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Gray? Check. Day-Glo? Double-Check. Zubaz Revival? Uh, Sure, Whatever You Say…

Louisville adidas adizero uniform home.jpg

Baylor adidas adizero uniform.jpg Cincinnati adidas adizero uniform_away.jpg

This is the part where I’m supposed to say something pithy, like “They don’t call it March Madness for nothing.” But really, who can be bothered? The tournament uniforms that the friendly lifestylists at Adidas unveiled yesterday for Louisville, Baylor, and Cincinnati are so laughably pathetic, they don’t even register on the good/stupid scale.

The worst part, though, is how these “designs” come off like low-grade Nike knock-offs, from the trend-hopping (gray, Day-Glo, how original!) to the execution. It’s like a pimply-faced freshman trying to dress up like a slick upperclassman and making a fool of himself in the process. Say this much for the Swooshkateers: Their designs may suck and their marketing approach may be loathsome, but at least they maintain a veneer of professionalism. Adidas feels like amateur hour by comparison.

If you can take any of this seriously, you’re way ahead of me. I’ll only offer two quick thoughts: (1) It’s a shame about Baylor, which actually had a really nice-looking uni set, and (2) the guy in the Louisville jersey looks like he’s wearing a strapless dress with a red bra.

If you really have nothing better to do with your day, I feel really sorry for you here’s additional Baylor photos and info, Cincy info, Cincy photos, and Louisville info, whee!!

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Radio reminder: I’ll be talking about uniforms and other things tonight on WFMU’s Seven Second Delay show. As you can see on that page, the other guests will be New Yorker writer Susan Orlean (whose work I greatly admire, although she was rather rude to me one time back in 1995), the two guys from They Might Be Giants (whose work I’ve never much cared for, although I once spent a very pleasant evening with them way back in 1986), and drummer Will Glass (who I know nothing about and have never met).

The program runs from 6pm-7pm, and I’m told that I’ll be appearing in the latter half of the show. You can access the live stream here. The show will be broadcast live from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Manhattan (307 West 26th Street), and NYCers who’d like to attend can buy tix at the door for $5.

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Uni Watch News Ticker: Kobe Bryant wore a black mask last night, instead of his usual clear model. … Remember those photos of the 1943 Yankees with straight lettering on their road jerseys? Mike Kingery did a bit of additional research on that front: “I went through each issue of the 1943 Sporting News and found a few images of the Yankees’ road jerseys, but nothing conclusive. This photo from the May 20th issue shows Joe McCarthy with arched lettering and the caption indicates the photo was taken at a game in Washington. The Yankees played in Washington in the series directly after the series at Fenway where the straight-lettering photos were taken. But this photo hows McCarthy with what appears to be straight lettering next to Nick Etten wearing arched lettering. Then there’s this photo, taken in the spring of ’44, which shows at least one player with straight lettering. It appears that the Yankees may have had two sets of road jerseys that got mixed and matched.” ”¦ More details about Missouri’s new football uniforms, which will be unveiled next month. … Oh baby, look at this killer jersey tag. It’s from this beautiful jersey (from Marty B). … A massive Columbus Crew billboard/mural has gone up in Columbus. “Interestingly, the local commission that regulates such ads views its mission as ‘mak[ing] such marketing more pleasing to the eye and less about the advertising message itself,'” writes Kevin Mueller. “With the Crew mural, this meant removing product placement of a Barbasol shave can (but not removal of the big honking Barbasol across the jersey).” … Jesse Gavin is covering the Iowa State high school hoops championships and has noticed some interesting details, such as Boyden-Hull going with white lettering on a white jersey and Nodaway Valley waring black/purple argyle. … Good thing global climate change is just a librul hoax, or else it could have grave implications for hockey. ”¦ Bigtime college hoops is coming to my neighborhood, and let me tell you, I’m just overjoyed. If you score tickets and need a place to crash, my couch is available for a mere $250 a night plus you have to clean Tucker and Caitlin’s litter box, WHAT A BARGAIN! ”¦ According to a new blog about sports merch, TCU isn’t revising its logo after all. ”¦ Three NBA players have inked new sponsorship deals with Spalding, of all companies. Spalding’s even rolling out a new line of sneakers for them to wear. ”¦ A T-shirt site has recently added a bunch of USFL designs (from Justin Robertson). ”¦ Some nice scans from a 1968 German Adidas catalog here (big thanks to Patrick Woody). ”¦ Lots of cool Padres-related artwork here (from Brady Phelps). ”¦ The Mets apparently still have some of last year’s BP caps floating around, although the sight of the old GM is somewhat more upsetting than the old cap (from Nick Schiavo). ”¦ Union High in Washington State has a beveled logo and a beveled wordmark on their basketball court — noting new there. But they’ve taken it a step further with a beveled key (good spot by Darin Nelson). ”¦ Ice Cube has a new Raiders-themed T-shirt. Does Al Davis — or his ghost — know about this? (From Kevin Wright.) ”¦ A Bills T-shirt from Nike is arriving at retail (from Leo Thornton). ”¦ Did you know you can recycle your old hockey stick? You can! “I like their play on the recycling logo,” says Marty Hick. ”¦ Rare sight at the bottom of this page: a Tigers TATC jersey (big thanks to Kevin Dugal). ”¦ New logo and uniforms for the Woodlands Strykers (from Alan Poff). ”¦ Big congrats to Joe Skiba, who’s been named Equipment Manager of the Year.

 
  
 
Comments (211)

    I thought Baylor was a Nike school ? The women hoops wear Nike and so did the football team as of last fall.

    Thanks,
    Josh

    baylor is one of those weird schools with different sponsors for different sports…found this on another board, for reference (was updated as of 3/11):

    Baylor football wears Nike.
    Baylor men’s basketball wears adidas.
    Baylor women’s basketball wears Nike.
    Baylor baseball wears Under Armour.
    Baylor softball wears Under Armour.
    Baylor track wears Nike.
    Baylor tennis wears (wore) Reebok. (I think they wear UA now)
    Baylor women’s soccer wears Under Armour.
    Baylor volleyball wears Nike.

