If you can’t see the slideshow, click here
What we have here are the jerseys that will be worn by five of the 10 NBA teams playing on Christmas Day. As you can see, they have sleeves (which is no great surprise, given where the league is heading these days) and do not have uni numbers on the chest (which is very surprising indeed).
I’ve known about these jerseys for nearly five months but wasn’t at liberty to talk about them until yesterday, when an odd sequence of circumstances led the five photos shown above to begin circulating on the web. That allowed me to break the news via this ESPN piece, which was posted yesterday evening. To learn more about the jerseys, start there.
Once you’ve read the ESPN piece, you’ll probably have some additional questions, so let’s shift into FAQ mode:
What about the other five teams that are playing on Christmas Day? Will they be wearing this same style of jersey, and do you know what they’ll look like?
Yes, and yes. Those five teams are the Knicks (who’ll be wearing an orange jersey with a gray/blue chest logo), Rockets (red jersey, grey logo), Spurs (gray jersey, gray/black logo), Clippers (blue jersey, gray/blue logo), and Warriors (yellow jersey, blue/gray logo).
Can you show us those jerseys?
No, but you’ll be seeing them soon enough, probably next week.
The Clippers and Warriors already have sleeved jerseys. Is that what they’ll be wearing on Christmas, or are these new sleeved jerseys for them?
New ones. So those two teams now have multiple sleeved jerseys. (Update: A photo of the Warriors’ Christmas jersey has just surfaced.)
Why are so many of the logos gray?
Beats me. As I’ve written many times in recent months, I find the current trendiness of gray to be rather baffling. At least the logo on the Heat’s jersey is white instead of gray.
Will the game jerseys have the Adidas logo, or is that just a Swingman replica thing?
Not sure. Last year’s “Big Color” jerseys, which were worn on Christmas, didn’t have the Adidas logo. I’m hoping these won’t either.
Will the 10 teams playing on Christmas wear these jerseys again later in the winter?
Not sure.
Will this jersey template be worn by any of the other 20 teams that aren’t playing on Christmas?
Not sure. There’s a Celtics version that’s circulating, even though Boston isn’t playing on Christmas. So that may mean that other teams may wear these jerseys on days other than Dec. 25, or it may simply mean that the NBA plans to sell retail versions for every team, even the ones that aren’t playing on Christmas.
I do know (and have seen) that they created jerseys in this template for every team in the league, because the designs had to be done and in the pipeline before this season’s NBA schedule was finalized.
Are they planning to use this same template — logo on the chest, number on the left sleeve — for any other promotions this season?
Yes. The All-Star jerseys will use this same template. I have seen those designs but I can’t show them to you — sorry.
(Super-special thanks to Brian Erni and Phil. They both know why.)
An open letter to Under Armour: Yesterday was a busy ESPN day for me. In addition to the NBA/Xmas story, I also wrote an open letter to Under Armour. My thanks to the many of you who sent supportive, thoughtful feedback on this one.
It’s that time of the year again: I’m about to start working on my annual Uni Watch Holiday Gift Guide, and I’d welcome any suggestions you might have. So if you know of an interesting uni- or logo-related product or service, or anything that seems somewhat Uni Watch-ish, don’t be shy. Thanks.
And as long as we’re talking about gifts:
• Want to get someone a Uni Watch Membership but don’t know what design the lucky recipient wants? No worries — you can buy a membership gift voucher, which the recipient can then redeem with me at his or her convenience.
• Wouldn’t it be great, at least in theory, if we lived in a world where gifts like these were available? If you agree, drop me a line and we’ll discuss what a lovely world that would be.
