Short post today, because Middle Child is receiving her high school diploma this morning. Congraduations, M.C.!
As you may recall, back in March Phil and I reviewed the uniforms for the inaugural season of the United Football League. We broke it down into two parts, which you can find here…and here. We agreed that the best two uniforms in the league belonged to the San Antonio Brahmas and the Michigan Panthers. We also liked the St. Louis Battlehawks and the Birmingham Stallions (well, I like Birmingham’s home unis much better than their road set). Then…there was the rest of the bunch. In a nice little bit of uniform justice, the four teams mentioned are the ones that qualified for the playoffs. Not only that, but the Stallions hosted the Panthers yesterday, and the Battlehawks hosted the Brahmas, and they’ll do it all again next week in the semifinal round. I wonder if that’s the first time two end-of season matchups were repeated the following week in the postseason?
The first game featured Michigan going champagne/white/plum against Birmingham in (old) gold/red/gold. Probably the best possible matchup for these two, and on a beautiful overcast day the colors really popped. That’s football weather for me!
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The question is, will Michigan stay with this combo? They have the option of going with their champagne pants, although they’ve only worn those three times all season (all three at home with the plum jerseys) so we’ll have to wait and see. Knowing how superstitious players and coaches can be, maybe they’ll change it up after this unfortunate ending:
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HE MISSED 😱
The Stallions survive! 🐎 pic.twitter.com/cLXHm1FjPE
— United Football League (@TheUFL) June 1, 2024
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Hopefully it won’t be super hot and sunny next week in Birmingham, because then the Stallions might be tempted to go gold/white/white. They used to do that in their first incarnation back in the original USFL. Wasn’t a fan of that look even then. I’d be fine with a repeat of this week, including the cloudy skies.
The second game of the day featured St. Louis hosting San Antonio, in a really nice looking matchup that’s unlikely to change.
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The winner got dome field advantage, and it was SO close to switching venues.
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IT’S NO GOOD
The 51-yard attempt is no good and the @XFLBattlehawks survive in St. Louis! pic.twitter.com/4JZYBABAKh
— United Football League (@TheUFL) June 1, 2024
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I have to admit…I’ve not been a fan of the league’s drone camera (I find SkyCam to be way better and vastly underused), but this shot did impress me:
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This Drone cam view of Jontre Kirklin’s TD is unreal 🤯@XFLBrahmas pic.twitter.com/M1l2Fjd36B
— United Football League (@TheUFL) June 1, 2024
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Today’s games feature Arlington at DC, followed by the battle for last place between (fittingly) the two worst looking teams, Memphis and Houston. Unlike the NFL, though, the *winner* gets the first pick in every round of next year’s draft. Maybe they’ll get to pick new uniforms as well!
I pick Florida for the best reason: It will be their first Cup.
Congrats to the graduate!
Congrats to M.C.!
I like both Michigan and Birmingham’s uniforms, but for me there isn’t enough contrast. Michigan might call their helmets champagne, but they’re gold, and plum and red are close. Would probably look better if Michigan wore “champagne” pants, even though both teams would be wearing gold.
I really wish the Roughnecks would simply return back to their 2020 look with their current logo…Hopefully the UFL revamps their uniforms for next season…
“H-Town” USF…err, UFL should have never abandoned the Gamblers branding.
Who knows? Maybe next year they’ll Steal Blue too ; )
Brahmas vs Battlehawks matchup clearly shows the NFL can go with more color vs color games. Plus, the Roughnecks helmet is terrible. I am in the process in writing a letter to their office and league offices to change that helmet.
The UFL needs a major overhaul. I don’t find a single uniform to be good design. I realize they are an inferior league, but they don’t have to look like it. It bums me out because there were so many classic designs in the original USFL. My fifth grade mind was blown back in ‘83.
I love the Panthers helmet.
That is all.
Keep the Battlehawks and Panthers…and scrap the rest.
I’d look back to USFL ‘83 and XFL ‘01, keeping 3 of each:
The XFL is easy/obvious – Birmingham ‘bolts, SF Demons and LV Outlaws (easily the most ‘pro’-looking franchise from that league).
