge

LAST CALL for the new cap: I’ll be putting this cap concept into production with Ebbets Field Flannels in the next day or two. I’ll be ordering enough for readers who’ve expressed interest, plus a few extras — but not many extras. So if you want in on this cap, you must tell me now.

If you emailed me to say you’d be willing to purchase this cap, I will soon be getting in touch to ask you to pre-order and confirm your size.

If you missed my previous posts about this cap concept, here are the details:

• This will be an eight-panel cap (not the more common six-panel) with green piping as shown in the mock-up.

• Just like the Classic Cap, this one will be 100% wool and made in the USA by Ebbets.

• That green brim is a Kelly green. As I recently explained, Ebbets no longer has the shade of green we were using for the Classic Cap. I don’t want to do a solid-Kelly cap, but I think the combination of Kelly, grey, and piping works really well.

• Speaking of the brim: The photo that I used for the mock-up showed a cap with a short, soft visor. But the real-world cap will have a conventional-length stiff visor.

• No visible maker’s mark, of course.

• It should be available to ship around the end of September.

• Based on the quote Ebbets has given me, the price will be $43 plus $6 shipping.

If you’re interested in pre-ordering this cap based on the info I’ve just provided, please send me a note indicating that you’d be on board. If you want to list your preferred fitted size, that would also be helpful. I’ll be back in touch soon to arrange your pre-order payment. Thanks!

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The Ticker
By Jamie Rathjen

Baseball News: The Orioles usually wear black jerseys only on Fridays but have now worn them for three games in a row (from multiple readers). … Reader Darick Sears sent us a picture for the Ticker item yesterday of Bally Sports Wisconsin using the new Guardians logo in its graphics, which didn’t have a picture. … Double-A Harrisburg Senators manager Tripp Keister was ejected for removing his cap and jersey during an argument (from Max Weintraub). … The Single-A Lansing Lugnuts are doing a promotion for Tool Time, the show-within-a-show on the sitcom Home Improvement.

Football News: The Buccaneers are planning to use colored wristbands during practices to distinguish between players who are and aren’t vaccinated (thanks, Brinke). … South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium has a new banner that clearly uses the wrong shade of garnet, and the school admitted as such (from David Sharples).

Hockey News: The KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk have new jerseys (from Conan Smeeth).
 
 

Basketball News: Ohio 1804, a team in The Tournament, comprised of former Ohio University players, has interesting Ohio-themed uniforms (from @TreeWeezel).

Soccer News: On Friday, Germany’s 2. Bundesliga’s Schalke 04 wore black armbands for the victims of the recent German floods (from my brother Nate Rathjen). … New second shirt for Portugal’s Sporting CP. … Scotland’s women’s team are to start playing all their games at the men’s home of Hampden Park in Glasgow. … Kansas City NWSL goalie Katelyn Rowland was traded to the team from North Carolina last week and kept her No. 0, remaining one of the few pro players to wear it. Kansas City also has a No. 99, midfielder Victoria Pickett, and not only does KC now have both 0 and 99, Rowland was previously sometimes listed as No. 99 on scoring apps and websites like ESPN that can’t display somebody wearing No. 0. Now that Rowland’s at Kansas City, ESPN duly switched her to No. 98.

Olympics News: The U.S. women’s 3×3 basketball team wear a grey version of the other basketball teams’ white uniform, but have the same blue one. … Members of the Great Britain soccer team have been kneeling before matches and getting their opponents to join in, and yesterday the women’s field hockey team also did so and got Germany to join them. … It wasn’t just Uni Watch readers who pointed out that France’s men’s basketball team wears the Jordan logo but the U.S. teams don’t (from Chris Mycoskie). … At least some of the teams participating in the first games of the rugby sevens tournaments have numbers on the front of their shirts, which is unusual in sevens (from @Stumpy7780). … The Mongolian 3×3 basketball team appears to have a cover-up patch over its maker’s mark (from @flowfloxflow).

Grab Bag: Here is an overview of the shirts for The Hundred, a new English men’s and women’s cricket competition that started last week using an also new short-form 100-ball format. … New pandemic surges are slowing down production in Nike’s and Adidas’s Asian factories.

July 26th, 2021 | Category: General | 65 comments

Browns Unveil 1946 ‘Throwback’ Uniforms

By Phil Hecken, on July 25, 2021

By Phil Hecken

Good Sunday morning, Uni Watchers. Hope you all had a good Saturday.

After Friday’s plethora of uni news, as you’re all likely aware, very early yesterday morning the Cleveland Browns released their 75th Anniversary uniforms. While these were mentioned in yesterday’s post, I promised the rundown on those uniforms today.

Unfortunately, due to the leak (which Paul covered way back in March), the jersey design unveiling was one of the worst kept secrets ever. We all knew what was coming — the only details we didn’t know were what pants the team would pair the jersey with, and what kind of helmet the team would use. Both of those questions have now been answered.

Before we look at the “throwback” uniforms — I put that in quotes because, unfortunately as we’ll see, it’s actually more of a fauxback/mashup than a true throwback — let’s take a look at the uniform worn by the 1946 Cleveland Browns.

As you can see, back in their inaugural season of 1946 (in the All-America Football Conference), the team wore a jersey very similar to the one they will don in several special anniversary games this year. Obviously, the sleeves were longer, but the classic striping pattern of brown/orange/brown/orange/brown was present back then. Pants were white with an orange/brown/orange stripe, and the team wore plain white (leather) helmets. Here’s some photos from that season:

The numbers on the jersey were standard block, rendered in brown, with a pronounced orange blockshadow. Here’s a great graphic from the Gridiron Uniform Database. In case you weren’t aware, those orange blockshadow numbers were a one-year wonder, as the team went to one-color numbers beginning in 1947. We’ll be referring back to that page in a minute or so.

So…that’s what the original 1946 uniform looked like. How’d the Browns do?