’Skins Watch: Native American groups staged a protest outside the Metrodome in connection with last night’s Vikings/’Skins game. Interestingly, the St. Paul Pioneer Press’s article about the protest pointedly declined to use the ’Skins name in the headline (thanks for noticing that, Phil). ”¦ Here’s a breakdown of schools in Central New York that have changed their Native American team names and/or mascots (from Rick DiRubbo). … I don’t even know how to describe this next story — here, just see for yourself (from Tom V.). … Here’s the best article I’ve seen so far on the story of Lone Star Dietz, the Indian fraud/imposter/etc. who Daniel Snyder likes to invoke as part of his team’s Native American heritage. Recommended reading (thanks, Phil). … Reader James A. posted the following in the comments yesterday: “With all of the controversy swirling around the ’Skins name, I can’t recall hearing anyone calling for a concerted boycott of the team’s sponsors.” Good point. For those of you who favor changing the name, is it time to move in that direction?
Baseball News: Here’s a very short, very funny account of two Bryce Harper photos (from William Yurasko). … New logo for TwinsFest (from Luke H). ”¦ “We recently competed in the MSBL World Series in Arizona with a team of players from the Greater Philadelphia Men’s Adult Baseball League,” writes Matt Gionta. “With help from Philly’s own Chandler Bats (used by a number of big-leaguers including Bryce Harper, Domonic Brown and others), we sported uniforms in the colors of the Philadelphia flag.” Very nice, especially those striped stirrups! Love the city flag sleeve patch, too. And the yellow belt is a nice touch.
NFL News: The jersey worn by Eagles QB Nick Foles during his record-tying seven-TD performance last Sunday is on its way to the Hall of Fame (from Tom Mulgrew). … Tommy Bahama is partnering with the NFL to produce a line of “premium lifestyle apparel.” Can’t, uh, wait (from Tommy Turner). … Hollywood producer Ridley Scott’s next project will be, of all things, a movie about NFL concussions. … I had to explain to about eleventeen people last night that the two different 7s in this shot are not a mistake. They’re just the result of Nike’s idiocy. ”¦ Daniel Snyder’s luxury box at the Metrodome last night was equipped with a ’Skins crockpot. You think the Vikings provide that for every visiting owner, or does Snyder bring it with him on the road? (Screen shot by Dan Schauf.)
College Football News: Baylor’s blackout jerseys last night included black NOB lettering (from Christopher Hall). … Syracuse will wear Wilmeth Sidat-Singh memorial decals this weekend (thanks, Phil). … Latest teams to desecrate the flag are Utah and NIU. … Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury’s contract gives him control of the team’s uniforms. … Fresno State’s bulldog logo has become a gang symbol. … Maryland will be wearing their black pride hubris uniforms tomorrow. ”¦ Here’s Missouri’s uniform for this weekend. ”¦ Gregg Wiebusch was watching last night’s Stanford/Oregon game and noticed a player on the sidelines with a No. 52 helmet and a No. 95/NNOB jersey. I figured it was one of those temporary jerseys that players sometimes wear on special teams to avoid a duplicate-number situation, but here’s the weird thing: Stanford doesn’t have a No. 52 on the roster. Odd.
Hockey News: Here’s an article about Gerry Cheevers’s mask. What I really like in that photo is that Cheevers had his uni number on his blocker twice (from Chris LaBella). GI Joevember jerseys for the Hershey Bears (from Mario Carr). … Here’s how the Bakersfield Condors’ Gettysburg Address jerseys look on live human beings (thanks, Phil). … The Connecticut Lottery has come out with Hartford Whalers scratch-off tickets (from Alan Kreit).
Soccer News: Adidas is denying allegations that it tried to move Lionel Messi to an Adidas-outfitted team (from Brett Stone). … New Remembrance Day Kit for Arsenal (from Yusuke Toyoda). ”¦ “Complete screw-up by Adidas on the Colombian national team’s World Cup uniform,” says Fernando Cardenas Sanchez. “About two months ago some pictures of the new jersey leaked and public reaction was very negative, because the design was remarkably similar to some jerseys previously worn by Ecuador (kinda like dressing the Red Sox in pinstripes). Even knowing that most nationals hated it, they still released that model on Thursday and they took away the classical blue pants, which were the only constant thing throughout the history of this team’s uni. The public is still enraged and it doesnt seem like it’s gonna get any better. The uni may look okay to outsiders, but for Colombians it’s a blow to the groin.”