    Someone in the production team on the ABC Family drama “Switched at Birth” Gets It(tm). Last night’s episode hinged on a state playoff game between girls basketball teams, one from a cash-strapped public school for the deaf and the other from a richly endowed private academy. The deaf girls were outfitted in screen-printed gray cloth t-shirts and team-color shorts, while the prep school girls wore tackle-twill-belogoed performance fabric unis with all the bells and incongruous contrast panel whistles. Not mentioned in dialogue, not lingered over in establishing shots or game footage, just a background detail. Too often, lazy costumers put youth teams of supposedly scrappy underdogedness into expensive, pro-looking uniforms. Nice to see the unis getting a little thought.

    What, and ruin it for all the Switched fans who are waiting to find out whether Daphne and the Mustangs can beat the rich girls on DVR? No way.

    But Switched is maybe the It Gettingest show on TV right now, on account of the setting being the Kansas City home of an ex-Royals superstar, and one of the two leads being a multi-sport student athlete. Of course, with Friday Night Lights over and Eastbound and Down airing spottily, there isn’t all that much It to Get on TV right now.

    They really screw up the whole being in KC part though. Riverside isn’t the Mexican neighborhood at all, nor dangerous. In fact, the top public high school in the metro is in Riverside….

    I came here today from your facebook link. I’ve done it before, but never noticed that I’m actually connecting through “networkedblogs.com/usjib”. Odd because there’s an extra menu bar up top, and the comments were showing without my first refreshing. Is this normal/correct? No criticism or concern here, just curious about a change from what I’m used to experiencing.

    It’s from the App that’s used to post the blog to facebook:
    “about an hour ago via NetworkedBlogs” is under the facebook post.

    I’ve noticed it as well, Paul.

    Doesn’t happen with the feed on Twitter, though.

    Paul, did you mean “grave implications for Hockey”?, Also thanks for the redneck-bonic spelling of a certain term for left-wingers, just like everyone in my neighborhood says it!

    Another great address for today’s page, even if it doesn’t reflect the congratulations due to Joe Skiba.

    And “the the” in the second graf should be “to the”.

    Maybe now that Al Davis has passed on, Ice Cube can start “giving juice to the Raiders, since Al Davis never paid him”

    (All my hip hop heads might pick up on my lyrical switcheroo there)

    Souls of Mischief (Oakland Rap Royalty) already did that like 5 years ago. Rap trivia – Ice Cube is the cousin of Del the Funkee Homosapien, who is the head of Hieroglyphics, which Souls of Mischief is a part of. You’d figure he’d already have seen their version (which is much better IMO)

    Anyhow, check out some other Bay Area hip-hop/sports related stuff:

    link

    Key quote from Gary Pinkel in that story about the new Mizzou uniforms — it’s EXACTLY what Paul has been saying about teenagers and shiny things:

    “They went crazy,” he said. “Those are 18-year-old kids, and (those concepts are) what we’re recruiting against and what we’re playing.”

    Because I’m not old enough to have flashbacks to ‘Nam, the Adidas March Madness unis don’t look like camo to me. That’s just tiger stripes, like you’d see on a discount-store throw pillow or the Cincinatti Bengals. Makes sense for any team named the Tigers. For the Cardinals, not so much.

    Tiger stripe camo does exist. Mostly antiquated, but I think the Air Force still wears it.

    Interesting contrast between the look of Adidas in that 1968 catalog and the shoes in the lead photos.

    Everything else aside (corporate dominance these days, etc.) always thought the original concept of the three stripes to ID the shoemaker was a masterstroke of branding.

    So did Phil Knight. ‘Twas the inspiration for designing a large calling card-type element that would adorn all his shoes.

    Okay, I’ll take one for the team and offer the Groaner of the Week…

    Lately ESPN is Peyton/Payton Place.

    To be fair, Peyton Manning is my generations Joe Montana or Dan Marino. Him being cut from the Colts is a pretty big deal, since he was the face of the Colts for years.

    It is gonna be weird to see him in another uniform, espesally if it’s red or green and not blue.

    How about the thought of Peyton Manning in the new Seahawks silver alt uniform this season?

    ;o)

    Woodlands Strykers: I was just thinking recently why hasn’t there been any Old Vegas Gold / brown mustard used as a primary color lately. Something different, unique and bold. But that primary logo which took me a few seconds, & the wordmark doesn’t do anything for me.

    I think you forgot your sarcasm tags for the Michigan-WV playing in Brooklyn part of the ticker.

    Does anyone else think those shorts for Baylor, Louisville, and especially Cincinnati look like swim trunks for 6th graders?

    Paul pretty much hit the nail on the head with his comments on them.

    Hey, some of those sixth graders may someday come play for your school for a year. Gotta keep those things in mind.

    Those images prove to me how far Adidas is behind Nike when it comes to uniform design and apparel. If I were a kid coming out of high school, I would stay far away from a commitment to any Adidas school. I wouldn’t want to risk ever wearing anything like what we are seeing from Adidas in these images.

    pfft…those are some plain and boring unis, span…jimbo…

    no 17 year old would ever want to wear something that classic beautiful unshiny

    You’re acting like everything Nike touches turns to gold. Compile the hits and misses and they’re probably about equal. Nike just markets better and thus seems more important and confident.

    Those half-stripe socks don’t help matters, either. And nice of Adidas to put the gap right in front, so as to have a nice blank space for some freaking huge logo creep.

    “Then there’s this photo link, taken in the spring of ’44, which shows at least one player with straight lettering.”

    Nice sleuthing, but that picture clearly shows the Yankees at Great Lakes in July 1943.

    One of the items on today’s UniWatch triggered a thought for me, and I thought I’d see if UW readers had as much curiosity about it as I have over the years – and maybe we could find an answer to a mystery.

    As some of you may know, I operate a (sadly unfinished) USFL historical site, link (also now at link). The most frequent question I’m asked from the site’s visitors, oddly enough, is about its logos – specifically, if anyone owns the rights to them or if they’ve escaped into public domain status.

    I’d like to say I know the answer, but in all honestly I don’t. I know the trademarks on them all expired long ago, but the copyright status of these works remains very much in question.

    My on-and-off investigation over the years on the subject has produced tons of stories but nothing definitive: I’ve heard that the copyright on all the logos has gone into public domain, that some teams acquired the copyright and subsequently sold it off in liquidation… even one (unlikely) story that Herschel Walker acquired the New Jersey Generals logo when that team went belly-up.