Let’s discount the helmet for a second. As you can see, despite the modern tailoring, the jersey fairly well represents that which was worn in 1946. It’s got the brown numbers with orange blockshadow, and the brown/orange/brown/orange/brown “sleeve” (cap) stripes. Obviously, there were no makers marks in 1946, but neither the 1946 nor the 2021 “throwback” jersey have TV numbers. The obvious signifier that this is a retro jersey can be found in the form of a football-shaped patch with the date “1946” emblazoned in brown on it (really, a football shaped patch?).

Obviously there were no NOBs in 1946, but as they are a requirement now, the new retro jersey has them. The rear numbers, like their original predecessors, also feature block brown numbers with orange blockshadow.

And the pants? Not much has changed between 1946 and today’s look, and the team nailed the orange/brown/orange stripe, as well as the five-striped socks, which mimic the pattern found on the sleeve caps.

OK, now let’s get to that orange helmet. As we’ve seen, in 1946 the team wore a plain white helmet (leather and without any kind of face protection), but due to the still-in-effect “one shell” rule, we know the team can’t (yet) have a helmet in any other color but the current orange. While this gives them some “leeway,” nothing they could wear would make this a true “throwback” look — at least not until 2022, should they continue to wear these (and could go with white shells). However, rather than going with a plain orange helmet (and simply removing the brown/white/brown striping from the current helmet), instead the team has done something intersting.

They took the orange shell, and added a single white stripe as well as TV numbers, and a gray facemask, producing this look:

Note the nose bumper is blank — the current helmets have brown masks and the nose bumper says BROWNS (as does the neck bumper). The “throwback” helmet has a blank neck bumper, and will feature a small, football-shaped decal (the same design as the patch on the left breast of the jersey) reading “1946.”

So why the decision to use a white stripe and TV numbers? Well, the team did wear a helmet in that style from 1957-1959.

That’s an interesting choice. For those not familiar, while the team has never reached, let alone won a Supe, they were a very successful franchise from their inception through the mid-1960s. They won four AAFC championships (1946, 1947, 1948 & 1949), and after that league folded following the 1949 season, the team joined the NFL, and immediately won the NFL championship in 1950. They were also NFL champs in 1954, 1955 and 1964. If you refer back to that GUD page, you’ll see the team added a white stripe to the helmet in 1952 (but not TV numbers), and added TV numbers in 1957. So the helmet they’re wearing with this uniform is not in the same style as any of their AAFC or NFL title seasons. Obviously they can’t go with a “straight” throwback plain white helmet, but they’ve chosen to mash up the 1946 uniform with the 1957-59 helmet.

The team will wear the fauxback uniform three times this season, but haven’t announced which dates they will be worn.

Like many of you, I’m a big fan of throwbacks and (usually) fauxbacks, and I love these. Considering the one-shell constraint, I have no problem with their choice of helmet (though I’m surprised they didn’t go with just a plain orange shell). If you didn’t read the team’s release (posted yesterday), here it is again, where they explain (sometimes in cringe-worthy detail) the uniform, and the helmet choice.

I’m looking forward to seeing these on the field this fall, whenever that may be.

Your thoughts?

Men’s Olympic Soccer Kit Review

In case you missed it, my “soccer guys” Kyle Evans and CJ Fleck provided us with a p/review of the Women’s Olympic Soccer kits yesterday (scroll down) and today they’re both back to bring us up to speed on the kits for the men’s teams. Rather than a kit-by-kit review, the lads have looked at the first games played by all the teams and their hot takes are below.

• • • • •

Men’s Olympic Soccer Kit Review
by Kyle Evans and CJ Fleck

Thanks Phil! We’re back today with the men’s soccer tournament in Tokyo and we’ll take a look at what teams have worn so far. Keep in mind that this is mostly a youth tournament and that there are 16 teams in the men’s event as opposed to 12 in the women’s.

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Group A

Mexico vs. France

Mexico actually unveiled new green uniforms before the tournament with a geometric pattern paired with red shorts. (At the current Gold Cup they’ve been wearing maroon/black and all-white.) France retains their options from the Euros and in this match countered with their all-white with red/blue side stripes.

Kyle: Mexico should always have green in its rotation and this particular pattern just feels so right for them.

CJ: Not sure I’m a fan of the pattern, but it could be much worse.

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Japan vs. South Africa

Japan’s primary look is the same as the women with an artistic jersey pattern while South Africa wore a new yellow over green kit.

Kyle: Still not sold on Japan’s look and it looks like South Africa could clean up those side panels.

CJ: Between the socks, shorts, and side panels, I’m not impressed.

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Group B

New Zealand vs. South Korea

As usual, New Zealand has all-white and all-black options with the white jersey having a side stripe made up of black triangles. South Korea wore their primary red gradient with a wavy geometric pattern and has a zebra-style secondary as well.

Kyle: South Korea is the eye-grabber here and I’m going to chalk this one up as a nice-looking gradient design!

CJ: The trend continues, and I still don’t like it, with apologies to Kyle.

__________

Honduras vs. Romania

Honduras have their all-white or all-blue options but without their large “H” federation logo as that isn’t allowed in the Olympics. Romania have all-blue and all-white kits made specifically for this tournament that feature an outline of the Olympic flame.

Kyle: Romania haven’t qualified for this tournament since the last time it was in Tokyo (1964) so why not embrace it? I like the flame outline for the special occasion.

CJ: It’s certainly an interesting choice, but is it a good choice? I’m not sold.

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Group C

Spain vs. Egypt

Spain kept their options from the recent Euros (all-white and red over navy) while Egypt opened by wearing red over black.

Kyle: Still not a fan of Spain’s options (good colors but unnecessary designs) but I do like Egypt’s simple look.

CJ: Simple in the Olympics is good.

