Good morning, Uni Watch! It’s Friday — we made it.
I have a special treat for you this morning, as our resident PLL (Professional Lacrosse League) expert, Jared Buccola — is back today to preview the PLL uniforms for their throwback weekend. You’ll recall that earlier this year, Jared previewed the 2024 PLL regular uniforms, and later, even offered up his own full PLL leaguewide redesign concepts.
The PLL is introducing some very cool throwbacks this year — well, cool if you love the old-school mesh jerseys worn by laxers in the days of yore (by your local high school team no doubt). I’ll now turn it over to Jared as he brings you his…
by Jared Buccola
Hello and welcome back to another look inside the Premier Lacrosse League. One date on the schedule that every lacrosse fan circles is Throwback Weekend. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that time has arrived! Porthole mesh jerseys were a common choice in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, and have seen a resurgence in popularity across all levels of lacrosse. With the Premier Lacrosse League assigning geographic locations for the first time this year, this added another level of history to draw inspiration from. Before we start, I just want to know, how was this missed by the marketing team?! Anyways, without further ado, let’s take a look at the 2024, Premier Lacrosse League throwback uniforms!
First, here’s an overall glance at the throwback logos for each team. I have posted, commented and tweeted every possible chance I get, requesting that these be put on the helmets to match the jerseys. In previous years, teams have still worn their current logos on helmets with the throwback jerseys. Huge missed opportunity. Keep in mind, we have not seen helmets paired with these uniforms, so we don’t know what logos or color helmets each team will be using. But I will give my two cents as to what I would like to see for each.
Inspired by the Boston Bruins from the 30’s, the Cannons keep it simple with a giant “B” adorning the front of a bright red jersey. There are three large navy blue stripes on the sleeve, along with a navy blue collar. Literally, as I am typing this, I noticed their throwback logo is a bomb, not a cannon ball. Seen here on the shorts. I don’t really get it, but I love it either way! Pairing their blue helmet here would be the right move.
Marketing photos for this beauty point to a classic car on the beach, land marks like Hotel Del Coronado, the Golden Gate Bridge, and of course, another green and gold team that resides in California (for now). This vibrant green uniform has a no nonsense design with two bright yellow stripes, the California state outline and “California” arched across the chest. I would have liked to see the wordmark in the same script as the logo. I mean come on, look at this guy! Here’s hoping they go with the white helmet.
North Carolina State University had NCAA D1 Men’s Lacrosse from 1973 – 1982, which is drawn on as the inspiration for these throwbacks. The “STATE” feels vague and bland. Also, it leaves a lot of blank space on the jersey. I have had it with this trend of not having front numbers! Here’s the throwback logo. I am pretty sure scorpions don’t have antenna. A white helmet would be nice here, but the Chaos don’t have one. Since both of their helmet options are decked in chrome, it will be a weird clash no matter what they wear.
The Denver Outlaws bring a show stopper of a jersey for this year’s throwbacks. The “D” on the front is unique and has a nice western flare, while the stripes give a nod to the early years of Denver Pioneers hockey. The font on the throwback logo is great, but the mascot himself is a bit corny. I think the orange shorts provide a great contrast, but are still complimentary. It’s a win/win in the helmet department as both would look great.
Quite a few Easter eggs in this one! In the photo above, you can see a few references to an “M”, which obviously influenced this jersey. One photo shows the Maryland Agricultural College football team from 1893-1894, and another photo shows Testudo pedestal, a statue of the terrapin mascot. With the history lesson over, let’s look at the jersey. The yellow is a lot, but if anyone is going to do it, it’s Maryland. The stripes add a nice contrast of color, but would look better if they followed the seam on the sleeve, and went all the way around. A lot of comments on social media point out that a block “M”, on yellow, immediately evokes Michigan. Maybe a thinner or more stylized “M” would have been more unique. Their black helmet would pair nicely with the black shorts.
The Atlas are always a winner on throwback weekend. The two tone blue has never shined brighter and the diagonal “New York” is iconic. This jersey would also look great, if not better in the same template but with the colors reversed. Maybe this calls for a redesign!? Fans on social media are clamoring for the throwback logo to replace the primary logo, and they’re not wrong. Another win/win in the helmet department as both the aqua and white would look magnificent.
Back to the ice we go as the Waterdogs draw inspiration from the Philadelphia Quakers. You can see the similarities in the wordmark across the chest, stripes on the sleeves and yoke along the shoulders. Here comes the familiar roar of “make this our primaries!” The white shorts look great with their throwback logo. The white helmet is a heavy favorite for this set. This is a perfect example of why the PLL should add throwback logos on the helmets!
The block “U” on this jersey is unmistakable. Hidden in the marketing photo, there is an image of the 1905 University of Utah football team. They could have even done without the “Utah” in the “U”. The stripes on the sleeves point to the 1940’s Utah State Aggies football program. No, this is not déjà vu, as the throwback Archers logo has a very similar shape and flow as the throwback Denver Outlaws logo. Orange shorts would have been great here, but blue it is, so we’ll lean toward the blue helmet as well.
That brings our Premier Lacrosse League throwback break down to a close. Make sure you catch these mesh marvels this Friday and Saturday, all games streaming on ESPN+. Additionally, the New York Atlas and Boston Cannons, will be on ABC for their Saturday tilt at 3pmEST. Here’s one last shot at getting throwback decals on the helmets! Who knows, maybe we’ll see another redesign!?
