Are the Nike’s New ‘Smart Jerseys’ a Game-Changer?

By Paul Lukas, on September 19th, 2017

As most of you know by now, I generally don’t concern myself with the retail scene. As I often say, I cover what the players wear, not what’s for sale. Uniforms, not merchandise.

But I have to admit, the new NikeConnect “smart jerseys” feel like a potential game-changer, because they collapse the distance between what’s for sale and what’s happening on the field — or, in this case, on the court.

In case you missed it over the weekend, NikeConnect allows a fan who buys an NBA player’s jersey to scan the jersey’s jock tag with a smart phone app, unlocking highlights, stats, and other features relating to that player, along with a code that enhances the player’s performance in the NBA 2k18 video game and, of course, special access to limited-edition sneakers. And it’s a two-way platform — a player can send a message to fans who’ve bought his jersey. (There’s additional info in the video embedded above, and in this article.)

Look, I don’t buy jerseys, I don’t play video games, and I’m not particularly interested in communicating with athletes unless I’m interviewing them for a story. But I totally get that this probably seems very, very cool to a lot of fans. I’m usually the first to roll my eyes when Nike describes everything it does as “innovative,” but this seems genuinely innovative. And if they’re doing it for NBA jerseys, it seems like they’ll probably do it for NFL jerseys as well, right?

Meanwhile, as the tech site Ars Technica points out, this is all a marketing-data bonanza for Nike, because a customer who registers for the app and then scans the jock tag will essentially be saying, “This is who I am, this is where I live, this is how much I spent on the jersey,” and so on.

But there’s one thing that puzzles me: What’s to stop a fan from downloading the app and then heading to Modell’s, walking over to the rack of NBA jerseys, and scanning the jock tags from all his favorite players’ jerseys? Stealing a jersey is hard, but stealing a swipe of a jock tag seems like a piece of cake. Am I missing something? (I must be, because I figure it can’t be that easy.)

Even though I usually don’t care about retail jerseys, I’m curious about this latest development. For those of you who buy jerseys (which is, I figure, most of you who are reading this), does NikeConnect sound intriguing? Exciting? Boring? Other?

Discuss.

• • • • •

LAST CALL for the Whalers raffle: Today is the last day to enter the raffle for some cool Hartford Whalers memorabilia. Full details here.

ESPN reminder: In case you missed it yesterday afternoon, my latest ESPN column takes a look at the best and worst of the NBA’s newly released alternate uniforms. Check it out here.

• • • • •

Click to enlarge

Collector’s Corner

By Brinke Guthrie

Nice artwork on this set of early-1970s Texas Rangers programs, one of which is pictured above. Boy, that era of the team’s history takes me back a bit. As a side note: This Rangers cover was from their second season in Arlington, 1973. My family moved from Texas to Cincinnati in the fall of 1972, so it’s unlikely I would have ever seen this cover when I drew this. But there are similarities!

Now for the rest of this week’s picks:

• Terrific helmet artwork on these 1970s-1980s NFL school spiral notebooks.

• The blue and yellow on this 1970s Chargers pennant really pop. Their powder blue is the best, but this Air Coryell color scheme was terrific, too.

• These are called “NFL cloth patches” from the 1960s, but they sure do resemble the Chiquita banana NFL stickers from the early 1970s.

• Here’s a 1970s Tarkenton Vikings jersey by Rawlings. Not quite like the one Mary wore, but close.

• Look at the box art on this 1960s electric football game from Gotham, which was Tudor’s main competitor. Notice no NFL markings — even in the early 1960s, it was all about licensing.

• This is called a “Sportscan.” Apparently this was supposed to be a pint-sized water bottle for kids, and this one is adorned with a Patriots sticker. To me, it kinda looks like one of those little plastic lemons filled with lemon juice you get at the store.

• This 1970s Bengals promotional plastic mug was sponsored by Dr. Pepper and Sonic. I never saw these growing up in Cincinnati, as Sonic wasn’t in our market.

• The 1970s Great NFL Fun Book is a must-have. How can you miss with a full-color section devoted to all 28 NFL helmets and uniforms?

• Luv Ya Blue! We’ve got a 1970s blue-helmet Oilers helmet buggy here, along with a regular silver helmet.

• Note the spelling on this 1980s minor league Louisville Redbirds pin. It says, “Louavull luvs the Redbirds.” If you live in Louisville, that’s how you say it, or just drop the “a” and say “Luh-ville.” Non-residents tend to use the standard “Lou-ee-ville.” (Also: The eBay listing says this item is from the 1970s, but the parent Cardinals didn’t move their AAA team from Springfield, Illinois, to Louisville until the 1982 season.)

• From reader Jim Ransdell: An old black Saints helmet, like the ones they wore in the 1969 preseason.