__________

Argentina vs. Australia

Argentina continue to wear the latest version of their classic sky blue and white vertical stripes jersey, this time with a camouflage-like pattern inside the sky blue stripes with the shapes of Argentina’s regions. Australia matches the women (and most of their other sports and athletes in Tokyo) with an all-green (or all-yellow) kit with contrasting top diagonal panel and side panels.

Kyle: Whether the shorts are white or black you know it’s Argentina and I kind of like that Australia has a consistent look across most Olympic sports.

CJ: Both sides here are recognizable, but just a bit too different from their usual looks. I appreciate the effort.

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Group D

Brazil vs. Germany

Brazil has their classic looks as usual – yellow with green accents over blue and blue over white. Germany retains their Euro looks (minus not allowed Adidas striping) of all-black and white with thin black horizontal stripes over black.

Kyle: The Brazilians always look great and I know CJ prefers a green secondary for the Germans.

CJ: Strange how much better that kit looks without the adidas stripes!

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Ivory Coast vs. Saudi Arabia

Ivory Coast wore an all-orange kit and Saudi Arabia countered with white over green with a sublimated palm tree leaves design (based on their national emblem). This design is much more visible on their secondary option.

Kyle: Love the palm tree leaves design and when countries make connections to national elements.

CJ: Gotta second Kyle here, though the mix of colors on the side striping is throwing me off as well.

• • • • •

Thanks, fellas! Everyone please give the boys a nice virtual hand for all their soccer kit previews and reviews so far this year. Look for them to be back soon!

The Other Boys of Summer…

If you’re anywhere near Detroit this coming week, I want to bring your attention to an event you won’t want to miss: the free screening of the film The Other Boys of Summer, which was created by filmmaker (and my friend) Lauren Meyer, and which is a documentary, with many interviews focusing on the trials and tribulations of many Negro Leagues ballplayers (sadly, a number of the interviewees have since passed, but Lauren was able to capture their stories and memories before they departed). She spent years gathering these. It’s a wonderful film, which I saw in late January of 2020, just before the pandemic really struck the United States. It’s all part of the Detroit Tigers “Negro Leagues Weekend” (which is a fantastic experience), and the film debuts Wednesday evening, July 28th. If you’re anywhere in the vicinity and can catch this showing, I urge you to do so!

I asked Lauren to share some more information on the event:

The Tigers are kicking off their 18th Annual Negro Leagues Weekend with a free outdoor public screening of The Other Boys of Summer at Campus Martius Park on July 28th. The Detroit Stars were one of the original 8 teams in the Negro National League in 1920. The Tigers will don Negro Leagues throwbacks as they host the Orioles for the weekend.

Through the lens of America’s pastime The Other Boys of Summer draws from our past to shine the spotlight on issues that dominate today’s headlines. It explores civil rights through the lives of the Negro Leagues baseball players. The film’s narrated by the iconic Cicely Tyson and includes never-before-seen interviews with the civil rights trailblazers who played alongside of Jackie Robinson and changed baseball and America forever.

Following the film Bally Sports Reporter Trevor Thompson will host a panel discussion with Filmmaker, Lauren Meyer (Emmy Nominated Director), Pedro Sierra (Detroit Stars Pitcher) and Craig Monroe (former Detroit Tiger).

The Other Boys of Summer is proving valuable to companies, communities, schools and organizations as an original Diversity, Equity & Inclusion program. It creates a space where people come together (virtually and in person) and engage in courageous conversations around race and cultural bias. Following a program at AT&T in 2020 an attendee was so touched by Bob Scott (NY Black Yankees) that when the pandemic struck, she had groceries delivered to him and his wife, for 6 months! She sent so many groceries that Bob and Mae shared them with their entire block. This act of kindness not only fed families, but potentially saved seniors from risking their health going to the store.

For more information visit www.theotherboysofsummer.com and BallySports.com Or email: TheOtherBoysofSummer@gmail.com

Thanks (and thanks, Lauren!). Do yourself a favor if you have the chance and check this wonderful film out!

Guess The Game…

from the scoreboard

Today’s scoreboard comes from Bob Kazamakis.

The premise of the game (GTGFTS) is simple: I’ll post a scoreboard and you guys simply identify the game depicted. In the past, I don’t know if I’ve ever completely stumped you (some are easier than others).

Here’s the Scoreboard. In the comments below, try to identify the game (date & location, as well as final score). If anything noteworthy occurred during the game, please add that in (and if you were AT the game, well bonus points for you!):

Please continue sending these in! You’re welcome to send me any scoreboard photos (with answers please), and I’ll keep running them.

Bear Trap…er Keeper

Got the following e-mail from reader Alan Filipczak that needs to be shared with the readership:

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Hi Phil,

I hope this finds you well. I came across this weird connection by chance and thought it would be good to share with the Uni Verse to get some second opinions.

For kids of my generation, the Mead Trapper Keeper was an essential back-to-school item. In a recent fit of nostalgia, I was looking at some of the old designs, especially their series that depicted intense animals playing sports in a very 90s Xtreme sort of way. Examples here and here. While scrolling through some of these, one particular binder caught my eye. It was a grizzly bear hurling a baseball that was torn by claw marks. Here it is:

As soon as I saw this, I was like “Wow! That really looks like the old Fresno Grizzlies logo.” The logo I was thinking of was used by the minor league team from their first season in the Pacific Coast League in 1998 through the 2001 season. Here’s that logo.

When I checked the logo, I thought it was just a coincidence. The eyes and teeth are different, the ball is very different, the logo bear wears a cap, etc. But then again…there’s something uncanny about the proportions and the pose of the bear, not to mention the similar overall concept of a grizzly bear pitching with a ripped baseball in the foreground. Looking at the big picture, that old Grizzlies logo was very unique at the time when most minor league logos were either 2D cartoons or very basic clipart designs. If nothing else, it was an inspired concept for the new ballclub. Or did the original inspiration come from elsewhere?

I did a little more digging and found a print version of the Grizzlies logo from 1999 and now I am mostly convinced that a graphic designer in Fresno copied a 1991 Trapper Keeper design, slapped a cap on the bear and tweaked a few other grizzly details. Here’s a side-by-side.