NBA News: Here’s a great story about what NBA ref Monty McCutchen carries in his travel bags (from Tommy Turner). … When Adam Silver takes over the commissioner’s chair from David Stern next February, the league will start using a ball with Silver’s signature (from Paul Lee). ”¦ More inconsistencies among the 6s and 9s used by the Lakers (from Jay Rosenberg). ”¦ Someone has put together a slideshow of history’s “best” NBA alternate jerseys.
College Hoops News: Evansville is bringing back the sleeves. Remember, they wore sleeves before everyone else started doing it. They’ll be wearing the new version for five games this season, beginning on Saturday (from Stephen Smith). ”¦ Georgetown going GI Joevember to open the season (from Zack Kurland). … Louisville will be wearing last year’s Fruit Stripe jerseys to open the new season.
Grab Bag: Keith Olbermann says uniforms and politics don’t mix (thanks, Phil). … Orem High School in Utah sure does like the Oregon “O” logo. “Looks like a bowl of Cheerios,” says Dom Lewis. … The Pentagon has decided not to impose a unified camouflage design throughout the U.S. military (from Chris Bisbee). … The 2016 Rio Olympics will be the first Olympic Games to have a full set of Paralympics pictograms (from Sinuhé Guevara Flores). ”¦ Next-to-last graf of this story says the Aussie football team St. Kilda may soon be sponsored by the cosmetics firm Revlon. “Weirdest sponsorship/club marriage I’ve ever heard,” says Leo Strawn Jr. ”¦ The Pittsburgh Power of the Arena League are going with a new gold helmet (from Yancy Yeater). ”¦ Finally, here’s a question to ponder: What if SportsCenter anchors wore uniforms? One plausible answer is shown below:
Pretty funny. Here are some still photos from the shoot of the commercial.
Bryce Harper got caught wearing Nike instead of UA, so UA probably told him to change it up and repost the photo.
Pretty hilarious – it’s like they think people don’t take screenshots. I think the Streisand effect is at work here.
And putting on the hoodie over his head almost feels like a silent protest.
“And putting on the hoodie over his head almost feels like a silent protest.”
Or the “walk of shame,” maybe. (Or, even more appropriate for the photo, the “pedal of shame.”)
Layoffs at New Era’s Derby, NY (Outside of Buffalo) Plant.
link
could bring some validity to the MLB is dropping them as their headwear provider
So now some NBA jerseys have longer sleeves than most NFL jerseys. I wonder if that will have more staying power than the trend of basketball shorts being longer than football pants.
I like v-neck sleeved pullover jerseys for baseball, but not for basketball.
I like the NBA Xmas jerseys as a t-shirt (which is of course the real reason they exist anyway), but they’re gonna look dumb on the court.
I’m thinking that the NBA is aware that traditional basketball jerseys aren’t practical for the average (most) fans. You can’t really wear them like a football, baseball, or hockey jersey. Most people look overly too casual or like slackers if they’re wandering around town in a tank top. The other unis at least look like shirts. This might be the NBA’s way of giving the fans a shirt-like jersey. …And of course, making a few more dollars.
Yeah, it’s pretty obvious, and it almost seems sad that it’s taken them this long to figure out that the average fan isn’t going to wear a tank top very often.
That said, there’s no reason they couldn’t produce jersey-style shirts for the fans without forcing the players to wear them.
“there’s no reason they couldn’t produce jersey-style shirts for the fans without forcing the players to wear them.”
Two good reasons:
1) They know fans prefer the “authentic” stuff, the stuff that the players actually wear on the court and will therefore be more likely to buy it.
2) You can charge a bunch more for the “authentic” gear than you can for just any old shirt because… well just because.
The, they’ve been producing jersey t-shirts for years – at least since the mid-90s.
Right with you The.
So are the sleeves as tight as the Warriors current ones? They look looser than those.
Daniel Snyder’s a crackpot??!! No sh!t!!
(what? oh…..nevermind)
Would love to see a full Uni Watch review of the SportsCenter unis!
LOVE the SportsCenter commercial!!!
The last scene is perfect.