• And from reader Brett Thomas: Here’s a Pittsburgh Penguins T-shirt with Burgess Meredith, who played the Penguin on the TV version of Batman, as part of the logo.

• • • • •

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It’s good to be (or buy) the King: Any Elvis fans out there? For reasons not worth explaining, I have an extra sealed copy of the new A Boy from Tupelo box set, which covers Elvis’s earliest recordings. It features three CDs and a gorgeous 120-page book, and recently received a five-star review in Rolling Stone.

You can get it on Amazon for $25 plus shipping. I’ll go two bucks lower: $23 plus shipping. You want? Let me know. First come, first served. Thanks.

• • • • •

KRC update: The latest installment of Key Ring Chronicles is a tale of addiction, depression, shoplifting, and a Walgreens discount card. Check it out here.

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The Ticker
By Alex Hider

Baseball News: The U.S. Navy will no longer issue its “blueberry” work uniforms beginning Oct. 1. That could have implications for the Padres, who used the blueberries as the inspiration for their blue camo jerseys (from Chris Weber). … Yesterday’s Ticker included a shot of Dodgers SS Chris Taylor wearing a cap with the New Era maker’s mark on the right side and blank on the left side– presumably a Sept. 11 cap with the flag removed. Sure enough, Matt Ryburn had snapped this photo of Taylor last Wednesday, showing what appears to be adhesive residue where the flag used to be. Matt also sent along this photo of Dodgers C Austin Barnes’s two-in-ones. … The Angels will give away these Angels/Anaheim Ducks winter hats tonight for “Ducks Night” (from Ignacio). … Casey’s Corner is a hot dog stand at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. The baseball aesthetic for the restaurant apparently came from an 1890 Spalding Baseball guide (from Ben).

Pro Football News: A local TV station in Detroit is still using old Lions helmets on set (from Jason Berger). …University of North Carolina basketball players went to the Panthers/Bills football game this weekend, and matched the Panthers’ color scheme by wearing their BFBS jerseys to the game (from James Gilbert). … The Montreal Alouettes went GFGS this weekend against Ottawa (from Wade Heidt).

College and High School Football News: Love these 1899 Claflin University football unis (from Jacob Lipp). … In 1979, high schooler Dan Marino signed to play at Pitt. Check out how scuffed up that football is! Couldn’t they have gotten a nicer ball for the photo op? (From Tris Wykes.) … Here’s a look at the step-by-step process that the Arkansas equipment staff used to create the helmets for this weekend’s Cowboys-style uniforms. … The Rose Bowl — the stadium, not the game — may sell off the naming rights to its field to a wealthy donor. Key quote: “If the Pasadena City Council approves the motion, the field would be named ‘Tod Spieker Field at the Rose Bowl,’ though broadcasters reportedly would not be required to refer to it this way” (from @PoeyJost).

Hockey News: New mask for Islanders’ G Jaroslav Halak (from John Muir). … Joshua Tretakoff found this print for sale of hockey jerseys through the years. … ICYMI from the Baseball Section: The Anaheim Angels will be giving away these Angels/Ducks winter hats tonight for Ducks Night at Angel Stadium (from Ignacio).

NBA News: Along with jerseys and shorts, Nike is also taking over as the NBA’s sock provider. Here’s how they’ll be handling the hose this year. … The NBA will have new logos for both the playoffs and Finals this season. … Kobe Bryant was wearing a shirt with an interesting 8-24 logo in a video posted to social media recently (from Joel Swedlove). … Was Hakeem Olajuwon moving too fast on this DVD cover? Or did the producers not want to pay for the right to use Rockets logos? (From Ed). … Former NBAer Derek Fisher wore a rhinestoned Lakers-style jersey on Dancing with the Stars (from Mandy Lopez). … New court for the 76ers (from @deadendnights).

College Hoops News: New road uniforms for USC. The old version had lots of white outlining (from @grant3young). … New white uniforms for Oregon State (from @khamballer22). … Doesn’t look like there will be many changes for Gonzaga this year, other than a “Zags” emblem below the collar (from Sam Falcone). … ICYMI from the NFL section: North Carolina players went to the Panthers/Bills football game this weekend, and matched the Panthers’ color scheme by wearing their BFBS jerseys (from James Gilbert).

Grab Bag: Good story about a kid in England who caught a striping mistake on soccer club Everton’s kits in 1997 (from Chris Cruz). … Rob Golden found this wall of old Air Force squadron emblems at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. … Whoa, look at this cap that McDonald’s employees used to wear! Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions — plus a brim and squatchee (from BSmile). … Adidas has vaulted into second place in sneaker sales, passing the Jordan brand.