Thanks, Jared. Nice run down! And how about those “throwbacks” (here, used in the loosest of terms)? I’m really digging that California Redwoods one.
Readers? Which of the *throwback* uniforms is your favorite?
I don’t follow lacrosse, but I might have to search out some footage of these sets in action. They did a great job of making all of these really feel like they’re from the past.
Hey! I’m not sure where to find that footage. That’d be an impressive skill if you do! This is the weekend of all weekends to give lacrosse a shot. At least it’s going to be the most aesthetically appealing!
I’ve never seen PLL uniforms anywhere but here, but from what I recall, these are far better than what they normally wear.
Hey Charlie, can confirm. A majority of these are better than their modern counterparts
Always appreciate Jared’s lacrosse contributions!
While I do like a few of the designs, overall I am disappointed. Some of the cartoonie mascots are good, but many don’t fit & look like clip art or bad AI designs. Some are improved, the California design definitely stands out, but then the actual jersey didn’t use the bear or the script? Clearly they are fauxbacks. Necessary since the PLL is only about 5 years old. But even so it is a total hodgepodge, as Jared points out, they drew inspiration from other teams (even college) & other sports. Why?
I much preferred the Indigenous Heritage special uniform program from June.
Thanks for the compliment Mic! I agree with the mascots, it works for some (California, Philly, NY) and others are just awkward (Denver, Utah, Carolina). I’m not sure why “vintage” or “throwback” means cartoons to them. There’s got to be a happy medium. I agree, the Indigenous jerseys were great this year. I really appreciated that each team had their own logo that merged the Indigenous heritage, with their team motif.
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Stars hold on to beat the Rangers 3-2.
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7 May 2024
The first ever all CC MLB game.
Nats beat Orioles 3-0.
Corbin Burnes is pitching to Jacob Young in the first inning.
Philly is the clear winner here, IMO. California is nice, but agree about the script. Boston and Denver are also decent sets, but the Big Block Letter in the center of the chest is overplayed in general here.
Hey Joe, thanks for commenting! I plan to do a redesign for the throwbacks that hopefully Phil will humor me in posting! In that, I will definitely address the over used huge letter. It fits for some teams (Denver, Utah) but when half the league has the same idea, it loses it’s impact.
I have an enjoyment for teams that wear throwbacks and they are newer teams. Like a bizarro world scenario if these teams were around decades ago.
They should consider using these throwback ideas in redesigns for their primary uniforms. Would be upgrades.
The Boston Cannons jersey. It is giving me vibes of the classic New Westminster Salmonbellies jersey.
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Hey Wade, i’m a huge Deadpool fan so you have the coolest name. Anyway! A happy medium of these throwback concepts and the team’s current uniforms would be happily received, i’m sure. Here’s to hoping the league listens!
Always love to see lacrosse content – I can’t remember if you guys noted the other week that the all star game in Louisville had jockey/derby inspired jerseys.
Some of these are obviously better than others, but as someone who actually played with porthole lacrosse jerseys, it kind of bothers me that these feel nothing like actual porthole lacrosse designs. Just throwbacks based on other sports.
Those California Redwoods look almost like the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the old NASL.
They just need a collar.
I find it kind of odd that the PLL decided to draw so much inspiration from other sports for these uniforms. I get that they’re trying to reach out to football and hockey fans (and apparently NC State fans) but in my opinion they’d be better off trying to educate new fans on lacrosse history by having designs that actually look like vintage lacrosse designs.
Good point Rob, there have been some rumbles about why teams have not “thrown back” to some of their MLL counterparts.
Carolina Chaos – Charlotte Hounds
New York Atlas – New York Lizards
Maryland Whipsnakes – Chesapeake Bayhawks (they played in Annapolis)
Philadelphia Waterdogs – Philadelphia Barrage
California Redwoods – LA Riptide or SF Dragons
Boston Cannons and Denver Outlaws are the same
Utah is really the only one that gets left behind
ooops, meant to post that on Rob’s comment below lol
Great rundown, Jared! I always appreciate your insights into lacrosse aesthetics.
These fauxbacks are fun for the most part. I like most of them on an individual level, some better than others. Taken together, however, they feel a bit formulaic and contrived.
Also, if I were the University of Maryland, I would send the Whipsnakes a cease-and-desist letter right away for trademark infringement. I looked at that uniform and immediate thought it was the Terps, and it’s clear the Whipsnakes are playing off of that conflation.
Hey BvK, yeah, the Whips arent subtle about the Terps vibes. I would assume there had to have been a discussion before hand. Their current set is even more obvious.
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Y’know, at some point, I really need to send Phil the scoreboard photo I’ve been sitting on for a while…
Good point Rob, there have been some rumbles about why teams have not “thrown back” to some of their MLL counterparts.
Carolina Chaos – Charlotte Hounds
New York Atlas – New York Lizards
Maryland Whipsnakes – Chesapeake Bayhawks (they played in Annapolis)
Philadelphia Waterdogs – Philadelphia Barrage
California Redwoods – LA Riptide or SF Dragons
Boston Cannons and Denver Outlaws are the same
Utah is really the only one that gets left behind
Yes!
Can’t think of a better way to ruin a throwback jersey (or any jersey, for that matter) than to put a “Dude Wipes” ad on it
A bomb on a Boston uniform? Maybe not the best choice.