The crazy thing is how many people in the YouTube comments are saying “Those gloves are great! I want some!” You have to wonder if ESPN would consider marketing those. That would be wild.
I was hoping to see Lindsay Czarniak in it. (And I mean that in the most respectful way I can, not in a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal male disgusting pig way.)
Paul, have you seen this story?
link
Looks like the Washington Skins controversy has opened the floodgates. The only thing I’m affronted by is that hideous logo.
Was in yesterday’s ’Skins Watch.
Oops, my apologies
I think you forgot a word in the beginning of the post….
“What have here are”
Thanks. Fixed.
See this? Fan wearing NHL players helmet during fight.
link
THAT IS CRAZY FUNNY!!
I don’t get the hoops jersey sleeves trend. I never got it as a hoopster why players would wear an undershirt. It was often 100 degrees in gyms … and you need an undershirt for sweat? Whatever. Mostly, it was an occasional thing with guys, when they were getting over being sick.
Now it’s a fashion thing, or a crutch, like a blankie, I think.
a crutch, like a blankie
Wha..? Can you please elaborate?
Taking a stab at it: Maybe continuing to wear the t-shirt under the jersey to provide some sort of psychological comfort to the player?
See: Ewing, Patrick (second graf)
Can’t speak for anyone else, but whenever I wore a t-shirt under my jersey it was a comfort thing. The stiff mesh & heavy screenprinted numbers back then used to chafe something rotten, especially under the arms. It also helped with keeping warm, as playing in an unheated hall in the middle of a British winter is no fun at all (we actually had long-sleeved jerseys when it got too cold!).
Where I’m going with that comments: I think some guys don’t like to walk around “half naked” with their arms exposed. Some, like Dwight Howard love it, because they’re buff.
But guys like Scotty Thurman, from Arkansas, among other rail-thin guys, I think some do it because it’s a security blanket. So they don’t feel so thin. It fills out the uniform a little more. It might even be subconscious. Skinny people don’t like being called skinny anymore than fat people like being called fat.
I was thin as a hoopster. Never wanted to wear an undershirt, though. I just wore jerseys that fit, rather than super baggy stuff that makes players look like they’re skinny and covered with a wet blanket.
PS, I do understand the rubbing from old-school polyester jerseys and embroidered numerals. However, it’s one thing to wear an undershirt that’s like a tank top — minus sleeves — to counter that discomfort. It’s another thing entirely to wear the big, baggy droopy t-shirt. That’s not a comfort-thing. It’s a crutch.
Who likes to wear droopy shit when they exercise? (Rhetorical) Women don’t at the gym. Most men don’t anymore, either. So why do ballplayers — baseball and basketball, specifically?!
These latest rounds of jersey shirts are just more fashionable court-wear. Tight so they still allow players to feel buff. But covering up their shoulders, so they aren’t too exposed.
Weird fashion phobia, or something.
Paul-
A few weeks ago, you wrote a piece about leaks and how companies would benefit by giving you access to designs ahead of time along with an agreement not to leak. At the time, you said you had your hands on something that you were waiting to release and had received a threatening letter from the company. Would it be a reasonable assumption that this was it? Just curious.
Sure, that assumption would be reasonable.
But that doesn’t mean the assumption would be correct.
Ha. Good point.
Yeah, I was wondering about that as well. Interesting that Paul knew about this long beforehand, but didn’t report it out of courtesy to the league or manufacturer. I guess that shows that some groups are more willing to play ball with him than others are.
Well, if this was the case, then that means adidas was the company who sent the letter, so obviously they were less than willing to play ball.
Here’s a link to the original write-up on the letter:
link
I would never expect Paul to confirm this, but my suspicion is that he decided to sit on the screenshots until the reveal, but once they were made public by the eBay seller yesterday and already ‘leaked,’ he just went and confirmed it without actually disseminating the pictures himself (why we haven’t seen the other teams’ shirts yet).
link
Great NY Times article about the Fresno State logo being taken over by gang activity. Very good read.