47 comments   Merchandising, NBA, Uniform Manufacturers

Monday Morning Uni Watch

By Paul Lukas, on September 18th, 2017

Click to enlarge

As you can see above, all three of the NFL’s Florida-based teams — the Buccaneers, Jaguars, and Dolphins — saluted the state’s resilience in the wake of Hurricane Irma by adding a “One Florida” helmet decal for yesterday’s games. You can get a closer look at the decal in this video clip that was posted by the Dolphins:

It’s not clear, at least to me, whether this was a one-week thing or if the decals will remain in place for the rest of the season. (By contrast, the Texans have said that their “Houston Strong” decal, which was added in response to Hurricane Harvey, will be worn all season long.)

In other news from around the league yesterday:

• The Falcons played their first regular season game in their new stadium and marked the occasion with a commemorative patch:

Embed from Getty Images

• Speaking of the Falcons, the logo on the left side of quarterback Matt Ryan’s helmet appeared to be rotated a bit more counterclockwise than usual:

• The Saints wore mono-black. I really wish they’d stop doing that.

• This is weird: Last week Colts tight end Jack Doyle was missing the maker’s mark on his left sleeve. This week he had a backwards maker’s mark on his right sleeve:

• Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz’s nameplate was peeling off:

They must have sewn it back on during halftime, because his nameplate was fine during the second half.

• The Steelers, like most NFL teams, cut their striping tape as it crosses the gap on the crown of a SpeedFlex helmet — except for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger:

• Speaking of Big Ben: You may recall that last week he wore a weird hybrid jersey that had the old template’s seams but the new template’s collar style. This week he wore a standard jersey with the old template, without the new collar. (He also carried a flag featuring the team’s Dan Rooney memorial patch design and later wore a T-shirt with the patch design to his postgame news conference.)

• In a related item, several Bills offensive linemen were once again wearing the old jersey template with the full collar striping, including tackle John Miller, guard Cordy Glenn, and guard Richie Incognito.

• 49ers running back Carlos Hyde began the game wearing gloves but later went bare-handed for a major chunk of the game.

• The Chargers, who were having their home opener in L.A., welcomed back five players from their inaugural 1960 Los Angeles Chargers team. Would’ve been nice if they’d given them period-appropriate jerseys, complete with blue shoulder bolts and the old font, but instead they gave them current powder blue alternates (click to enlarge):

• Out of 14 games, five teams wore white at home: the Panthers, Jags, Bucs, Rams, and Chargers.

• Here’s a list of players who protested during the national anthem.

(My thanks to Jerry Wolper and Lendel Martin for their contributions.)

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Click to enlarge

Sincerest form of flattery: Interesting development in college football, where the schedule calls for Arkansas to play Texas A&M at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium this Saturday evening. As it happens, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones went to college at Arkansas, where he was co-captain of the football team. So with the Razorbacks playing in their famous alum’s house, they’ve decided to honor him by wearing red uniforms based on the Cowboys’ blue-jersey uni. You can see the jersey above, and here’s a video clip with some additional views:

There’s additional info, lots of photos, and a longer video here.

The best detail, clearly, is that they’re including a red Dymo tape label on the back of the helmet, mimicking the blue label that’s been on the back of Cowboys helmets for half a century — a really nice touch.

I’m a lifelong Cowboys hater, and I’m certainly no fan of Jerry Jones. But I love this uniform move — it’s fun, it’s clever, it’s well-executed, and it makes sense given the unusual confluence of team, stadium, and alum. Nice job all around.

And yes, I’m aware that this isn’t the first time a college uniform has been inspired by an NFL uniform. Look at Iowa and the Steelers, for example. But that’s just a straight copy, while this is a color-shifted variation, which seems more interesting, at least to me.

One additional note: If you look again at the side-by-side jerseys at the top of this section, you’ll see that the Dallas jersey is rendered in Nike’s new template — complete with truncated collar striping, just like the Bills and Pats have). That’s a change from the preseason, when they wore the old version. So it looks like they’ll be updating to the new version of the blue jersey for the regular season.

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Where there’s smoke…: One of my favorite Chinese dishes is tea-smoked duck. But on Friday night I had dinner at a Sichuan place in Bensonhurst called Bamboo Pavilion, and they had something on the menu that I’d never seen before: tea-smoked spareribs (listed as an appetizer for $8).

They were good. Like, really good. Very smoky, agreeably succulent. They didn’t have the hoisin glaze that Chinese spareribs often have, but they came with some crushed red chili powder, which worked well when sprinkled on top. The one-two punch of smokiness and spicy chili was sensational. I don’t think it’s going too far to say that this is some of the best barbecue in New York.

Google reveals that tea-smoked spareribs occasionally show up in other restaurants, including Myers and Chang in Boston and Buddakan in Philadelphia. But to me they’re a revelation. I’ll definitely be back.