    So maybe UW readers with a background in copyright law (or just a deep-seated interest in learning such things) could dig further into it, providing some ongoing material for UniWatch. It’s a mystery I’ve spent years trying to unravel, and one quite a few people have an interest in having solved, so I thought maybe the great folks at UW can do some sleuthing!

    link

    It appears as though eight USFL names/marks have been applied for by a Yusdany Castro-Herrera of San Diego, California. That’s also (perhaps not coincidentally) where EndZone Sports Management (which purchased the “assets” of this nascent re-boot of the USFL) is headquartered.

    The eight teams Mr. Castro-Herrera has applied for are the New Jersey Generals, Tampa Bay Bandits, Washington Federals, Jacksonville Bulls, Houston Gamblers, Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers and Arizona Wranglers.

    The Chicago Blitz, Philadelphia Stars, Birmingham Stallions, San Antonio Gunslingers, Oakland Invaders, Pittsburgh Maulers, Orlando Renegades, Oklahoma Outlaws, Baltimore Stars, Arizona Outlaws, Denver Gold, Portland Breakers and Los Angeles Express are all listed as “dead,” though “Arizona Outlaws” is being used by a knockoff arena football league team in Prescott Valley, Arizona, “Denver Gold” is registered as the name of a plant by Colorado State University horticulturalists, “Boston Breakers” is the name of a women’s soccer team and there is an “LA Express” line of clothing and swimwear.

    This person also apparently has “San Diego Outlaws” and “Bay Area Invaders” as you can see link. The address is apparently an office building in downtown San Diego that contains many law firms.

    If you were going to re-start the USFL, those are probably the names you’d consider picking up, I reckon.

    Not that I think they can pull off a league – it’s too expensive and while there’s a seemingly insatiable desire for football in this country, it’s largely a seemingly insatiable desire for NFL football, not developmental or alternative football. I just don’t think they can make it work.

    Those are the trademarks, and they’re essentially meaningless without the accompanying copyrights for the logos themselves. Trademarks related to the USFL have been passed around like a $10 ho over the past several years as quick-buck artists take a gamble (and lose).

    Then I’m going to guess Classic Ink has most of them. The (new) Tampa Bay Rowdies just went a couple years of litigation and negotiation with them to get the marks.

    Of course, I guess you could create all new logos, couldn’t you? Which might defeat the purpose, might not.

    You’d be hard-pressed to think that, had they continued to exist from 1985 on, at least some of those teams wouldn’t have altered their identities over time.

    “…… Some nice scans from a 1968 German Adidas catalog here (big thanks to Patrick Woody). … Lots of cool Padres-related artwork here (from Brady Phelps). … ”

    Both are wonderful.

    OK. I just want to say that, without reference to the whole Adidas train wreck and without reference to the team’s perfectly fine previous uniform, I kinda liked that new Baylor outfit. Bright, jazzy, distinctive, amusing. That crazy stripe-y pattern works much better when it doesn’t feature a separate color, and the overall look of felt-tip highlighter color works for me. Way inappropriate for some schools — Kentucky, Indiana, Duke, Princeton, places with long traditions of basketball excellence — but it’s OK to fool around with an unimposing place like Baylor. No hate mail from Waco about “unimposing,” please.

    That’s about how I feel. I like the color, like the tiger stripe camo pattern, don’t like any of the details.

    No mention of Kobe going Green-Hornet-Kato last night and wearing a black mask? That can’t be the first time a colored mask has been worn in an NBA game right? I suppose I could try and use this thing called Google to answer my own question, but I’d like to see if anyone here has the quick answer. Plus, I know Paul likes those action shots of decal/accessory malfunctions when they come off, so here’s a shot of Kobe getting his mask knocked off during the game…

    link

    Thanks for the update. Happy to contribute. But just out of curiosity, when giving credit in the ticker, when do you give credit to those that send content through here or email you directly? Just noticed that you linked out to the STLToday article regarding the new Mizzou uniforms today that I commented about yesterday. Are these guys all UW members? Again, just curious is all. Credit or no credit, I’m still going to read and still post when something comes across.

    Ticker credit protocol, roughly:

    – If more than two people send me something (or if I, y’know, was already aware of it myself — it does happen), I don’t give credit. At that point it’s sort of “in the air,” or in the public domain, or whatever.

    – If it’s something from the previous day’s comments, I usually just say “Reprinted from yesterday’s comments” and leave it at that. This is in part because most commenters don’t comment under their real names, and I generally prefer not to use pseudonyms or screen names when giving Ticker credit. (Yes, there are some exceptions to that. Case-by-case basis.)

    Fair enough. Now excuse me as I spend my lunch break searching the interwebs for masked basketball players and disembodied hands.

    Definitely not the first time a black mask has been worn. I’m not saying this one was but it was certainly worn before last night.

    link

    NICE! Pretty much answers my question. A few thoughts on that slideshow: 1) Holy crap, I never knew A.C. Green went full Hannibal Lecter with his mask; 2) Will Perdue’s SILVER mask matching his Spurs jersey!; 3) Andre Kirilenko really should’ve gone with the side-strap-only model instead of the one with the over-head strap…D’oh-eth!!

    link is amazing.

    Not only does it feature two players in masks, it’s an actual photo of Rip Hamilton PLAYING basketball for the Bulls.

    Wow, I’m incredibly happy to finally see a pic of a Tigers home TATC jersey (the one they actually wore)! In recent years, the only thing I’ve ever seen was that blue jersey with the tail on the back; I’ve never seen a picture of that one being worn (or a numbered version of that jersey, for that matter).

    I actually remember watching that Tigers-Royals game. I was quite amused that the Tigers went pretty conservative with their TATC unis, basically keeping the same look, just tweaking the font on the back.

    Very cool to see that Tigers TATC jersey mentioned since I am the owner. Those are few and far between as are game photos of them wearing that style. I was able to find two small b&w photos showing Todd Jones and Tony Clark among a couple others.

    Agreed. Really nice crest, visually. Don’t know what the pinball flippers are supposed to represent, if anything, but they sure do make an interesting K.

    Spalding did not roll out a line of new sneakers. They released ONE sneaker in various colorways.

    What’s the difference between a “color” and a “colorway” (aside from a bloated marketing budget and a bunch of douchebags tossing around ideas in a conference room)?