Sorry, didn’t see that in the Ticker. Anyway, I recommend reading it
Yes . . it was ironic to read that this morning. I am part of one of the law enforcement agencies in Fresno County. And I echo everything in that article. The Bulldog gang is a HUGE problem in this area. I can attest, however, that it does not dissuade fanatic Fresno State supporters from proudly wearing their merch on a daily basis, especially with the football team off to a good start this year. I should point out that I am not from this area . .I’m a SoCal native who tranplanted here in the mid-90s and I have absolutely no allegiance to Fresno State. But, as part of my daily occupation, it is sad to see these thugs routinely wearing their “colors”, or having the school logo tattooed across their forehead as they sit in a County jail jumpsuit when they’re brought into court for whatever felony their facing. Quite frankly, on a personal note, I really think the school should consider a name change, but it will never happen. Too many people in the community would be so outraged I doubt the school would ever seriously consider it. As an aside, I think the History channel series “Gangland” has done a feature on the gang. So, this is not something that has just come to light . . it’s been going on for years. That leaves me a little puzzled as to why the NY Times picked up on this now.
As an aside, I think the History channel series “Gangland” has done a feature on the gang. So, this is not something that has just come to light . . it’s been going on for years. That leaves me a little puzzled as to why the NY Times picked up on this now.
The Times is very, very good at breaking certain types of news. But they’re very bad — and usually very late to the party — at anything even vaguely lifestyle-related, especially anything relating to street culture. It’s been a standing joke for decades now that if the Times reports on a “hot” cultural trend, that means the trend probably ended last week. So it’s not surprising to hear they were late to this party as well.
When he was at Slate, Jack Shafer used to do yeoman work on Times trend stories by digging into the sourcing. More often than not, he’d find “trends” based on one or two anecdotal examples provided by people with a personal interest in portraying the popularity of the thing – and that a small amount of reporting could uncover data that disproved the existence of the “trend” entirely. So the correct response to a trend reported in the Times is to assume that the trend probably ended last week – unless it was never actually a trend at all.
The jersey worn by Eagles QB Nick Foles during his record-typing seven-TD performance last Sunday is on its way to the Hall of Fame
Okay, that’s a pretty amusing typo.
Agreed. But now fixed, nonetheless.
And the Louisville item should be in College Hoops, not College Football.
Fixed.
A peeve: if you’re going to link to a story (What’s in an NBA ref’s bag, the Air Force Times story about camo patterns), please don’t do it so that I have to subscribe to WSJ or something else to read it.
I never knowingly link to a story that’s behind paywall. For both of those, I went out of my way to poke around and find “free” links. Or at least they were free for me. Sorry they didn’t work for you.
I couldn’t help but love the irony of that ESPN “uniform” promo being shown during a game in which Oregon was getting pounded…
To the reader who submitted about the new Colombia jerseys looking like previous Ecuador jerseys – I’m curious which previous Ecuador jersey Colombia fans have been referring to. Because since about the 90s Ecuador has had jerseys that are similar to this new Colombia jersey, in that the primary color is yellow. I think their jerseys will always look similar, just look at their flags. Oh, and I live in Quito, btw – ¡Vamos Ecuador!
“Complete screw-up by Adidas on the Colombian national team’s World Cup uniform,” says Fernando Cardenas Sanchez. “About two months ago some pictures of the new jersey leaked and public reaction was very negative, because the design was remarkably similar to some jerseys previously worn by Ecuador (kinda like dressing the Red Sox in pinstripes). Even knowing that most nationals hated it, they still released that model on Thursday and they took away the classical blue pants, which were the only constant thing throughout the history of this team’s uni. The public is still enraged and it doesnt seem like it’s gonna get any better. The uni may look okay to outsiders, but for Colombians it’s a blow to the groin.”
Now THIS is the kind of nationalist uni kerfluffle that I adore. That there is an “enraged” public opinion in Colombia makes me want to book the next flight to Bogota. The headlines, the talk radio, the denunciations from the guys on the corner. The official roll-out of the new Colombian kits is rich in ridiculous assertions, e.g., “The stripes symbolize dynamism.”