(Bamboo Pavilion, 6920 18th Ave, Brooklyn; 718-236-8088)

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NBA/ESPN update: As you’re probably aware by now, all 30 NBA teams released alternate uniforms on Friday night (including Golden State’s awesome “The Town” design, shown at right). Phil showed all of the designs in his Saturday post, and I’ve weighed in with my picks for the best and worst designs over on ESPN.

Going, going…: Today is the next-to-last day to enter the raffle for some cool Hartford Whalers memorabilia. Full details here.

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The Ticker
By Jamie Rathjen

Baseball News: The Braves wore Los Bravos jerseys for yesterday’s game against the Mets. … Dodgers SS Chris Taylor wore a cap with the New Era maker’s mark on the right side instead of the customary left side. Must have been one of the Sept. 11 caps, but it didn’t have the American flag on the other side (from @goldburgia).

Football News: Reader Jim Fletcher found an episode of the HGTV show Fixer Upper featuring the Baylor equipment manager’s house. Host Chip Gaines was duly equipped with a helmet and shoulder pads, with which he proceeded to run at a small brick panel. For good measure, his helmet decal started to come off. … Division II Wayne State wore U.S. flag-themed uniforms on Saturday to mark the 100th anniversary of the school’s athletics program. More info here (from J. Coleman). … New uniforms for Division III Wheaton (Ill.) College (from Philip Barbar). Cardinals DB Patrick Peterson’s Twitter avatar covers the Nike logo on his uniform with a small football. Peterson has an endorsement deal with Under Armour (from Tanner Liby). … Quick, what does the Oregon offensive line have in common with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins? Answer: They both have a Crosby and a Lemieux (from Moe Khan).

Hockey News: Reader John Keleman sent along a Facebook gallery of the Flyers in Cooperalls, including these two shots. Full gallery here. … Wade Heidt noticed that the Canucks’ sock stripes now match their sleeve stripes. The central green part was previously much thinner. … The Golden Knights’ helmet stickers are very reflective (from Ryan Wetstein). … Cross-listed from the football section: Penguins fans might want to start rooting for the University of Oregon’s football team, whose offensive line includes a Crosby and a Lemieux (from Moe Khan).

Soccer News: Scottish Premiership side Heart of Midlothian revealed a dark blue third kit on Saturday. … And so it has come to this: Everton’s new sleeve advertiser is Angry Birds. Additional info here (from multiple readers). … Speaking of Premier League sleeve advertisements, they’re always placed on the left arm. However, Chelsea midfielder Tiémoué Bakayoko had his on his right arm yesterday (good spot from Josh Carson). … Iain Landon sent us this set of vintage Soviet soccer posters. Two observations: While there are few identifying marks on the shirts, the player in the red shirt in the fourth poster has Spartak Moscow’s crest in a white chest band, which continued to be a distinctive feature of Spartak’s shirts up to now — until this season, apparently. Additionally, the goalkeeper in black in the first poster is reminiscent of the famously black-clad Dynamo Moscow and Soviet national team keeper Lev Yashin.

Grab Bag: The National Lacrosse League has awarded an expansion franchise to Philadelphia to begin play in the 2018-19 season, notes Wade Heidt, who hopes for the return of the Philadelphia Wings. … United Nations tour guides had their own fashion show featuring new uniforms the other day (thanks, Paul). … This is brilliant: a guide to the spider logo that has appeared on every version of Spider-Man’s costume (from @OlegKvasha).

56 comments   NFL

Sunday Morning Uni Watch

By Phil Hecken, on September 17th, 2017

By Phil Hecken and the SMUW crew

It was the “birthday” this week of Minnesota Golden Gophers mascot Goldy, so what better way to celebrate the occasion than to break out the golden slippers you see above. Those were on the feet of new Minnesota Coach P.J. Fleck, who brought a number of gimmicks with him (most notably the addition of his “Row The Boat” phrase to certain helmet stripes). I’m pretty sure Phillip John Fleck never wore yellow mascot-themed shoes while with Western Michigan, but then again, I’m not sure I want to know if he did.

To celebrate Goldy’s birthday, the Gophers themselves went mono gold and wore special helmets (more on those below, from TJ). For those of you keeping score at home, Minnesota has now gone mono-maroon, mono-white and mono-gold in three games this year.

And now, let me turn the rest of this section over to Terry “TJ” Duroncelet, who’ll bring you the SMUW rundown, followed by the 5 & 1 and the trackers. Enjoy, here’s TJ:

• • •

Sunday Morning Uni Watch
by Terry Duroncelet, Jr.