    What’s the difference? It’s only one model, one style. Spalding may say they have a sneaker line, and for all intents and purposes they do, but their line consists of only one sneaker in varying colorways.

    The difference between color and colorway? Colorway is the right term. Sneakers come in colorways not colors. It’s industry speak, yes, but there’s terminology like this used in the manufacturing of all products.

    Fair enough. Continue to use incorrect terminology. As a journalist, I’d figure you’d want to use the appropriate verbiage.

    Oh, fuck that. There’s nothing “incorrect” about it. “Colorway” is marketing newspeak designed to create the illusion of greater substance, greater engineering. It’s bullshit, and one job of a journalist is to call bullshit for what it is.

    You ain’t gonna win this one, but if I were you I’d take a look at the uni watch glossary and poke fun at some of the stuff on there using the below quotes and strikethroughs where applicable to give Paul some good natured needling in the future.

    I think colorway is perfectly acceptable. If the shoe was a solid color, then it would be a color. If there’s more than one color there, then it is a link. And assuming link citations are to be trusted, it’s not some new shit either.

    Is it a bit more flowery than “color scheme”? I suppose, but it’s also less boring.

    Marketing? Really? Sneakers aren’t marketed to be sold in this colorway or that colorway, that’s why only those familiar with the industry really know the term. It is, however, the correct industry term.

    Based on your above statement, am I also to believe that all terminology in the medical field from prescription drugs to surgical procedures is also “marketing newspeak designed to create the illusion of greater substance, greater engineering.”?

    Perhaps “one job of a journalist is to call bullshit for what it is”. I’d say that another job of a journalist is also to use the appropriate language and terminology of his/her subject.

    Simple question: Can you please explain exactly — EXACTLY — what the difference is between a color and a colorway?

    See, that’s the difference between “colorway” and most of the terms in the Uni Watch glossary. There no need for the term “colorway” — it’s just a fancy-ass invented version of a word that already exists.

    Wait — so a solid-color sneaker does not come in a “colorway”? That’s not just your interpretation but that’s how the industry would term it?

    Anyway, it’s still bullshit. Somehow the clothing industry manages to refer to multiple-hued garments by “color,” not “colorway”:
    link

    How do they ever manage, I wonder?

    Hmmm… no, I guess that would technically be an all-black colorway.

    I guess it just doesn’t bother me. I prefer it to “color scheme”. I like words.

    Isn’t non-bullshitty word in English for this phenomenon “color scheme”? Carries exactly the same meaning as “colorway,” which “color” does not no matter what JCrew says, and “color scheme” is both universally understood to mean that and has been with us since the 19th century.

    “Fair enough. Continue to use incorrect terminology. As a journalist, I’d figure you’d want to use the appropriate verbiage.”

    Good journalists try to avoid bullshit jargon that confuses readers, but you wouldn’t know that because you’re to busy looking down your nose at journalists.

    Well, if you wanted to come up with a one-word term that would refer to “color scheme” (which is two words) as opposed to simply “color”, than what would it be?

    @T’Challa- It’s not about winning an argument or not, it’s about using the correct terminology in reference to a product or service, NOT using alternate terminology simply because I think a word I use is better. When I drive, I move from right to left with the “steering wheel”, not the “turning circle”. I use the right terms. Why? Because it’s what it’s called, or named.

    Because sneakers are offered in a variety of materials (leathers, suedes, synthetics and other fabrics) and these materials are offered in a variety of colors, the final presentation is referred to as a colorway. I’m not sure why the concept is this hard to grasp. It’s not a new term and it’s used within the industry, not within one company of the industry.

    Should I fight the use of the term “pantone”? No, I accept the fact that it is part of the lexicon for this even larger industry.

    I’m not familiar with terms within the world of journalism but I’m sure there is a lexicon used within that industry as well. I’ll defer to my previous reference to the medical field and it’s verbiage. Should I fight that as well? Are they grandstanding?

    You keep saying “correct” and “appropriate,” but those are totally subjective concepts here. What you’re really saying is, “This is the term they use, so you should use it too.”

    But that’s crap. Some terms are functional and others are designed to manipulate. “Colorway” is among the latter.

    About this:

    Because sneakers are offered in a variety of materials (leathers, suedes, synthetics and other fabrics) and these materials are offered in a variety of colors, the final presentation is referred to as a colorway.

    You’re just digging a deeper hole for yourself. How does, say, “blue/green colorway” tell me anything about the fabric or other materials? And here’s a news flash: LOTS of products come in multiple colors and materials without using bullshit terminology like “colorway.”

    At the end of the day, you haven’t provided a single good defense of “colorway” except “It’s what Nike says.” Let’s hope Nike doesn’t start claiming 2+2=5, because I’d hate to see you defending that too.

    Your screen name is aptly chosen, because you’ve certainly drunk the Kool-Aid on this one.

    “colorway” is a total lifestyle term just like “fitted” is, plain and simple…

    most of the time, i use the word “fitted” but only to be a bit more descriptive than my usual “hat”

    i usually associate the word “colorway” with kids/people that will pay $50 for a hat… er… fitted… same goes for the $200 sneaker crowd.

    but i say that “matter of factly” with no offense intended… as i know one of my good buddies will spend $200 on the right, say, addidas “colorway”… with matching tack suit… and matching outfit for his sweet significant other… will probably be reading this :-)

    Yes, but “fitted” is more than just that; it’s a descriptive term for something that doesn’t otherwise have them.

    “Hat” could mean either fitted or adjustable. Therefore, it’s not a conclusive substitute for either term.

    “one of my good buddies will spend $200 on the right, say, addidas “colorway”… with matching tack suit… and matching outfit for his sweet significant other… will probably be reading this :-)”

    ~~~

    awwww…that’s sweet

    “It’s what Nike says.”
    And here is where your REAL hatred of the term derives.

    First, I said nothing of Nike, YOU did. So, please do not not fabricate stories that I brought up anything about Nike. I’ve been referring to Spalding, and then, in turn, the entire industry.

    Also, if you’re going to quote my defense, use a quote I actually said, not one that you made up. I’ve never said, “It’s what Nike says.”

