For H-Town 🤘
The most fan-inclusive and transparent uniform redesign in @NFL history 🎥 pic.twitter.com/0UqhdJFAPR
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) April 15, 2024
We saw one of the Texans’ new uni combos four weeks ago, and they’re scheduled to unveil the rest of their new set next Tuesday evening, April 23. Today the team released a 15-minute promotional film about the uni-redesign process.
The film, which is embedded above, doesn’t give too much away regarding the new designs. But here are some takeaways:
- The Texans did a lot of focus-grouping with fans and players.
- Fan feedback often centered on the team brand having been centered too much on Texas and not enough on Houston, so the new designs will try to address that.
- Speaking of: The word “Houston” is spoken just a few times in the film. The term “H-Town,” however, comes up again and again, so they are clearly leaning into that. I doubt they’re going to officially change the team’s name to “the H-Town Texans,” but it almost feels like they’re getting ready for that.
- Speaking of H-Town: The film makes it very clear that the stylized “H” that the team has been using on “H-Town” T-shirts will be appearing on the new uniforms in some capacity — maybe as a sleeve patch, maybe above the nameplate, maybe even on an alternate helmet.
- The film also makes it clear that at least one of the uniforms will be bull-themed, which we’ve heard before.
- The film also stresses that the new set will have something for traditionalists and something for people who like “wild, crazy, bold” designs. Again, we’ve heard that before.
- There are also a couple of glimpses at graphics that were shown to focus groups. I don’t think we should treat any of these as determinative — they cold be old ideas that were eventually discarded — but they’re interesting to see:
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Again, the unveiling is scheduled for next Tuesday evening, April 23. Meanwhile, if anyone has more info about this uniform, you know what to do. Anonymity assured, of course.
(My thanks to Christian Berumen for bringing this film to my attention.)
Can any Houston natives speak to the use of the term “H-Town” in their everyday lives? How prevalent is it? How widespread is its use? Is it used ironically or unironically?
Because from an outside perspective, what the Texans are doing with it feels really try-hard.
Native Houstonian (and Texans fan) here. I’m 45 and have lived here for basically my entire life.
Growing up in the 80s and 90s we didn’t really use “H-Town” very often, and when we did it was often in a silly way. However, the term gained increasing popularity as the Houston hip-hop scene grew and grew and embraced the expression “H-Town,” and it is now often used as a term of pride among a lot of Houstonians. I can see how it would seem try-hard from the outside, but it’s definitely a common term around these parts.
I’m not at all surprised to see the Texans lean into it, especially considering they involved the fans a lot in the redesign process and clearly want to incorporate more Houston identity into the team’s image.
All that being said, I do hope the Texans don’t make the words “H-Town” a prominent uniform element, because whenever I see stuff like that on professional uniforms (the Falcons’ “ATL,” for example), I think it looks really amateurish and dumb.
Great info, Anthony. Thanks for providing the local perspective.
Thanks for your perspective!
From my perspective, you can add that whole Area Code thing as well. With the number of cities that have had Area Code overlays (NYC, San Diego, LA, San Antonio, Denver, Atlanta, Baltimore, Houston, etc.) saying something like “I’m from the 303” doesn’t have the same identity it once did.
Jets/Browns: We hear you loud and clear, the gimmick designs aren’t popular, let’s be classicalists and just give the fans a simple and clean football uniform.
Houston Texans: We’ve learned nothing from the reactions to recent uniform designs.
They had a “traditional” uniform for 2 decades. If they weren’t going do something a little different, then they wouldn’t have done a redesign.
Not every team in the league has to be dressed like they would have been in 1985.
Considering that the Browns and Jets are legacy franchises with storied (if not winning) histories and Houston’s a nouveau expansion team that’s worn a pretty boring uni set since its existence, I’d say doing something out of the box is just fine. Welcome, even.
With 4 sets, I think everyone will be happy… or upset… or whatever.
There was a mention of “Houston blue”. The Texans already have “Deep Steel blue”. I’m hoping there isn’t a repeat of the Buffalo Bills debacle of a uniform set with the two different blues.
Yeah those unis never looked right even if the two colors looked good together on merch etc…
If “H-Town Blue” is like the color worn by the Oilers, then the “powder” blue and navy (“deep steel”) blue should go well together. Buffalo’s didn’t work because they tried to force navy and royal into the same template, and THAT doesn’t work. But sky (powder) blue and navy? Yes and yes.
