Introducing “The Unis”: Uni Watch’s Year End Best and Worst Awards

[Editor’s Note: This morning our own Anthony Emerson is debuting a new year-end feature which I think you guys will enjoy! Please give it a full read through and then please let us have your nominations — you’ll see what I mean in a second. Let me turn it over to Anthony now, then keep scrolling for the Guess the Games and more. — PH]

2024 was a big year for Uni Watch. Our esteemed founder and editor-in-chief emeritus Paul Lukas passed the baton (literally!) to longtime deputy Phil Hecken, we shook up the Ticker by reducing it to three times a week, and now we’re introducing something new.

Today, I’m pleased to announce that Uni Watch is introducing an end-of-year award for the best (and worst) new unis introduced in the past 12 months — and you, dear reader, will help us.

We’re asking for readers to nominate their favorite (or least favorite), and then vote to decide who wins “The Uni”.

How will this work?

You can either email us, tag us on social media, or leave a comment below with your nomination for each of the categories (more info on that below). Submissions are open immediately, and will remain open until Christmas Day. On December 26th, we’ll publish our first list of nominees. Voting will open on that category immediately, and will close after 48 hours. Our next nominee list will be published on December 27th, and so on. On December 31st, we’ll reveal the winners!

So what are the categories?

I’m glad you asked!

• Best and worst new primary uniform. Think of this as a team either completely rebranding (new logo, unis, and name), a complete logo-and-uni update (think the LA Clippers this year), or the inaugural identity of an expansion team.
• Best and worst new alternate, throwback, or one-off uniform. Exactly what it sounds like — an alternate or throwback introduced in 2024.
• Best and worst new logo. Keep the uni out of this one — we’re just discussing the logos here.

Wait, just three categories?

To start with, yes. To be perfectly honest, we’re not sure how this is going to go — obviously, we don’t want to spread ourselves too thin with too many categories. If there’s sufficient interest, we can expand the number of categories in 2025.

Furthermore, all sports at all professional and collegiate levels are eligible for each category. So, for example, we could see a Premier League soccer team going up against a National Lacrosse League team going up against  a Single-A baseball team. Again, if there’s sufficient interest, we might start separate categories for separate sports in 2025.

So I’m assuming there are rules?

Of course there are.

To be considered for the uniform categories, the uniform must have been worn for at least one game in the 2024 calendar year. So, for example, the Guardians recently-introduced new unis wouldn’t count.

For the logo category, if the logo has been formally introduced in the calendar year, then it will be considered.

Readers are free to nominate as many uniforms and logos for as many categories as they wish, although we do ask you to limit the number of times you contact us so we’re not inundated with dozens of emails from one person.

Anything else?

To be honest, we have no idea how this will go. We certainly hope we get lots of nominations for each category, and we hope there’s enough interest that we can add categories in 2025, or divide the categories by sport. Think of this as a trial balloon for a bigger and better Unis in 2025.