A retail shop has jumped the gun and displayed what’s purported to be the Bulls’ new City alternate. As you can see above, it’s almost laughably bad — insert all the usual jokes about practice jerseys and Walmart here.
The inscription above the jock tag says, “Madhouse on Madison.” That nickname, referring to Madison Street, was originally given to Chicago Stadium, where the Bulls played from their 1967 inception through 1994, and has also been used for the team’s current arena. It’s not clear, at least to me, which facility the design is supposedly referencing.
I was wondering if the vertical lettering might be a shout-out to some pre-Bulls basketball team that played at Chicago Stadium. But the ABL’s Chicago Majors, who played there in the early 1960s, didn’t have vertical lettering, and the NBA’s Chicago Stags, who played there a decade earlier, didn’t either (you may recall that the Bulls wore Stags throwbacks in 2005), so I’m stumped. Anyone have any ideas?
Update: Lots of people are suggesting that the vertical lettering is based on the Chicago Theatre’s sign:
If that’s true, I’d say (a) the jersey lettering isn’t thick/bold enough, and (b) the “G” doesn’t match.
(My thanks to @sean_janko for bringing this leak to my attention.)
Maybe the vertical lettering is a Chicago Theatre reference?
Good one! The lettering does look similar, although the “G” doesn’t match: link
That was my first thought, too … but it’s both too close AND too far to be a direct reference.
Well, that’s just boring
The Chicago theater sign???
link
Oh see above!
The Bulls warm-ups in 1984 had a vertical “Chicago” word mark. I wonder if this is homage to that?
I’m guessing it’s based off the sign on the exterior of the old Chicago Stadium.
link
Yeah, and you can see that was the style of the G on the upper facade in this pic.
link
It’s not “almost laughably bad.” I laughed out loud when I saw the photo.
Don’t you mean the Chase Chicago Theater?
Ugh, saw that on the picture. When did that happen?
Which one is worse, the Bulls or Mavs?
Yes.
;)
See the 1976-77 Portland jersey as an example of vertical orientation which does not suck.
I miss the days when I could turn on an NBA game and know who was playing just by the uniforms and the court. Now, with all the alternate jerseys/court designs/wearing color at home, it’s hard to tell sometimes without looking at the ticker……
As a Bulls fan, I was not a fan when they introduced the black/red pinstriped uni. But, they still looked like the Bulls. This absolutely doesn’t look anything like the Bulls.
Funny, I think of the pinstripes as their classic (and best) look. Maybe because of Jordan, or because they spanned my formative years, but it’s interesting how context changes things. I wonder if anyone will look back at this POS as a classic bulls look. I almost typed that without laughing.
Saw your title “Crummy Chicago Bulls City Edition …” and thought how bad could it be. City Editions are a low bar. Yikes! Time to limbo under that bar and enter the realm of Kmart Blue Light Special.
At least they stuck with the actual team colors this time.
Good point…….
Bulls also had warmups in the 70s that had vertical lettering. Maybe this was part of the inspiration?
link
Bring back the days when teams designed their own warm-ups.
Minimal design, minimal effort, maximum marketing. That’s Nike in a nutshell.
I can’t stand it anymore.
What store was this at? Might be fun to see how many have sold
This feels like it was designed by the braintrust behind the Great Britain WBC uni.
Correction, it’s the old Chicago stadium lettering not the theatre.
link
Since we are on the subject of Chicago Stadium… Does anyone know where the historical marker/plaque is? Various websites have the same copy text that a plaque commemorating Chicago Stadium is located on the north side of the arena by the hockey statues. I was there recently and looked all around and did not see a plaque. I wrote to the United Center several weeks ago and did not get a reply. I wonder if the plaque disappeared when the new building (with team shop and offices?) was put up, a few years ago, on the east end of the arena. Thanks.
if they were going for the homage to the theater sign, then go all in with lettering to match the lights. if it’s the stadium, then go bigger with the lettering across the chest.
It’s neither the theater nor the old stadium lettering…the “G” doesn’t match in either case. It’s closer to the theater lettering, IMO, and I could beleive it entirely if that was the intent and the glaring lack of detail in these jersey processes let a screwed up “G” slip through the cracks.
Check out this picture of the stadium: link
Can’t say for sure, but the “G” appears to be pretty close.