    What exactly is being manipulated by using an industry term? Most of our vocabulary when speaking about products and services in varying industries are terms that we use because, as you say, “they” use them. I will interpret your use of “they” to mean, those within the industry.

    “They” create the vocabulary.
    “They” create the language.
    “They” create the lexicon.
    Just like “they” create the product environment.
    Why? Because its their industry. Who are we to tell people in any industry that the language they use is bullshit and simply “marketing newspeak designed to create the illusion of greater substance, greater engineering”?

    I’d be interested to know what you call the pen you write with or the keyboard you type on or the home you live in, since those are all terms that “they” use.

    You’re so far off base, you don’t even know where to start.

    It’s simple: Colorway is unncessary BECAUSE WE ALREADY HAVE A TERM FOR THAT. It’s called “color.”

    All your other examples don’t fit that pattern. Duh, of course we call a steering wheel a steering wheel — there’s no need to invent another term for it BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT IT IS. Ditto for pen, etc.

    In this example, “color” is akin to “steering wheel”; it’s “colorway” that’s akin to “turning circle,” BECAUSE IT’S AN INVENTED TERM — a solution to a non-problem.

    I was just using “Nike” as shorthand for the bullshit corporate machine that turns out nonsense like “colorway.” If you like, I’ll say “bullshit corporate machine” from now on.

    I’m still waiting for you to explain exactly — EXACTLY — what the difference is between color and colorway. And you can’t. Because there isn’t one. Colorway is marketing newspeak designed to make sneakers and other products sound more tech-y, more gadget-y, more engineering-y. It’s bullshit. You can say it as often as you want, but back here on planet Earth, it’s just a fucking color.

    Say its like stirrups. If you had 3 pairs that are black bodied but each have a different color stipe (So one is Black/White, Black/Red, and Black/Orange) what would you call that? the black/red color? Or the Black/red colorway?

    To me saying the “Black/Red Color” is awkward. But I’m a mindless corporate zombie.

    The term color is a broad term. I look around in my cube and I see yellow post-its, orange, blue and green highlighters, navy blue hanging files a black calculator and brown file folders. Essentially, a color is an adjective. As I wrote before, the colorway of the sneaker is the entire presentation of it. It extends beyond simply the broad adjective of its primary color.
    There is nothing techy about a sneaker’s colorway. It is its complete presentation.

    Why so aggressive? Are you always like this to people who read and comment in this forum? I simply tried to invoke a specific industry term for the description of a sneaker, and the responses I’m faced with include unnecassary profanity, I am called off base, told that I drank the Kool Aid, AND am quoted as saying things I didn’t. Is this par for the course for this message board? Each time I’ve been able to offer a rebuttal, it has been completely calm and relaxed with no aggression towards anyone. I don’t understand why I’ve been attacked with aggressive responses.

    By the way, my two sneaker wearing feet are planted firmly on the ground, on Planet Earth.

    Apologies for the vitriol. Not angry at you. Angry at the corporate machine that feeds us nonsense terms and gets people to parrot them. It’s part of the increasing corporate influence in American life, which I find upsetting and repellant.

    We’re gonna have to agree to disagree.

    Does Wendy’s still have “biggie” fries? That’s what this debate reminds me of. “Biggie” — yeah, like I’m really gonna say that out loud. Just gimme a fucking large fries already.

    It does tend to remind me of Starbucks sizing options. They use their pseudo-Italian terms in their marketing, but it never seems like they’re confused when I order a medium.

    I’m going to jump back in and re-post link link, which I’m guessing nobody clicked on the first time. I’ll also copy/paste the citations included:

    Citations: 1949 Mary Roche New York Times Mag. (Apr. 10) “New Ideas and Inventions” p. 48: The second collection of Liebes-weave designs has appeared on the market, somewhat more intricate than the first, larger in scale, and in some colorways more suitable for big, bold decorative panels rather than retiring backgrounds. 1959 Kay Sherwood Times-Mirror (Warren, Pa.) (June 4) “Color Sets a Cool Scene for Summer” p. 7: Five color-co-ordinated fabrics in almost three-dozen different colorways (combinations) are inspired by the South Seas colors. 1980 New York Times (Aug. 14) “Where To Find Reproduction Patterns” p. C8: Scalamandre Silks, 950 Third Avenue (361-8500), has specialized in reproductions and adaptations of antique wallpaper and fabric patterns for the past 50 years. Its collections include an estimated 2,500 different colorways (as opposed to patterns). 2004 Doug Rutsch Sacramento Bee (California) (Dec. 3) “Taking a shine to shoes”: Lam doesn’t mind dropping $180 for new Jordan 5s with a white-black-and-red color scheme (“colorways” in shoehead parlance) or driving two hours to San Francisco almost every weekend to shop on Haight Street.

    You can choose to like the word, or not like the word, but it IS a word, in use for at least 63 years by various industries (most often these days by shoe companies), and not some modern athletic lifestyle company’s marketing/branding speak like “hyperfit” or “flywire” or “climacool”.

    how many words do we use for “home run”?

    dinger? round-tripper? went deep? hit one out of the park? went yard? tater? long-ball? etc.

    let the sheep say colorway in lieu of color or colorscheme

    it breaks up the monotony

    just as long as we all realize that they all mean the same fuckin’ thing

    What about Starbucks….what’s wrong with small…medium….large

    I refuse to ask for a “Tall” “Grande” or “Venti” drink….just give me the large.

    although this would suggest i visit Starbucks on a regular occasion, which i do not.

    @Bernard- Outstanding find! I appreciate your assistance in my attempt to introduce a new term!

    I used to work with a number of interior designers, and I originally heard the term “colorway” when (sort of as mentioned above) wallpaper and carpet salesmen were showing off their samples to the interior designers.

    Wallpaper and carpet works roughly like this, a certain type of carpet, lets call it Type A comes in say 6 colors and 3 different patterns, for a total of 18 different combinations. That sample book is called the colorway for that Type A of carpet. “Lets take a look at the colorway for Type A carpet” would encompass the entire set of colors and patterns.

    Using the term colorway to describe different color combinations of a single design of sneaker to me is marginal at best. Like Paul said I think they’re using that term to sound techy and gadgety and fancy. It’s overkill and it’s just using a fancy term to make itself (and eventually the repeaters of the term) sound cool and more knowledgeable and technical about something as simple as a color combination on a sneaker.