From Thursday:

• Boise State wore all-orange against New Mexico, thus completing the trifecta (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3), but WHO CARES, they have a DOG who retrieves the kicking tee from the blue turf after each kickoff! THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Thank you Javen Knott/@jjbadluck for this offering of purity. Yes, I am aware that this type of thing has been done before, but C’MON, how can you say “no” to SUCH A GOOD PUPPY???

From Saturday:

• SMU wore their skyline decals that I dig A LOT. TCU wore their purple chrome helmets.

• Toledo wore new decals in celebration of 100 years of Toledo football against Tulsa. Here’s a closer look, plus another variant.

• East Carolina cosplayed as the 2015 Baltimore Ravens. To better effect, of course.

• Louisiana-Monroe wore their P-40 uniforms, in recognition of Military Appreciation Day.

• …Well, at least nobody can accuse the Golden Gophers of not having any school spirit. There’s actually a reason for this: it was Goldy the Gopher’s birthday, and there are certainly worse ways to celebrate. Good on ya, Minnesota (and hey, my Mom’s birthday is tomorrow, coincidentally). Lots of additional notes from this game: here’s the time-lapse video of one of the helmets getting decal’d, which includes this dual-State decal in honor of those affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma. One of the #6 players for Minnesota (I’m unsure if it’s Tyler Johnson or Chris Williamson) has a captain’s ‘C’ (PC: nick/@nthartness). It appears that the Gophers graphics team is a couple of weeks behind (PC: Robbie Weaver/@RobbieWeaver).

• Thanks to Brandon Marcello/@bmarcello on Twitter for confirming what I’ve always thought about Auburn from day one.

• Tennessee wore “Florida Strong” decals on the back of their helmets in their game against Florida. The design is remarkably similar to the “Texas Strong” decals worn by Houston the week before (and I think I mistakenly called them “Houston Strong helmets” last week when I meant “Texas Strong helmets”).

• Not an FBS team, but in case this wasn’t touched upon already: Burrill Strong/@sgtwolverine on Twitter notes that the Furman Paladins have “FU All The Time” on their neck bumpers. Sure enough. As an aside, I couldn’t find the original photographer of that last pic unfortunately, but the full gallery for their game against NC State can be found here on the Furman U website.

• Louisville wore mono-black against Clemson, who responded with an abruptly-fully video. Oh c’mon, now they’re just messing with us. If that’s the case, I’m calling Clemson the Sharks.

• Miami (OH) apparently has the same taste in uniforms as Louisville (or lack thereof).

• Washington State wore these bone decals in honor of Freeman High School, a school in Rockford, Washington that was recently the scene of a school shooting, which resulted in the death of one student, and left three other students injured.

• Rice wore this decal on the right side of their helmets in their game against Houston.

• Vanderbilt wore a new helmet design against K-State (more looks here).

• Look at this image. Now look at this one (provided by Ƒormerly Ƒunhouse‏/@BackAftaThis). Thank hell that the latter will be illegal as of next year.

• It’s a satisfying weird feeling (if that makes any sense) to see Oregon wear actual school colors for more than two seconds (PC for that last pic: Ƒormerly Ƒunhouse, again). And some love for the hockey fans out there.

• The Colorado State offensive line ain’t the only thing with a huge, gaping hole in it. That’s Rams QB Nick Stevens.

• Utah wore their excellent Ute Proud helmets against San José State.

That’ll do it for Week 3. Will Louisville ever go back to a more sensible look? Will Oregon continue wearing school colors consistently throughout the week? Will the Boise State doggo continue to receive the praise that it deserves? Tune in next week to find out!

• • •

Thanks, TJ. Ok, now on to the remainder of your SMUW ensemble.

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Joe Ringham 5 & 1 Joe Ringham’s 5 & 1

Following in the footsteps of the original “5 & 1,” Jim Vilk, and Catherine Ryan after him, Joe Ringham is back again for 2017 to make his “5 & 1” (five good looking and one stinker) uni-vs-uni matchups. Sometimes he’ll have some “honorable mentions” and sometimes there will be more than one “bad” game. You may agree and you may disagree — these are, after all, just opinions and everyone has one. Feel free to let him know what you think in the comments section.

Here’s Joe:

. . .

Hey again, everybody! Already to week 3 of the season. To the list we go…

5) LSU at Mississippi State — I was debating putting this one on the list, trying to decide between this and another game involving major conference teams. In the end… this was too pretty to leave off.

4) Central Michigan at Syracuse — A bright, colorful looking game in the Dome. Really dug the Orange going orange/orange/navy at home, and it looked really nice against the gold/white/gold of the Chips.

3) Baylor at Duke — Searching through the early window of games Saturday, this one really stood out to me. Love it when Duke goes white/blue/white at home, and when you match it up against Baylor going gold/white/gold on the road (a look I think they should always go with), you have one seriously good looking game.