So what do you think? Am I seeing things that aren’t there or is there some deeper cons-bear-acy going on?

Many thanks as always!

Alan

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What say you readers?


Looking Ahead…

As the calendar nears the month of August, you’re probably all aware that Paul will be taking his annual sabbatical from the blog, leaving me in charge of the weekdays.

And as always, I can’t get through the whole month without a little help from the readers, so I’m putting out the call once again.

I’ve actually got enough stuff for a few “Olympics” posts, but I’m still looking for General Interest articles. If you’d like to propose and submit an article of interest to the Uni Watch readership — I’m all ears! Every summer you guys come through with some amazing research, concepts and other fantastic uniform-related materials, and I’ll be happy to feature your work on here again during the month.

So, if you’re interested in contributing something Olympics or uniform-related, please Shoot me an e-mail (Phil.Hecken@gmail.com) and let’s discuss! Looking forward to seeing what you guys have in store for 2021!

Uni Watch News Ticker
By Phil

Baseball News: No photo, unfortunately, but Geoff Poole noted, “The Brewers (we)re playing the White Sox on Bally Sports Wisconsin and the AL Central standings were shown briefly in the top of the 3rd. The logo for Cleveland had already been updated to the new Guardians name, even though the change doesn’t take effect until after the season.” If anyone happened to screenshot that, could you post it below? … United States Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi rang a cowbell on the Senate floor last week to celebrate Mississippi State University’s College World Series championship (from Kary Klismet). … Check out this vintage circa 1915 baseball photo with a mystery attached (from Jason Brown). … Check out this gorgeous photo of Casey Stengel managing his last ever MLB game, with the 1965 Mets (from SABR Bio Project). … Marcus Hall brings up an excellent point about uni aesthetics when teams wear belted throwback pants. … Scotty Rogers is either conspiracy theorist — or onto something — about the Cleveland team purposely obscuring the “IN” of “Indians” in a cover photo shoot. … The Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs became the Lagers last night (from MiLB Promos).

Football News: In addition to their 1946-era uniforms, the Cleveland Browns will also have throwback endzones to commemorate the 75th anniversary of their inaugural season (from Kary Klismet). … Colorado State has unveiled new helmets for its annual Ag Day game (also from Kary).

Hockey News: Here is a teaser of the new jersey for the Cape Breton Eagles. The team’s 25th anniversary patch is on the shoulder and jersey striping appears to be a throwback nod to older uniforms worn by the Eagles (from Wade Heidt). … The former mascot of the American Hockey League’s Rochester Americans is trying to recover his championship ring from the Amerks’ 1996 AHL title-winning season, which was stolen and has since shown up on eBay (from Kary Klismet). … Looks like some minor logo updating on the Flames jersey as seen at the draft (from Wade Heidt).

NBA/College/Hoops News: This article looks at the uniforms being worn by Ohio State’s alumni team, Carmen’s Crew, for The Basketball Tournament (from Kary Klismet). … Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell is auctioning off hundreds of items of memorabilia from his basketball career, including his 1957 and 1969 NBA championship rings (Kary, again). … And here I thought all those phantom championship jerseys ended up in a random needy nation (good spot by Steve Sher).

Soccer News: The Athletic has a (paywalled) article examining the best uniforms in the history of the Premier League’s Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. (from Kary Klismet). … Bayern Munich has released its new kits for the 2021-22 season (from Kary, once agin).

Olympics News: Interested in a photo retrospective on Olympic mascots through the years? The Chicago Tribune has you covered (from Kary Klismet). … Mexico had an unfortunate uniform mistake on the jersey of midfielder Erick Aguirre, whose shirt displayed the Mexican flag upside-down. … This article decides who has the most stylish national team “kits” from Tokyo 2020. … Shockingly, people aren’t too crazy about having Ralph Lauren continue to design the USA Opening Ceremonies outfits. … The First Lady doesn’t seem to mind wearing “team USA” uniform at the Olympics. … Dakota Bryan Hill asks, “Any idea why the USA Women’s Beach Volleyball Team uniforms have two different sponsors? One player is wearing Adidas while the other is wearing Mizuno.” (I think he means manufacturers, not sponsors) Throck seems to have the answer. … Jeremy Brahm says if you look closely at the scoreboard in badminton and you will see the shuttlecock to show the server. … Speaking of badminton, apparently the USA doesn’t wear red, white and blue? (from Brevity Wit). … In the Olympics opening ceremony, Mike Tirico mentioned on the broadcast that the 1964 Tokyo Olympics were the first to use pictograms because of the language barrier (the first games in Asia). Here is an article on that (from Matthew Wolfram).

Grab Bag: New uniforms for the Rockingham County (N.H.) Sheriff’s Department (from Kary Klismet). … Check out this beautiful Rhode Island logo creation from the great Kevin Cearfoss).

Uni Tweet of the Day

This probably isn’t a big deal to most folks, but I grew up less than two miles away from this spot. Trust me, it doesn’t look like that anymore…

And finally… that’s it for me for today…and this week…and this month. Next Saturday is still July (7/31), but Paul will be handling the content that day, and I begin my weekday August run on Monday, August 2. If you’ve got a story or idea you’d like to see tackled in August, give me a shout (see the “Help Wanted” graphic above for more info). Big thanks (again) to Kyle and CJ for that look at the Men’s Olympic soccer kits.

Once again, too cloudy for a sunset yesterday (after another spectacularly gorgeous day), so we’re going photoless.

You guys have a good Sunday and rest of the week, and I’ll catch you here on Monday, August 2.