    “Hey shoe salesman I want a pair of those new sneakers”

    “What colorway would you like?”

    “Huh?”

    “What color combination would you like in those sneakers?”

    Now if we could get people to stop using the term “price point” that would help too.

    I always order a ‘grande’ thinking it means large…

    Ah yes. IT DOES MEAN FUCKING LARGE IN NEARLY EVERY ONE OF THE ROMANCE LANGUAGES!

    Screw Starbucks.

    There was a coffee shop in my old neighborhood that garnished their standard small/medium/large display with the sign “If you use Starbucks terms, we will charge you Starbucks prices.”

    I never heard of the word/term colorway before today (fresh point of view). Call it ignorance, being out of the loop, ADD, whatever you want. After reading every comment above, here are my thoughts on what I took away from it. I know you didn’t ask for my opinion, but it’s just so fun to click that ‘reply’ button.

    1. ‘Colorway’ is an actual term, used within a entire industry, not just within a certain companies vocabulary. It’s more a designer’s term than a marketing term.

    2. It means the same thing as ‘color scheme’ or ‘color combo’

    3. I don’t believe it is used primarily for marketing purposes since I never saw any ads with that word or heard any ballers saying, “Yo man! I dig those kicks. The colorway on them is sick.”

    4. It’s overkill and it makes people who use it seem to be saying, “Hey look at me! I used a different word than I really needed to. I am informed and an insider. I am special.”

    5. Industry insiders may like to say ‘colorway’, but janitors also may like to be referred to as ‘sanitation engineers’. So take it for what it is, a gilded lily of a word.

    “…4. It’s overkill and it makes people who use it seem to be saying, “Hey look at me! I used a different word than I really needed to. I am informed and an insider. I am special.”…”

    Now we’re getting somewhere.

    “…4. It’s overkill and it makes people who use it seem to be saying, “Hey look at me! I used a different word than I really needed to. I am informed and an insider. I am special.”…”

    Now we’re getting somewhere.

    I think it’s okay to change up the vocab every once in a while. Language would be pretty boring otherwise.

    If you routinely (and I mean routinely, not occasionally or sporadically) go into a Starbucks (or Wendy’s, or whatever…) and don’t use their terminology, you’re a toolbag.

    Do you think the 18 year old behind the counter at Cold Stone thinks it’s cool to say, “You mean a ‘Gotta Have It’?” whenever someone asks for a large?

    No. He/she/it’s probably embarrassed as hell and you had to go an make it worse by purposefully circumventing a system he/she/it’s forced to use.

    If you have bought into a company’s shitty coffee or shitty burgers or shitty ice cream, and you are a regular, sorry, you need to use their shitty terminology.

    It’s like getting a dog and then not picking up it’s shit…

    “I think it’s okay to change up the vocab every once in a while. Language would be pretty boring otherwise.”

    Yeah, but do you know what journalists call magazines? Books.

    Fuckin’ confusin’, right?

    Jargon is confusing, and that’s why industry jargon should stay where it belongs, WITHIN THE INDUSTRY (I’m not yelling, I don’t know how to code bold or italics…).

    But that’s not to confuse vocabulary and synonyms with jargon. “Magazine”, “mag”, “Zine”, “periodical”, etc. are all synonyms. “Book” is jargon.

    If it’s all the same to you, TimmE, I’ll just keep using whatever words I fucking want. Thanks.

    so when swooshie says:

    “Nike designed the Nike Pro Combat uniform to address the evolution of the game: today’s players are stronger and faster and the collisions are more violent and explosive than ever before.”

    ~~~

    what they’re really saying is “we’re helping them give each other more concussions” right?

    that’s much more colorful

    Whoa! What did I do to you, Bernard?

    I was agreeing with you with the caveat that a wide vocabulary shouldn’t be confused with using jargon in everyday language.

    If I see a nice image online, I don’t say, “Hey come look at this cool tif I just found.” Because most people don’t know what .tiff file is or what it means, even if I do.

    It vexes me why your remarks are so caustic when most of my vitriol in my preceding two observations was directed at patrons of establishments who deride said establishments’ nomenclature.

    I wholly condone your emphatic campaign for expanded vocabulary, however, I wanted to clarify my position as to the divergence between ‘jargon’ and ‘lexicon’.

    smileywinkyface.

    We should all learn from Mr. Shirley in Nat’l Lampoons Christmas Vacation, “….and don’t use any of that insider bullshit industry jargon.”

    Words to live by.

    Yeah, but do you know what journalists call magazines? Books.

    Fuckin’ confusin’, right?

    Jargon is confusing, and that’s why industry jargon should stay where it belongs, WITHIN THE INDUSTRY (I’m not yelling, I don’t know how to code bold or italics…).

    This is agreeing with me? Because it sounds like pretty much the opposite. Y’know, since you start off with “Yeah, but…”

    No big deal. Do your thing.

    Apparently I learned something new here. Before today, if someone asked me “What’s a colorway?”, I probably would have said, “I dunno…three or four pounds?”

    Disclaimer: I’m middle-aged and wear progressives.

    While looking at the USFL t-shirts page, I took my glasses off to clean them. Looking back at the screen, it struck me that (with blurred eyesight) the contrast between the light and dark portions of the Michigan Panthers helmet look not unlike the iconic U. of Michigan helmet.

    Was this intentional?

    Yeah, that’s been pointed out in the past here. I don’t remember reading anything about that being intentional or not, though.

    Thanks. I don’t remember reading that but I don’t have too many original thoughts in my head so it’s entirely possible that I did.

    I’m thinking that the Yankees’ stright-across lettering must have been a supplier issue, rather than a conscious choice.

    Like the link of the Brooklyn Dodgers cap logo, where at least one manufacturer just took its stock “B” and slapped it on the front.

    And given how teams would use old flannels over several seasons, it’s not surprising that some of the “old” arched jerseys would appear on the same field.

    Cincy’s shorts look horrible.

    Baylor looks like a lazor tag team, not a bball team.

    i guess UL is the only decent one

    Bigtime college hoops is coming to my neighborhood, and let me tell you, I’m just overjoyed. If you score tickets and need a place to crash, my couch is available for a mere $250 a night plus you have to clean Tucker and Caitlin’s litter box, WHAT A BARGAIN!