Chris H’s observation that it’s tough for Ecuador and Colombia to NOT resemble each other, given that their flags both feature horizontal stripes of yellow, red, and blue, is well taken. Ditto the Venezuela flag. The reason, as Fernando and Chris know, is that the area now comprised by the three states were supposed to be Grand Colombia, the mega-nation that Simon Bolivar tried to establish. GC lives on in the three flags and in the imaginary nation of San Patricio, a kleptocracy I established for a foolish let’s-divide-the-world-game. GC makes for an excellent-sized power, with fabulous scenery and natural wealth.
Now a portion of GC was lost when Peru robbed little Ecuador of its eastern-most territories, but perhaps you would prefer to postpone the full briefing.
“The uni may look okay to outsiders, but for Colombians it’s a blow to the groin.”
A blow to the groin is what pretty much all of us experience viewing many of the uni-atrocities in these pages.
When I was appreciably younger I remember Ecuador wearing yellow shirts with a dark blue diagonal stripe, as shown in this retro shirt from Toffs:
link
I think the sash is what they may be saying is Ecuadorian, although it must be said that Ecuador haven’t worn this for a long long time.
Toffs is a great site, George. Thanks.
And it’s not like link.
This may be the greatest informative rant in the history of UW, your lets divide the world game sounds fascinating. I hope you can continue your rant, I’d like to hear more about where you drew arbitrary national lines.
Indeed, Connie, the similarities in flags goes back to the history of Gran Colombia. I have to say, though, I appreciate the fact that Venezuela has differentiated themselves by wearing “vinotinto,” or burgundy, as their primary home color. Although, I’ve always wondered how they arrived at that color. Anyone know?
I believe Stanford uses multiple offensive Linemen in formations where that individual is eligible.( I.E bringining in an extra “Lineman” to play FB, or TE). Because of this these individuals have two Jerseys. I am not sure which game it was but they even had extra sets of Shoulder pads on the sideline with the jerseys already on them. If you look at their past games you can pick these individuals out because the Jerseys are NNOB.
I don’t know the rules, but I think in College you must have an eligible number to be eligible for a forward pass. Unlike the NFL where you can announce that the individual is eligible.
Not sure why 52 is not on the roster, but i think that is a different issue. If I remember correctly they have 4-5 guys that have these duplicate numbers.
Yeah, it all makes sense (or is at least explainable) except for the guy wearing a 52 helmet when there’s no 52 on the roster.
Right, If he was wearing regular jersey we could see his name. May have changed numbers and the roster was not updated???
Is Revlon sponsoring St. Kilda more strange than the Padres playing in Petco Park?
To me, the most interesting part of the NBA xmas designs is how the surface area on the front increased and yet the amount of graphics/lettering/numbering decreased as well as the amount of contrasting colors. It would seem to me that this is exactly what you would want to do if you were going to eventually add an advertising patch to the front.
Are the white vs. gray logos on these jerseys indicative of the home vs. away team? Surely the nba wouldn’t produce separate home and away jer$ey$.
I loved the line on the Olberman story graphic “Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the hockey game?”
Wow, those NBA xmas jerseys are straight up garbage. I’m having trouble even thinking of appropriate words to describe how terrible they are.
Here’s one more of the Xmas jerseys — for the Warriors:
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Ugh. More so than the other ones, the GSW logo looks terrible in 2 colors.
Using the alternate logo because with the primary they put the player number in the logo and they are making a point not to put numbers on the front of the Christmas jerseys?
Alternate: link
Regular jerseys: link
Me likes the Power gold helmets. Been meaning to go to a game, I have a friend from high school who played for the Power last year. They could sure use the attendance, they’re charging like $15 for front-row seats–seats that at a Penguins game in the SAME ARENA would be over $200.
For Skins Watch, here’s link. What is surprising is that this California high school (yes, California, the most progressive state in the Union) has been using the nickname Arabs since the 1920’s, and actually got WORSE over time in a team logo. What amazes me is that this high school didn’t quit using it after 9/11.
Was already in yesterday’s ’Skins Watch.