Peace,

PH

July 25th, 2021 | Category: Fauxbacks, Hosiery, NFL, Throwbacks | 43 comments

Cleveland Baseball Team Announces New Name & Logos

By Phil Hecken, on July 24, 2021

By Phil Hecken

Greetings all and I hope everyone had a good week. Pretty big post today (apologies in advance) as we have some big (new) news, as well as a p/review of the Women’s Olympic kits (which follows the lede). Also, also — the Browns 1946 “throwback” uniform was unveiled early this morning, but we’ve got so much content today, I’ll have a full rundown on those tomorrow (unlike Paul, I generally preload my posts to run before I go to bed, usually just after midnight; the Browns unveiled shortly after midnight, but that review will wail till Sunday. A few posts below is a look at the new unis and a link to many more photos (big thanks to Brinke). As fate would have it, Anthony again had computer issues so he got me the ticker much later than usual (much past my midnight “bedtime”). So on those notes, here we go…

In a (very) surprising move yesterday, the Cleveland Baseball Team (currently known as the Indians) announced their new name and some logos. The new name was expected; the timing was unexpected. Typically Friday news dumps are reserved for “bad” news — or at least news that is expected to generate as little attention as possible. We have known for some time the team would be changing its name going forward — what we didn’t know was what name the team would eventually choose. I’m sure you’ve heard all about it by now (and judging by the number of reader comments yesterday, many of you have strong opinions). If you haven’t been paying attention to such things, the team’s new name (to be used beginning in 2022) will be “Guardians.”

On Twitter, the team released a slick video, narrated by Tom Hanks, making the announcement.

There were some strong feelings on this video posted in yesterday’s comments, so I’ll reserve judgment. As far as “hype” videos go, it wasn’t the worst nor was it the best we’ve ever seen. If you watched all the way through, you got to see the team released four images — two wordmarks and two logos, which will appear on the uniforms (which have not been released) next season.

As Paul is wont to do, let’s switch this up into his ever-popular Q & A format.

Do you have still images of those four graphics? They went by pretty quickly on the video.

Yes. One (the “winged G” as we’ll call it for now) is the splash photo. Presumably this is going to be a sleeve logo, or something similar. It’s possible it will also appear as a cap logo (perhaps an alternate cap). Anyone else getting a bit of a Van Halen vibe?

The other three are the “Guardians” wordmark…

the new “C” logo…

and the new “Cleveland” wordmark:

Here’s a view that likely shows NOB and what will be the number font.

Why “Guardians”?

According to team owner Paul Dolan, “‘Guardians’ reflects those attributes that define us while drawing on the iconic Guardians of Traffic just outside the ballpark on the Hope Memorial Bridge. It brings to life the pride Clevelanders take in our city and the way we fight together for all who choose to be part of the Cleveland baseball family. While ‘Indians’ will always be a part of our history, our new name will help unify our fans and city as we are all Cleveland Guardians.”

OK, but what is the “Guardians of Traffic” alluded to by the owner?

They’re the Art Deco statues above Cleveland’s Lorain-Carnegie Bridge. You can read a good story about that here. I’ll admit I was unfamiliar with this particular part of Cleveland history until yesterday.

So, they’re naming the team for some bridge statues?

It appears so. At least it wasn’t “Rockers” or something equally banal. It’s not my choice (I always liked “Municipals” or even “Spiders”), but it’s what the team is going with.

The “Guardians” script looks like the current “Indians” script — are they the same?

No, it’s a custom font, although it’s definitely derivative of the current script. Likewise the “Cleveland” wordmark/script is new too.

Something seems “off” with that “Cleveland” arched font.

Yes, I didn’t notice it at first, but designer Brandon Moore spotted it immediately. The middle “E” is smaller and seemingly not properly proportioned in relation to the remaining letters:

What about the uniforms?

As mentioned above, those haven’t been released, but according to the team, “Our team colors will remain the same scheme that has been part of our organization for more than 80 years to honor our rich baseball heritage as well as the tradition of baseball as America’s pastime.” So the Indian…er, Guardians will remain a red, white and blue team. They’ll have “Guardians” on the homes and “Cleveland” on the roadies.

Will the “C” appear on the cap?

Yes. It’s slightly different “C” (“Diamond C”) than the C which appears on the new “Cleveland” wordmark — and the new font style is called “bridge print,” which itself is derived from the “Diamond C.” According to the team, the new “‘Diamond C'” will be an evolution of the current Block C and “respects the tradition and heritage of Cleveland Baseball. The new C stands tall — just as the Guardians of Traffic stand watch over our ballpark and city — and draws from the ascending diamond motifs at the top of each Guardian pylon. The weight of the C is bold and its tapered shape is inspired by letterforms from the 1920 and 1948 World Series clubs.”

Any idea what the full unis will look like?

Funny you should ask, because I don’t — however, I asked my buddy Mike Joseph (a graphic designer) if he could just whip up a few Q&D mocks to give an idea of how they could look (assuming not much changes from their current uniforms). Obviously the finished product will most likely not look exactly like this (for example I’m pretty sure the number fonts will be different, and I think it’s wishful thinking on the red pants), but it’s just to kind of give you an idea:

The jerseys themselves are a bit easier to ascertain.

And according to this article, the team themselves released some photoshops of how the new jersey will look:

It’s not quite an unveiling, but if those are indeed how the new jerseys will look, I’m correct about the “Winged G” logo does appear to be a shoulder patch. But we will really need to wait for the official unveiling to know for sure.

Do you know when they’ll officially unveil the uniforms?

Nope. The team hasn’t said. One might assume it could be sooner rather than later, and likely in plenty of time for the holidays.

Did the team say anything about that new “Winged G” logo?

According to Cleveland, “The Guardian’s Fastball embodies what it means to be a Cleveland Guardian in its strong, yet simple design. It is inspired by the helmets and wings of the Hope Memorial Bridge’s Guardian statues and the G purposefully wraps around and guards the baseball. The split-finger design is a tribute to our strong pitching heritage.”

Because of course it is.

How did the team pick “Guardians” over the other options?