    Jason Bernard, I’m pretty sure this is directed at you.

    I’m already contemplating the trip. However, I shovel enough cat shit at home, so I’ll probably look into alternative lodging.

    Yep, they absolutely should. Woodlands Strykers sounds like a team that plays in some vague wooded area. And for those who don’t know, The Woodlands is a north Houston suburb.

    I love the uniforms. I agree the execution of the hoops shorts could have and should have been different for each school, but this is a new construction. It’s the main reason why Nike and adidas roll out the same uni base per team. I have the retail version of adidas Crazy Light shorts (which weigh 4.5oz in a size Large) and they feel great while you play. Would you all have like the uniforms if the colors were a little muted and toned down?

    I have two theories: If baseball is your favorite sport aesthetically, then you more than likely dislike the all the new uniforms in basketball and football.

    If you’re a sneaker-head then you’re excited for all of the changes and colors in basketball and football.

    I will make basketball uniforms out of lead. I will be the only person who likes them and that’ll be just ducky with me.

    I saw a jeep yesterday day in Northern MD that had an old Baltimore CFL Colts helmet sticker/magnet on the door.

    had to do a double take

    In yesterday’s 5th round FA Cup match between Chelsea and Birmingham, Birmingham defender Guraine N’Daw was wearing what appeared to be a replica jersey: no name or number, no sleeve patches. You can see it clearly in this clip, starting at about the 3:23 mark:

    link

    I didn’t see this match, but best guess is that it was probably a blood jersey. Either he was cut and bled on his original shirt, or it got torn somehow.

    Most English teams usually throw #50 with NNOB on them, so it is a little weird.

    You know Paul, the other day when you posted the email from the guy complaining you were being different just to be different, I was totally on your side. But now that you’ve disclosed you don’t really care for They Might Be Giants, I’m forced to reconsider. ;-)

    Their awesome music aside, I figure I should point out that they’re selling this awesome baseball-inspired shirt to celebrate their 30th anniversary: link

    They’re good guys, and I respect lots of things about them. But I’ve always found their music to be too novelty-ish.

    But that’s just me.

    I dig, Paul. I have plenty of bands that I respect, and feel like I SHOULD like, but they just don’t click with me for whatever reason. There’s no accounting for taste, right?

    Paul I agree with you about colorway/color – BUT if it so offends you then please stop using LEDE GRAF instead of lead paragraph because it’s laughably pretentious that journalists have to have a special spelling for lead and graph.

    (used to be a reporter and it annoyed the hell out of me and still does whenever I see it)

    Touché. I’m gonna keep using “graf,” though — it’s shorter than “paragraph” and avoids confusion with “graph” (i.e., a chart). In other words, it’s functional. Unlike “colorway.”

    I can accept that as long as LEDE is eliminated. It’s even more ridiculous than colorway

    “as long as LEDE is eliminated”

    you do know why “LEDE” is used instead of “lead” right?

    I think colorway is absolutely functional.

    Here’s an example:

    You just released a new sneaker. It comes in one color (royal blue), but two colorways (royal blue with red trim, and royal blue with yellow trim).

    I think my example would be better if “but” was replaced with “with”. So it should say this:

    You just released a new sneaker. It comes in one color (royal blue), with two colorways (royal blue with red trim, and royal blue with yellow trim).

    This is the best way to describe the (debatable) need for the word. Really, it’s just the same as color scheme, but it rolls off the tongue a bit easier.

    “Colorway” sounds like the name of a mid-sixties TV production company. “This has been a Colorway production!”

    I know instantly what “color scheme” means.

    As a Baylor student, I am shocked and embarrassed about my school approving such an awful uniform, and from what I’ve heard and seen around campus, these sentiments are shared by the majority of students. So, on behalf of the Baylor Student Body, I’d like to apologize to the Uni-Watch community for my school’s participation in this horrible spectacle.

    “As a Baylor student, I am shocked and embarrassed about my school approving such an awful uniform, and from what I’ve heard and seen around campus, these sentiments are shared by the majority of students. So, on behalf of the Baylor Student Body, I’d like to apologize to the Uni-Watch community for my school’s participation in this horrible spectacle.”

    ~~~

    (fixed)

    ;)

    You know, when you really dig into those adidas unis … that crap is the makings of Bozo the Clown. They’re some of the absolute dumbest designs in college hoops history, particularly the ‘Ville unis.

    At least Baylor and Cincy are “Bears” and “Bearcats” … and have some reasonable sense of “scratching/clawing” motion to use as an excuse for the design theme.

    But Louisville? Come now. And are there really no numbers on the front?

    Ludicrous that adidas is rolling these out. The inmates are running the asylum.

    It’s a camo pattern. It’s not representative of an animal, otherwise it wouldn’t make sense for bears or bearcats either. The name of the pattern is ‘run with the pack.’ It’s supposed to symbolize team more than anything. Team adidas, but still team.

    “Team adidas”

    ~~~

    ex-fuckin-zactly

    ~~~

    sad that most of us (myself included) know of a university as a “nike school” or a “ua” or a “reedidas” school rather than as the school

    and of course, the clothing/shoe manufacturers wouldn’t have it any other way

    what’s even sadder is that a 17 YO would choose a school (or reject a school) simply because they are a “nike/adidas/UA” school

    coaching, facilities, environment, academics (HAHAHAHA)…could all be top notch

    but they wear three stripes? fuck no, i’m not going there

    I got a kick out of the photo used for Jim Riggleman who will be the manager for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, the Reds double-A farm team, this season.

    He’s shown wearing the Nationals’ home jersey (as you can tell by the blue/red piping), but they superimposed the Reds’ logo on the front (as well as on the cap).

    link.

    Pretty weird that the Ice Cube Raiders shirt has his head wearign a Washignton ‘W’ hat.

    I lament the loss of Mizzou’s block M, and I find Pinkel’s quote about confusion with Michigan disingenuous, especially when applied to football where Michigan’s winged helmets look nothing like Mizzou’s. As a helmet logo, the wide block M is Mizzou.

    And I agree on colorway. It’s stupid when “color scheme” already exists and does the job. (And how is colorway “less boring”? That’s just silly.) As for it being what the industry uses, Mercedes Benz recently came out with something called “Magic Vision Control”. It’s a kind of windshield wiper. Or are we saying that colorway says something that color scheme doesn’t?