2) North Dakota at South Dakota — We venture into FCS for a great looking contest that I had had my eye on since the middle of the week. Really liked how the green/white/green of UND clashed against the red/red/white of the Coyotes. One may see Christmas colors, I see a great looking football game.

1) Harvard at Rhode Island — Another venture into FCS, but damn did this look good. The Crimson looked fantastic in their crimson/white/crimson road unis, clashing excellently against the blue/blue/grey of the Rams (bonus points for the light blue Ram horns against the navy helmet.

And, finally…

+1) Middle Tennessee at Minnesota – Even though I love putting Goldy on one side of the helmet, this was just horrendous looking. Hopefully the Gophers ditch the mono gold the rest of the season.

• • •

Thanks Joe! You can follow Joe on the Twitter and let him know what you think of his choices or make a 5 & 1 suggestion of your own!

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NCAA Uni Tracking

Uni Watch will again track the uniform combinations worn by the “Power 5” conferences. All of the 2016 trackers are back!

We’ve got Rex Henry (tracking the ACC), Dennis Bolt (tracking the PAC-12), Kyle Acker (tracking the Big XII), and Ethan Dimitroff (tracking the B1G AND the SEC). Rex, Dennis, and Kyle and are all returning from 2015, and Ethan is back after joining the NCAA Uni Tracking last season. Ethan has stepped into the dual role of both the B1G and the SEC.

Here are the Uni Trackers for the Power 5 Conferences:

+ + + + + + + + + +

Rex is up first today (ACC):

• • •

ACC

Week 3 hurricane key:
C- Cancelled
RS-Rescheduled

More Here.
Follow Rex on Twitter here.

• • •

And now, here’s Dennis with the PAC-12:

PAC-12

More here.
Follow Dennis on Twitter here.

• • •

And here is Ethan, with the SEC:

SEC

And be sure to check out Ethan’s WVU Mountaineer Tracker.
Follow Ethan on Twitter here.

• • •

And here is Kyle with the Big XII:

Big XII

Follow Kyle on Twitter here.

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And here’s Ethan with the B1G:

B1G

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Duck Tracker

Welcome to the 2017 Oregon Ducks Uni Tracker. This little project was originally begun way back in 2008-09 by Michael Princip, who retired after several seasons, whereupon the project was continued by Tim E. O’Brien. He, too, retired from the tracking, but the project has been ably kept up by the man who also tracks the Pac12, Dennis Bolt.

Here’s this week’s Uniform Combo for the Ducks (you can click to enlarge):

You can read about this uniform, and MUCH MORE, by checking out the Duck Tracker here!

Thanks Dennis!

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Uni Watch News Ticker
By Phil

Baseball News: Not sure specifically where this took place, but there appeared to be a nice ‘vintage’ base ball game going on in Boston yesterday (from Jordan Mayblum). Apparently the teams are Boston Beaneaters vs. The providence Grays … We all know ballplayers have special “tricks” for tweaking their equipment, but I don’t think I’ve even seen this before. Looks like he’s trying to remove pine tar/sticky stuff from the handle (from Beau Parsons). … “Did you know that the guys who carved Mount Rushmore also had a baseball team?” asks Rob Yasinsac. “I took these photos at the visitor center museum during my visit this past August. The jerseys say ‘Rushmore Memorial’ and the sweater jacket depicts an early version of Rushmore, minus Teddy Roosevelt.” More info here. … Because the game was moved due to Hurricane Irma, the Brewers were wearing white at home even though the Marlins were technically the home team (from Nick @nthartness).

NFL/CFL News: Rarity for CFL teams to wear white at home, notes Wade Heidt, as the dark jersey is designated as the home jersey. The Toronto Argonauts wore white at home on Saturday against Edmonton. … Also from Wade: University of Manitoba Bisons unveil their new home football uniforms for 2017. He adds, “Returning to the colour scheme (black and gold) of the Bisons team that won the 2007 Vanier Cup national championship at home. This uniform unveiled for the 10th anniversary of the win. However, they have still been wearing brown and gold trim on their white road uniforms.” … Here’s a close-up of jersey patch that Falcons will wear tomorrow for first game in their new stadium (thanks, Paul). Here’s how it looks on the uniform (also from Paul). … “I went into a Kroger in the Grant Park neighborhood of Atlanta today and saw these great Pepsi and Coke displays next to one another,” says Lindsay Resnick. “Love them!” … In an unsurprising move, the Seattle Seahawks have announced they will be going monoblue today against the SF 49ers.

College Football News: The Baltimore Sun had an article about University of Maryland equipment manager Drew Hampton continuing in the family business (from Stephen Murphy). … This isn’t new news, but it’s always cool to see Michigan’s iconic helmets being painted/touched up (from J.R. Rogers). … Twitter account Helmet Tracker has announced the ” greatest college football helmet contest ever!”.