Oops! My bad. Wasn’t even on the site yesterday to see my own Ticker submission on the cross country runner make it into the Ticker. (Was kind-of preoccupied with work yesterday.) As evident by Notre Dame and Louisiana-LaFayette, there are other ethnic mascots that aren’t Native Americans out there, so it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. The question is, how many more are out there?
On a related note:
link
I think this is what they call “doubling down.”
I don’t dig the camo part of the Georgetown uni, but the sweatback with the John Thompson pic is pretty dadgum cool.
BJ,
I concur – as a former Georgetown resident, I list this under – guilty pleasures. Awesome.
Has anyone thought about whether the NBA’s sleeve jersey movement is a reaction to the growing popularity of soccer, and with it, soccer jerseys in America? I see a lot more people wearing soccer uniform tops in NYC than I do basketball uniform tops. They look more like T-shirts than traditional basketball jerseys do. That makes them slightly more “formal,” if one can use such a phrase. Maybe the NBA is trying to piggyback on the trend?
Anyone else think the two are connected?
The only way I see the two connected is with the NBA trying to sell ads on the jerseys.
I think this more or less has to do with the fact that for years, high school & college players had the option of wearing a t-shirt underneath their jersey, but if any of them went to the NBA they weren’t allowed to wear them anymore. Trying to target a younger demographic. Also, the NBA has steadily worn more clothing material over the years while the NFL has worn less.
I’ve never been persuaded by the ads thing. I guess I sort of figure, if the NBA is adding sleeves to jerseys, it’s because the NBA wants sleeves on jerseys. No need to overthink it. More room for ads may be a side benefit, but it’s not the point. Why would the NBA want sleeves? Not, I suspect, because it envies soccer jersey sales in particular, but simply because Americans generally prefer to wear shirts with sleeves than without. Americans increasingly wear sports jerseys as normal everyday casual shirts, and you can do that with baseball, football, hockey, and, yes, soccer jerseys. But not with a sleeveless basketball jersey. So, add sleeves and problem solved.
Bill,
I would tend to agree with Paul on this subject, that the sleeved jersey creates a whole new revenue stream in the NBA for people who would normally buy a sleeveless jersey (see anyone over the age of 30, women, peeps under 5’2″ tall). It has a history or prior usage way back in the day, so there’s that.
Be advised – Mr. Lukas may be right that the extra real estate on the sleeves may be used for more crass capitalism – because the league never met a revenue stream they did not like.
Paul,
Also of note in the Pioneer Press story about the Anti-Washington protest- all the photos of the game are cationed with “Washington” and none of the photos show the Logo. The one photo in the slideshow with a player from Washington has the helmet obstructed.
Read link piece by a veteran dealing with PTSD and mistreatment by the military and the VA. I think from now on, whenever a team or a uniform supplier claims to be “supporting the troops” or whatever, I’m going to think of this guy’s story and wonder, “What, exactly, does your uniform do to make that Marine’s life better?”
Actually, the letters and “paws” on Baylor’s sleeves were anthracite/charcoal, not black. If they were black, I wouldn’t have seen those elements so easily on FOX Sports 1 last night! LOL
Interesting…. Orem High in Utah used to steal the same Clemson Tiger paw logo as my high school stole 15 years ago, Of course with UOs popularity they would pirate that one instead…
Orange County Register becomes the latest newspaper to boycott the ’Skins name:
link
Cubs have many uniform changes in store for 2014 – link
Waaah… making the NBA players wear pre-game training shirts during the whole game, very creative.
I really hope it’s only for one night.
By the way, on the pictures, those are swingman jerseys, not the ones the players will wear. Just look at the jock tag and the mesh. So the chances are no Adidas logo will be seen on the authentics, as always.
I can try to be optimistic and convince myself that the NBA shooting shirt logo looks gray (and the Miami Heat looks white) is because they’re made of the same (or similar) reflective material used on Jor-El’s outfit from Superman: The Movie.
link
Those sleeved jerseys are ugly
Yeah, actually, and people should always be able to break that shares should learn a lesson