I’m Calling It Steal Blue…but yes, Columbia/Sky/Powder pairs really well with Navy/Steel/Midnight.
Shouldn’t that be “Navy/Steal/Midnight”?
I think the Clippers got it right on next year’s new unis. Minimal light blue can go a long way.
Hip hopping for hip hops sake, like Chris Paul (2 syllables) being replaced with CP3 (3 syllables). Doesnt make sense to any honest non-douche
Same with H-Town. No reason to do it, just like ATL not achieving anything needed. Its just lame and off putting. Its “H-Town” to whoever it needs be, which is basically the simpleton gas station convenience store customer, but there are plenty of people who have no use for it. Ironically, those with no use for it are generally the people with money to spend. Weird to ingratiate oneself to a the demographic that does not.
H Town (and ATL, etc.) feels like a design element you would use in merchandise because it is popular in the moment, it is a trend/fad. I think most of us here want uniforms designed for the long hall, something that is good enough it doesn’t need to be changed any time soon. The uniform is essential to the team’s brand, so you’d want something with staying power. That philosophy seems to be lost on many franchises now.
I found this comment really strange and “elitist,” if not some outright dogwhistles.
Nicknames and abbreviations aren’t always for the same purpose. The point of CP3 or H-Town isn’t to serve as an abbreviation where length is an issue, nor are they about clarity. It’s just a slang nickname. Some catch on, some don’t. I would venture you probably use a similar nickname for something else you’re condoning here.
And in visual mediums, some of it is just variety and art purposes. You can like or dislike the execution, or authenticity of some (e.g. Clevelanders largely don’t use “The Land” so it tends to feel inauthentic and dumb), but it’s no reason to question the intelligence of people that use a nickname for something.
I agree with Joe. The initial comment here certainly isn’t great.
I believe it is perfectly acceptable to say one prefers a non-nickname be used; however, there are a lot of things about the way the distaste is justified that does not sit well. “Hip hopping for hip hops sake” feels like a loaded phrase. And then to draw a weird equivalence that somehow the folks who use the H-Town nickname are ones who don’t have money to spend on merchandise? To be blunt, there are a lot of racial and classist undertones here that have no place place in this discussion.
Again, there is nothing wrong with not preferring the use of H-Town or other such nicknames, but I would ask that you please reconsider how/why you arrived at your distaste for nicknames like this going forward, and not let that be your reason for your preferences.
Also: Chris Paul is a pretty common name, but at the time “CP3” was a clever branding scheme for a player without much of a personality. Paul went on to do a decades worth of State Farm commercials. I’d say the moniker, despite how much you dislike it, worked out just fine.
Sometimes you guys don’t realize how out of touch you sound.
Yes, people refer to Atlanta as “ATL” and “The A”. People refer to DC is “The DMV”. And lots of Houstonians refer to it as “H-Town”.
” Ironically, those with no use for it are generally the people with money to spend. Weird to ingratiate oneself to a the demographic that does not.”
Holy dog whistle, Batman. As one of the few (I’m assuming) black regulars here (for a decade or so) I find this inference horribly insulting.
Paul, come get your peoples.
They cold
Best quote out of the “film”
“If you look at our logo, there’s a lot of pride in the bull.”
Never were truer words spoken by a brand spokesperson.
Change the name to Texas Houstonians. Does that put enough emphasis on the city name?
The Houston Problems ?
The Houston Houstonians of Houston
H-Town?? Jeez, I’m getting too old for this crap.
Football is for everyone and if a huge part of the local fan demography likes H-Town as a monniker, go for it. If the outside world thinks: this is contrived, silly or inauthentic, OK, but it is not aimed at you. It is a local thing. I am more worried about how the uniforms will look but then again, if I will not like them it will be my very minor problem and understandably of no importance to the Houston Texans and their fan community.
When they call it a “transparent uniform design” and that’s not even in the top-5 dumbest quotes from the press material, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. H-town? This is some seriously stupid shit right here. These are they hype videos that I don’t even click on.
This is going to end up being a massive downgrade from what was one of the most generic uniform sets in the league.
h-town only works if you go the city connect route which the NFL does NOT have (as of yet anyways). they are trying too hard to make the texans cool. face it, your are the texans. embrace it or change the team name. to be honest about it, they SHOULD be the oilers (with the baby blue). but we all know that story.