Hockey News: As you’re aware, the NHL has switched uni providers from Reebok to adidas this year, and this article ranks all 31 of them. As with all ‘ranking’ pieces, it’s entirely subjective. … The Winnipeg Jets have a small freshii logo patch on their practice uniforms this year (from M Remis). … Tweeter Adam Rickert notes, “looks like Isles made a small change to LI in their logo. Look at left side/where I points.” I’m not quite sure what he’s referring to, but I am posting it here in case anyone else sees it. Could just be the angle at which the photo is turned. … The Chicago Blackhawks stripe thickness issues on the white goalie unis appear to be fixed with the change to adidas.

NBA News: A few people have commented on the new alternate uniform that the Cavaliers unveiled late Friday night. The seemed to think that because Goodyear is their advertiser, the “tire track” design is 100%, completely, unintentional. Uh huh. … We’ve still yet to see unveilings of NBA throwback uniform for four teams, so Conrad Burry has made a few ‘guesses’ (he’s been pretty spot on with his leak coverage thus far). Not saying any of these are what will be unveiled, but it’s probably safe to say it will be close to it. … The Pistons announced which games they’ll be wearing their “Statement’ uniforms (from Kyle Hess).

College Hoops News: If you haven’t seen it yet, every Saturday Morning, ESPN does a “uniform” piece. Yesterday’s featured a portion dedicated to ULM’s unis and got the “story” behind the costume (from Josh Sánchez‏). … Are these possibly new Georgia Tech Men’s Hoops unis for the 2017-18 season? (from Shawn Hairston).

Soccer News: “Not sure why, but Romeu came on the pitch without a number for Southhampton” yesterday (from Garrett Heinrich). Here’s another view (from Julian Avila‏). And here’s the rip that caused him to go blank (from Chris Morris). … New kit for AC Milan (from Coug123). … “Here’s a Look at all Premier League home kits without sponsors,” says Josh Hinton. “Not too much better.”

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54 comments   Sunday Morning Uni Watch

NBA Makes A, Ahem, Statement

By Phil Hecken, on September 16th, 2017

By Phil Hecken

Paraphrasing a slogan you often hear in the business, “Bad news drops on a Friday night.”

Well. Depending on your perspective, Nike “dropped” alternate uniforms (the term for which shant be written here, but if you read the hed, you can probably figure it out) last evening for all 30 teams. I’ll save you any commentary and just post the unis below, but Paul will have a full review of these uniforms on Monday. I’ll include links to the teams websites — by the time you read this they should all have links to stories/pics of the new alternate uniforms. Some already contain direct links to the new unis. My apologies on a couple — there were no ‘tweets’ for/from a couple teams (as of midnight), so I had to take a larger photo and iso the team uni. Speaking of which, here’s a large-ish photo of the full unveil.

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Atlanta Hawks

 


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Boston Celtics

 


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Brooklyn Nets

 


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Charlotte Hornets

 


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Chicago Bulls

 


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Cleveland Cavaliers

 


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Dallas Mavericks

 


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Denver Nuggets

 


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Detroit Pistons

 


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Golden State Warriors

 


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Houston Rockets

 


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Indiana Pacers

 


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Los Angeles Clippers

 


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Los Angeles Lakers

 


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Memphis Grizzlies

 


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Miami Heat

 


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Milwaukee Bucks

 


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Minnesota Timberwolves


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New Orleans Pelicans


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New York Knicks

 


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Oklahoma City Thunder

 


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Orlando Magic


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Philadelphia 76ers

 


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Phoenix Suns

 


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Portland Trailblazers

 


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Sacramento Kings

 


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San Antonio Spurs

 


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Toronto Raptors

 


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Utah Jazz

 


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Washington Wizards

 


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So there you have it. These unis basically confirm every video game leak that came out earlier this week, so there are no surprises. I like a few of these, dislike a few, and some are just kinda meh. Let us know what YOU think down in the comments below!

In addition to the uniform news, the NBA/Nike also introduced “Smart Jerseys “to allow fans to connect to highlights, unlock exclusive offers.” Clearly that’s more merch-related, but it’s nevertheless worth a read.

More information on the jersey release can also be found here.