The USFL is a bit tougher to narrow down, but I’d go with Oakland, Boston and Washington.
The 2020 XFL uniforms were far superior to the ones they have now, for the teams that were in both (Battlehawks, Roughnecks, Renegades, Defenders). I know they made a deal to use the stadium for basically free if they named the team Arlington but I think Dallas Renegades sounds much better. The Brahmas uniforms are ok but kinda blah. Add some gold pants to go with the black jerseys.
The Showboats new look looks terrible, and they really should go back to the old USFL look. They didn’t in 2023 because they had 2 red teams already and they made them the same colors of the Grizzlies but tap back into their history.
I realize they are an inferior league
They are a developmental league. And more than half the league looks good to me. I like DC’s home uni and I love the road look.
Houston really needs to put the new logo on the 2020 uniform, though.
After initially being unimpressed when they first came out in 2013 (crazy that it’s been 11 seasons now), the Stars’ unis have grown on me, and I’d say they’re my favorite of the four semifinal teams. Panthers are next, followed by the Oilers (great blue-orange color combo, hideous logo) and then the Rangers (wordmarks are lame and boring).
Stars’ look would be an upgrade with green helmet and some green trim on the gloves.
Some great things never change. The Oilers will always have this logo and the Rangers diagonal wordmark is their signature. Classics. Imagine if the Oilers introduced this as a new logo today? Likely would get trashed by the public. Then again, how many people would think the New York Yankees’ “NY” or Montreal Canadiens’ “CH” were great logos if theirs were introduced today?
You say, “Some great things never change,” but I think the truth is more like “Bad design ideas become accepted over time because we view them through the lens of nostalgia.” Of course, if you genuinely appreciate the Rangers’ wordmark or the Oilers’ primary logo on aesthetic grounds, then that opinion is no less valuable than mine. But when I set aside my “nostalgia glasses”, so to speak, and try to view the Oilers’ primary logo and Rangers’ wordmark on strictly aesthetic grounds, I don’t really like them. Somebody on this blog (I think it was Phil or Jim) described the Oilers’ logo as a faddish product of the 1970s, and now I can’t unsee that. And wordmarks just bore me in general. YMMV, of course =)
Somebody on this blog (I think it was Phil or Jim) described the Oilers’ logo as a faddish product of the 1970s, and now I can’t unsee that.
(raises hand)
Sorry ’bout that…
Glad Jim chimed in because I have no recollection of saying that.
Turns out Jimmer said “Edmonton’s logo is a little too 70s for me” in our NHL Playoff uni preview. link
I do have issues with the Florida Panthers uniform. They have the modern leaping panther logo which for some reason is not on the jersey. The current primary logo would make a good soccer badge. The modern leaping panther on the front would be a current look with a nod to their traditional look.
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The Panthers have the torso stripe on front (which does not travel to the back) with no waist stripes. The jersey looks plain from the back. They would be better served with a modern version of the original uniforms. Red version based on recent RR uniforms with the modern leaping panther as primary logo and on the front of the jersey.
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I can’t believe we are talking about Michigan Panthers and Florida Panthers on the same day. The Florida leaping panther logo is one of the all-time worst insignias, and looks like the Detroit Tigers’ logo, obviously designed by the same guy. Your complaints about the rest of the Florida sweater are all spot-on, though.
100% agree about the torso stripe not continuing around the back. I’ve always thought that looked terrible, and it seems like such an easy/obvious fix.
Michigan’s uniforms are a big step backward from last year. Now, the jersey are normal red, not plum. And the weird pants striping means there is so little light blue that it’s lost. The light blue offsetting plum was what made their color scheme special.
Of note, the helmet still has plum, which makes the red jerseys or red stripes on white jerseys a huge mismatch. UA dropped the ball on these.
Leaping Panther was great for the 1990s, but it looks out of date. The legs just look too small. If I could do anything to the Panthers uniforms if would be to add the sun logo instead of the flag logo. Panthers came out when I was 16 and I have loved that logo since then. Did not look great on the reverse retro ones as a front logo, but looks amazing as a sleeve logo.
The current Florida Panthers uniforms are not as good as the originals!