Apparently there were more than 2,000 names considered. The team said the “Guardians” name was a top contender from fans. “Through our research and discussions, we identified a few key themes that were most important to fans – connect to the city of Cleveland, honor our rich baseball history and unite our community – and we believe Guardians upholds all three of those pillars,” said Brian Barren (President of Business Operations for Cleveland).

What’s your take?

I don’t like to really comment specifically until I see the uniforms on the field of play, and we don’t even have uniforms yet. I’m not a huge fan of the name (as I said, I preferred “Municipals”) and I don’t love either wordmark. Depending on how it’s used, I might grow to really hate that Winged G logo. But it was high time for the team to change its name, and in light of how they’ve spun things, I can definitely see how the team is trying to connect with the city and its fans.

That’s about all for now. Your thoughts?

Tokyo Olympics Women’s Kit Review

I had originally planned on this piece, featuring my soccer guys — Kyle Evans and CJ Fleck — to be today’s lede, but with the Cleveland Guardians news, it’s now become one giant sub-lede. In case you hadn’t noticed, the Olympics have already started (COVID restrictions and all), and in fact, the soccer part began even before the official opening ceremonies yesterday. (Note: the guys, with the exception of the US, are using photos from three days ago, so this section more of a recap that a preview. Kyle notes, “Other than Great Britain [who only exists at the Olympics] none of the other countries have ‘new’ uniforms so it’s more or less a continuation of what the national teams typically wear with the changing of the logos to match IOC guidelines.”)

Let’s just dive right in…

• • • • •

Women’s Kits Review
by Kyle Evans and CJ Fleck

Thanks Phil! We’re back to give a quick rundown of the soccer kits you’ll see in Tokyo. One important difference you’ll see in this tournament as opposed to any other international competition is that teams are not allowed to wear their federation logos (more info here) and those are generally replaced by a flag or simple team name such as “USA.” To allow for proper rest between matches, these games actually kicked off before the opening ceremonies.

In terms of the competitions themselves, the women’s tournament is a full senior event and is regarded as the second most prestigious behind the World Cup while the men’s tournament is primarily a youth tournament as all but three players on a team must be under 23 years old (technically under 24 this year due to the one-year postponement).

__________

Group A

Japan – graphic design with shades of blue and white resembling clouds, sky, and water

Kyle: A bold look for the hosts that is more art than jersey.

CJ: I like that it’s art, to be honest. Count me in.

__________

Canada – all-red

Kyle: Not much to say other than I like the number font.

CJ: It is in fact red. Alright then!

__________

Chile – red over white with blue side panels containing white diamonds

Kyle: This is a lovely flag-inspired look for me.

CJ: Love the side stripe, inspired choice.

__________

Great Britain – navy with light blue Union Jack flag graphic

(Note: This team only exists at the Olympics as it combines England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.)

Kyle: Unique opportunity to showcase the United Kingdom flag and this works well.

CJ: I love Team GB conceptually but the flag is a bit off to me.

__________

Group B

Brazil – yellow over blue with green accents

Kyle: Classic and beautiful.

CJ: Never change.

__________

China – all-red with yellow side piping

Kyle: Again no issues with a simple red kit.

CJ: Simple is good.

__________

Netherlands – all-orange with black side panels

Kyle: A look that was great in the Euros and just as good in Tokyo.

CJ: The patch is a bit off, but I understand and adore the orange.

__________

Zambia – all-dark green with red/black/orange striping on collar, sleeves, and socks

Kyle: I love the flag-inspired stripe patterns.

CJ: The socks! Love it.

__________

Group C

Australia – all-yellow with green front diagonal panel and side design (the inverse kit exists as well)

Kyle: A unique look that I immediately attribute to Australia.

CJ: It is definitely Australia but it’s a bit much for me.

__________

New Zealand – all-black with front jagged gray pattern

Kyle: The All-Blacks live up to their name once again.

CJ: Work with the classics as much as you can, I suppose.

__________

Sweden – neon-yellow over blue with sublimated cross design

(Note: This is different from the Euros due to an Olympic partnership with Uniqlo.)

Kyle: Sweden’s Euro kits were one of my favorites so that makes this use of neon even more upsetting.

CJ: One big yikes.

__________

United States – all-white with red/navy side stripes and red/navy “waving flag” stripes

Kyle: A great pair of looks for the Americans and I really do like the random mix of red and navy stripes on the new jersey.

CJ: It’s not random, Kyle, it’s art!

• • • • •

Thanks, guys! I’ll have the lads back tomorrow for a look at your men’s 2020(21) Tokyo Olympic Soccer kits.

Browns Unveil 1946 Throwback Unis

Early this morning, the Cleveland Browns unveiled — in the worst kept secret in years, due to the leak many months ago — their 1946 throwback uniforms. You can read the team’s release here, which contains the launch video plus more than two score of photos of the new uniforms. As mentioned above, with the amount of content today, and the lateness of the reveal, I’ll have more to say on these uniforms on Sunday (and Paul will be commenting about both the new Guardians look as well as the new Browns throwback, on Monday).

Feel free to comment on the unis below — but I won’t be offering any thoughts today.

Guess The Game…

from the scoreboard

Today’s scoreboard comes from ojai67.

The premise of the game (GTGFTS) is simple: I’ll post a scoreboard and you guys simply identify the game depicted. In the past, I don’t know if I’ve ever completely stumped you (some are easier than others).

Here’s the Scoreboard. In the comments below, try to identify the game (date & location, as well as final score). If anything noteworthy occurred during the game, please add that in (and if you were AT the game, well bonus points for you!):

Please continue sending these in! You’re welcome to send me any scoreboard photos (with answers please), and I’ll keep running them.


Looking Ahead…

As the calendar nears the month of August, you’re probably all aware that Paul will be taking his annual sabbatical from the blog, leaving me in charge of the weekdays.

And as always, I can’t get through the whole month without a little help from the readers, so I’m putting out the call once again.