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What They’re Wearing Today…

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

 

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The Ticker
By Anthony Emerson

Baseball News: The Ontario U21 women’s baseball team for the Baseball Canada tournament is wearing a uniform inspired by the Tequila Sunrise ’Stros, the late-90s Blue Jays and the Orioles’ old alternate cap. It’s hard to tell, but the British flag on the torso of the jersey is actually part of the provincial flag of Ontario (from Timothy Chiu)….This is so cool; Cleveland pitchers made dolls of their teammates out of baseballs! (from Jannino)….The Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate Baseball League unveiled their new white jerseys yesterday (from Matthew Algeo)….Riot Fest, a Chicago punk rock festival, is selling tee-shirts with a great tribute to the 1976-1990 White Sox logo (great spot by Steve Hartsock)….One of these Diamondbacks players is wearing the wrong pants (from Austin Wright). … Jose Alvarado had GOD BLESS on his cap last night (h/t Formerly Funhouse).

NFL/College Football News: At halftime during Thursday’s Bengals-Texans game, Cincy brought out Bengal legends to honor the team’s 50th anniversary. Each player was given a uniform with the number “50”. Most seemed to be this year’s Nike Vapor template, except for Chad Johnson’s jersey, which had flywire (from David Sperino)….The Saints will wear black jerseys and pants for Sunday’s game at the Superdome against the Pats (from Kenny Saidah)….ESPN used a circa 2001 photo of Tom Brady in an Adidas Pats uniform in a graphic for a video. To make things even more odd, every other player is shown in Nike (from Christopher Jowdy). … NIU launched their new white uniform Thursday evening (from Chris Feminis).

Hockey News: Here’s a good shot of the Blues’ new Adidas practice jerseys. Also note that the helmet numbers have changed from yellow to white (from Jeff Jones)….Speaking of the Blues, their mascot Louie was still wearing a Reebok jersey. Probably the same costume from last year. (from @Cards_Blues)….Ads on NBA uniforms got you down? Just think, you could be a fan of a German hockey team. That’s the new home jersey of Lausitzer Füchse‏ of the Deutsche Eishockeyliga 2 (from Ed Żelaski‏)….Mark Coale sends along this tweet from hockey writer James Mirtle: “So the Leafs have 73 players in camp. They also have 13 numbers retired. Only numbers not in use at camp: 3, 19, 60, 69, 81, 91, 92, 94-98”….Ever wonder what happened to the Buffaslug logos from the HSBC Center scoreboard? One of them ended up at a Buffalo sports bar (from Will Edge)….The Shreveport Mudbugs of the NAHL have yellow goalposts (from @Rovitz)….Al Hood sends along a tweet with more information on ‘Canes goalie Scott Darling’s mask.

NBA & College Hoops News: The Wizards had Bradley Beal tell Phil Chenier they were retiring his uni number, and caught it in a touching video (from William F. Yurasko)….Early copies of NBA 2K18 are still featuring Kyrie Irving in a Cavs uniform (a Cavs uniform he never wore, mind you). Though 2K Sports have released a cover with Irving in a Celtics uniform, all images on 2K’s social media feature Irving in a Cavs uniform, because the game went into physical production before the trade was finalized (from Colin McDonough)….Carmelo Anthony was spotted multiple times this summer working out in a hoodie, so now Knick fan Robert Gordon has modified a Melo jersey by adding a hood. SB Nation also published an interview with Gordon. (from Russ Flynn and Kris Gross). … Alabama hoops released their new white jerseys yesterday (from Doug Simpson). … Japan’s BLeague (basketball) has its own culture brand called Run the Floor (from Jeremy Brahm).

Soccer News: Real Madrid and Adidas will apparently sign a record-breaking sponsorship extension that will last until 2031. The deal will pay Real 150 million Euros a year, for a total of roughly 2 billion Euros (nearly 2.5 billion USD). While the average annual value is lower than Barcelona’s 155 million Euro-per-year deal with Nike, the length of this deal will make it the most expensive kit deal ever, surpassing Barça’s total earnings by 500 million Euros. Adidas has been Real’s kit provider since 1998….AS Monaco’s Champions League font is getting extremely negative reviews for its similarity to Comic Sans….The German national team’s contract with Adidas requires youth players to wear only Adidas boots….Argentine side Racing Club’s new kit honors the 50th anniversary of their 1967 Intercontinental Cup victory (from Ed Żelaski).

Grab Bag: If you’ve been watching ESPN on the teevee recently, you’ll know that they’ve been pushing their mobile app hard. This push has now moved to the microphone logos, which now show a facsimile of the app icon instead of the full ESPN logo. More info here (from Michael Kanady)….A good shot of the gorgeous kit the West Indies will wear for their forthcoming T20 matches (from Jim Vilk)….The city council of Belfast, Northern Ireland has come under criticism for spending £50,000 (nearly $68,000) of taxpayer money on a new logo that most Belfastians dislike. The new logo was approved unanimously by the council. The Belfast Telegraph’s graphic designer came up with these three logos “on his tea break”….A highway sign in Texas misspelled “Lawton” in a ridiculous/hilarious way (from Leslie Barr).

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32 comments   NBA
 
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