    Agree about the poor decision by Missouri regarding the change in logos. The wide block “M” was a distinct look on the football helmets for Missouri, and that has nothing to do with Michigan’s helmets. In addition, the Michigan “M” has appeared in blue on the Wolverine football jersey.

    I hope fans of the Mizzou football program speak up on this issue. With enough negative public reaction, hopefully, the school will keep the distinctive wide block “M”

    Complaining about it will just lead to them shoehorning the M back onto the crazy uniform they originally designed, kind of like what the Portland Timbers did, or what it seems TCU is about to do.

    Wait, stop what you’re doing and check the Catch of the Day link. Stuff like that is what makes the Internet great. You’ll laugh and be creeped out, too.

    Does the late Steve Jobs’ mock turtleneck and jeans combo count as a corporate uni (I assume that what was said about it in his biography, one could make the argument that it was)? I only ask since the new iPad is being announced right now and with Tim Cook giving the keynote, is this a new era in corporate uni’ship/uni’dom/Apple uni’dom if he wears what he’s wearing today at EVERY announcement?

    A before and after of the Columbus Crew mural that shows the can and the sans-can versions. link

    The revised on is better, but both are pretty much just an ad for Barbasol and not the Crew, IMO.

    I can’t stand the faux fading on clothes like those USFL t-shirts. I get the vintage is cool thing, but I’d rather my shirts fade naturally. Especially if I’m spending 22 bucks. Heck, I can go on Ebay and buy an original, unfaded shirt for less.
    link

    link The only thing close to something like this that I could think of whas when Robby Gould was too shy to tell JoePa that his name was actually pronounced Gold

    How do you read that and not love hockey? haha Prototypical role-playing hockey player:

    “I’ll do whatever you need me to coach, even if it’s play under the wrong name for six years.”

    It’s like he’s the Don Draper of the NHL.

    I love this story.

    What does it say about the Dallas Stars organization that in six years they didn’t notice something that took the Flyers three weeks to notice.

    No wonder Dallas’ unis suck.

    The guy has more class than me, if I was a pro player and they messed my name up, I’d throw a hissy fit imediately haha

    The comparison I made yesterday was that the new Adidas basketball uniforms are trying too hard to be Nike, but only going for shock factor. It’s the same way Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj try to be shocking with their outfits (imitating Lady Gaga), but they just come off looking like they’re going purely for shock factor, and there’s no real thought behind anything, and they just end up looking foolish.

    So, what you’re trying to tell us is that you don’t think Lady Gaga looks foolish?

    I’m saying while her styles are shocking and bizarre, they have a thought out process behind them. Just like Nike’s stuff doesn’t always look good, but it always has some sort of actual thought behind it. You can’t tell me someone gave these a lot of thought. They’re zubaz aprons.

    Other Flyers news, last night they retired Mark Howe’s #2, so this is what they all wore duing pre-game skate. link

    As I noted in the comments last night, awesome. And that’s how the Flyers’ nameplates should look.

    I’m the owner of the Tigers TATC jersey mentioned above. The following link shows the jerseys being worn in the game. They’re not great but game photos are hard to find.

    link

    St. Thomas Academy, a military prep school in Minnesota (and my alma mater), is in the State hockey Tournament and they have pretty nice uni’s this year. The last couple years there was a lot of black in them.

    Also note that all the students show up for State Tournament games in their Class A military uniforms.

    link

    link
    Here is a screenshot of a Chicago Cubs 2012 World Series Tee-shirt, As seen in the new commercial for MLB12:The Show Video Game.

    link to full commercial
    link;

    Wow…great discussion of color vs. colorway.

    Here’s one that bugs me…what the hell is a “fanbase”? Isn’t that just saying “fans”? Someone please use “fanbase” in a sentence where “fans” would not suffice.

    i have a large device with a propellor-type attachment on a pole. i need to stabilize it at the bottom with a weighted object into which i will insert said pole.

    so, i want to put this device into a _________.

    or would that be two words? (“fan base”)

    ~~~

    aight, i got nothin

    “The controls for the fan were located on the fanbase.” Ok, that was uncalled for.

    I think it’s meant to signify a select group of fans that are the “base” or heart of the team’s fans, in general.

    Think people who vote republican vs republican base.

    But I see your point, most people use the words interchangeably.

    Ok, since I’m the only one taking this seriously…

    Take my buddy Sev, he’s a Vince Carter fan, so whatever team VC is on becomes his favorite team (this is 100% true). So right now he is a Mavs fan, but he is not a part of the Mavs’ fanbase because VC is not inseparable from the Mavs being the Mavs.

    A member of the Mavs’ fanbase would be someone loyal to the name on the chest, not the name on the back.

    So the “fanbase” is the loyal core that will always stay with the team…the fans include fair-weather or transient fans…like those sucked in temporarily by Linsanity or something.

    Fans = the people who root for a team.

    Fanbase = the people to whom the team can sell stuff. “Stuff” in this instance includes broadcast advertisements.

    I just saw the actual Marlins stadium home run display on Pardon the Interruption… it might look good on mushrooms.

    I am speechless.

    This home run feature is the weirdest, saddest, silliest, most misguided, joyfull, poorly executed, ridiculous, funny, inexplicable, mind-numbingly dumb or brilliant feature to grace any ballpark. Ever.

    link

    That thing looks like it came out of one of Terry Gilliam’s nightmares.

    I like it.

    Everybody always bitches about generic uniforms and generic parks. Well, you see that thing and there’s no doubt you’re in Miami.

    It appears that Louisville is wearing their special Adidas uniforms tonight.

    1) They aren’t gray or silver; they’re white. They do have the tiger-stripe pattern made up of tiny perforations in the clothing.

    2) Both Louisville and Seton Hall are wearing the new version of Adidas’s socks — Louisvile’s are black with red and gray stripes; Seton Hall’s blue with gray and white socks.

    I plead ignorance in regards to college basketball, new uniforms are made specifically for this March madness tournament? What do they do with these uniforms after March? Yes I’m being serious..

    I’m assuming the kids get to keep them. If they win it’s a nice souvenir…if not, it’s a temptation for them to violate NCAA rules and sell them…

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