I’ve actually got enough stuff for a few “Olympics” posts, but I’m still looking for General Interest articles. If you’d like to propose and submit an article of interest to the Uni Watch readership — I’m all ears! Every summer you guys come through with some amazing research, concepts and other fantastic uniform-related materials, and I’ll be happy to feature your work on here again during the month.

So, if you’re interested in contributing something Olympics or uniform-related, please Shoot me an e-mail (Phil.Hecken@gmail.com) and let’s discuss! Looking forward to seeing what you guys have in store for 2021!

The Ticker
By Anthony Emerson

Baseball News: Here’s a really good look at Yankees P Gerrit Cole’s strategy card in his cap (from JDHokie). … Nelson Cruz will wear No. 23 with the Rays, a decision which means pitching coach Kyle Snyder is switching to No. 44.

Pro Football News: The Calgary Stampeders will have a big 75th anniversary logo on the left side of their helmets, completely replacing the team’s logo on that side. This is something I don’t recall ever seeing before (from Wade Heidt). … During John Elway’s first game against the Steelers, Pittsburgh tight end Bennie Cunningham has has name misspelled on his jersey (from Rick Deemer).

College/High School Football News: Hawai’i has unveiled new uniforms (thanks, Phil). … NC State has a new helmet (from Wyatt Howard and Kevin Parker). … Colorado State also has a new helmet (from Shawn Hairston). … Waco’s New University High School has new uniforms (from Kary Klismet).

Hockey News: Top NHL Draft prospect Owen Power had all 32 NHL draft caps lined up in his home, despite being the consensus No. 1 pick. It makes for a cool display, especially considering that NHL draft caps don’t look ridiculous like NFL and NBA draft caps (from Wade Heidt). … Luke Hughes was taken fourth overall by the Devils, and put on his brother Jack Hughes’s Devils jersey for the cameras (from @uniformnerd).

Soccer News: New Manchester United signing Jadon Sancho will wear No. 25 after rumors he would take over No. 7 from Edinson Cavani. Sancho wore 7 at Borussia Dortmund and United’s best player traditionally gets No. 7. Of course, what does two plus five equal? … Did you know that from 1970-1974 Birmingham City had players’ initials on their shorts? I didn’t and I’m one of Uni Watch’s soccer guys! (from @texastrevor). … Ukrainian side Inhulets Petrove have unveiled their new kits (from Ed Żelaski). … Also from Ed, Legia Warsaw’s new kits have been released. … PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino got a contract extension through 2023, and he was given a jersey with the year as the uniform number (from @artofscorebug).

Olympics News: Japan men’s field hockey goalie Takashi Yoshikawa looks like he has his No. 30 hand-drawn and attached to his shirt (and on the front too). It looks vaguely like the actual font but not exactly (thanks, Jamie). … The following are all from Kary Klismet: In an ongoing stand against sexualization of female athletes, German gymnasts are wearing full-length unitards for the Olympics, just like they wore earlier this year for the European Championships. … The World Anti-Doping Agency is reportedly disappointed that Russian athletes will be allowed to compete in the country’s traditional sporting colors (although without the country name) after the Agency’s recommended sanctions were softened by the Court of Arbitration for Sport late last year. … Here’s one columnist’s list of eleven “standout fashion moments” from the Opening Ceremony. … This is so cool: the USPS had special uniforms for employees assigned to the Olympic Village during the 1984 summer games in LA (from Scott Rogers). … Italy’s Opening Ceremony uniforms were not well received by the Internet. … How’s handball going at the Olympics? Well, they stopped a match due to an issue with the center court graphic and ended up just removing a piece of it.

Uni Tweet of the Day

More like the Broons City Edition, no?

And finally… that’ll do it for today. Big thanks to Kyle & CJ for the Women’s Olympic Soccer run down, and they’ll be back tomorrow with a look at the men’s kits.

Both Thursday and yesterday, while sunny all day, clouded over at dusk, thus negating a direct sunset. We even got a few spurts of rain. I kinda like how that looks as it’s coming towards me.

Apologies for the rather large post today. But we had a lot going on. I’ll catch you guys tomorrow, so everyone have a great Saturday.

Peace,

PH

July 24th, 2021 | Tags: | Category: Logos, MLB | 76 comments

Which Teams Should Get to Wear Which Throwback Unis?

By Paul Lukas, on July 23, 2021

With the Colts unveiling a throwback from their Baltimore era this week — and with lots of Baltimore fans griping about it — I decided to explore a topic that I’ve often touched upon peripherally but never addressed head-on: Who does a team’s history, including its uniforms, really belong to, and which teams should or shouldn’t get to wear certain throwbacks? It’s an intriguing question, with lots of nuances. People who’ve subscribed to the email version of my Bulletin content should already be seeing this article in their in-boxes; everyone else can check it out on my Bulletin page.

(If you don’t know what Bulletin is and/or are wondering why there isn’t a full-length lede entry here on the blog today, look here.)

• • • • •

• • • • •

Update, 9:45am: Cleveland MLB team’s new name: Nope, not Spiders, not Munis — Guardians. Silly blue-collar bullshit hype video is shown above, and here are the logos:

Phil will have more coverage of this tomorrow, and I’ll have some thoughts about it on Monday.

• • • • •

• • • • •

Click to enlarge

Too good for the Ticker: In yesterday’s post, I mentioned that the Colts had posted a link to their 1956 media guide to help promote their new ’56 throwbacks, but I hadn’t yet scrolled through the entire publication. After I spent a bit more time with it yesterday, I discovered this spectacular ad showing the Natty Boh mascot, Mr. Boh, acting as a football ref. So good!

• • • • •

• • • • •

Membership update: Membership orders have slowed to a trickle, but we did just add a couple of designs to the card gallery (including Fran Simmonds’s card, which is based on this Oxford Pennant banner that the Bills displayed after a victory last season).

Ordering a membership card is a good way to support Uni Watch, and fun to boot. And remember, a Uni Watch membership card entitles you to a 15% discount on any of the merchandise in the Uni Watch, Uni Rock, and Naming Wrongs shops. (If you’re an existing member and would like to have the discount code, email me and I’ll hook you up.)

As always, you can sign up for your own custom-designed card here, you can see all the cards we’ve designed so far here (now more than 3,200 of them!), and you can see how we produce the cards here.

• • • • •

• • • • •

Click to enlarge

Cap update Thanks to everyone who expressed interest in this new Uni Watch cap concept. It looks like I’ll be going ahead and putting it into production with Ebbets Field Flannels for a full range of fitted sizes. Only a couple of people have expressed interest in an adjustable version, so I will probably not go ahead with that format unless we get a late-breaking flood of interest in the adjustables (sorry).

If you emailed me to say you’d be willing to purchase this cap, I will soon be getting in touch to ask you to pre-order and confirm your size.

If you missed my previous posts about this cap concept, here are the details:

• This will be an eight-panel cap (not the more common six-panel) with green piping as shown in the mock-up.

• Just like the Classic Cap, this one will be 100% wool and made in the USA by Ebbets.

• That green brim is a Kelly green. As I recently explained, Ebbets no longer has the shade of green we were using for the Classic Cap. I don’t want to do a solid-Kelly cap, but I think the combination of Kelly, grey, and piping works really well.

• Speaking of the brim: The photo that I used for the mock-up showed a cap with a short, soft visor. But the real-world cap will have a conventional-length stiff visor.

• No visible maker’s mark, of course.

• It should be available to ship around the end of September.

• Based on the quote Ebbets has given me, the price will be something like $43 plus $6 shipping.

If you’re interested in pre-ordering this cap based on the info I’ve just provided, please send me a note indicating that you’d be on board. If you want to list your preferred size (or if you’d prefer an adjustable instead of fitted), that would also be helpful.

Thanks in advance for your feedback — much appreciated.

• • • • •

• • • • •

The Ticker
By Anthony Emerson

Baseball News: It appears a Giants clubbie was touching up a batting helmet with a marker in the dugout before last night’s game (from @RearFactory and Xian Choy). … During last night’s Indianapolis Indians game, Indy had one of their players coaching first. Later in the game, he was replaced by, as Mark Kunz describes it, a guy in a Pirates hoodie. … Wayne County, Mich., has approved an $850,000 grant to help with renovations to Hamtramck Stadium, one of the few Negro Leagues ballparks still standing (from Kary Klismet). … The Coastal Plains League’s Savannah Bananas are putting players’ faces on their jerseys (from Bryant Singleton).

Pro Football News: Here’s our first look at the Bucs’ Super Bowl rings. … In addition to a new name, the CFL’s Edmonton Elks got new unis as well (from Wade Heidt and Moe Khan). … Well, that was quick. After being called just “The Superdome” for a little under a week, the New Orleans facility has a new, stupid advertised name (from Timmy Donahue).

College/High School Football News: New Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel says he wants to put a “new age approach” on Tennessee’s iconic “T” logo (from Kary Klismet). … It appears that Illinois’s “I” logo has been added to the team’s pants (from Jake Parrillo).

Soccer News: Spurs have unveiled an, uh, interesting new second shirt. The back is mostly black due to legibility regulations for NOBs and numbers. The “reasoning” behind it from Nike’s Marketing BS Department is that it “puts future creators at the heart of [the] design, with an expressive print that represents collective creativity from local minds.” Through it all, I actually kind of dig it, but then again I’m a space nerd (thanks to all who shared). … Juventus has formally unveiled their new second shirt (thanks, Jamie). … CSKA Moscow revealed their new kits in a Twitter thread. Their away kit is a very nice fauxback (from Ed Żelaski). … Also from Ed: What’s the most patronizing way to promote a new kit? Saying it’s “inspired by the working class of [area]” and then charging 90 euros for it. Anyway, Union Berlin’s new away kit is here. … Couple more from Ed: New kits for Polish teams Raków Częstochowa and Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała. … Really gorgeous new kits for Brazilian side Palmeiras, celebrating the 60th anniversary of their Copa Rio title. The Copa Rio was the first club competition featuring teams from both the Americas and Europe (from Trevor Williams). … Also from Trevor, EFL League Two side Stevenage have a new shirt advertiser. … Do you want to see an original New York Cosmos belt buckle? Of course you do.

Olympics News: The IOC has ruled that the German field hockey captain Nike Lorenz can wear a rainbow captain’s sockband (article in German, with thanks to Jamie). … Norwegian beach handball players were fined for having shorts that were too long, a British Paralympic sprinter was told her shorts were too short, and Black swimmers can’t wear swim caps more comfortable for their hair. All in all, the IOC is coming under heavy scrutiny for its treatment of female and nonwhite athletes at this year’s games (thanks, Phil). … Also from Phil: On a lighter note, here’s how Team USA’s uniforms have evolved from 1896 to 2021, and here’s a more detailed look at the evolution of Team USA’s gymnastics unis specifically.

Grab Bag: Jaguar’s Formula E team gave its drivers, Mitch Evans and Sam Bird, custom firesuits for the London races this weekend. The team considers this their home race and it would be the first time they’ve raced in the U.K. since their last season in Formula One in 2004 (thanks, Jamie). … The following are all from Kary Klismet: Marion (Iowa) High School has unveiled its new athletics logo. … Jacksonville’s Riverside High School has also unveiled a new athletics logo. … City leaders in Christchurch, New Zealand, have instructed designers to lower the capacity on the city’s planned new stadium from 30,000 to as few as 25,000 to bring the project back within budget over the objections of New Zealand Rugby, which says the reduction will make the stadium too small for major international competitions.

• • • • •

That’s a wrap for this week. Thanks for all the feedback on Bulletin, enjoy Phil’s weekend content, and I’ll see you back here on Monday. — Paul

July 23rd, 2021 | Category: Throwbacks | 153 comments
 
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