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Collector’s Corner for January 30, 2025

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[Editor’s note: Welcome back to the return of “Collector’s Corner” to Uni Watch. Although no longer run by Brinke Guthrie, it has been ably resurrected by Chris Weir. Chris approached me about restarting CC, vowing to uphold the old look and style, but with one new twist: he will make each edition timely with what is going on currently in the sports world (i.e. rivalry games, big events, anniversary of events). Enjoy and please give Chris some feedback about the new (old) feature. — PH]

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Collector’s Corner
by Chris Weir

There is no denying that the NFL is the king of the sports mountain but surprisingly, even to myself, each year my interest in it erodes just a bit due to the Homogenous River. The uniforms are too similar, the logos are too similar, the bad QB play is too similar, and even the playoff matchups are too similar. As I write this, I look up at a string of NFL pennants circa 1981 and bask in its color and variety from the Orange Creamsicle, the Kelly Green, the Luv Ya Blue, and the Orange Crush.

Uniform style inevitably changes like the seasons but the one thing I can’t wrap my head around is why the NFL decided to get rid of unique Super Bowl logos. I’m sure it’s a cost cutting measure because they can never have enough money, but it’s a travesty to give the biggest sporting event in the country such bland uninspiring clip art logos that are virtually the same every year.

I’ve ranted on long enough so here is an ode to my top five Super Bowl logos.

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5) Super Bowl XIX, 1985, Stanford Stadium

• Hard to believe they had Super Bowls in college stadiums like Stanford Stadium but I guess nobody wanted to head out to Candlestick Park. This logo just gives off a classic 1950s diner vibe. We’ve got what appears to be a Luggage Tag, an Apple Computer Seat Cushion, a colorful Sports Specialties Trucker Hat, and a Jersey sporting the Super Bowl XIX logo.

4) Super Bowl XXVI, 1992, Metrodome

• I’m a little biased since this Super Bowl is my earliest memory of being a sports fan. The rising vertical football and the horizontal roman numerals give this logo a nice cohesiveness. This Chalk Line Jacket is pure early 90s nostalgia, throw some sweet spirals with this Football, and smell like Minneapolis with this Cologne.

3) Super Bowl XXX, 1996, Sun Devil Stadium

• The symmetry and the Southwest flavor of this logo is just perfect. The brilliant designer of this Bowl gives us separate dip areas for salsa and queso, this Helmet Mug has a nose bumper, and I kept my “less valuable” junk wax cards in one of these Tin Cans.

2) Super Bowl XXXI, 1997, Superdome

• Can’t go wrong blending Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl. Logo Athletic fans will love this Jacket, I like the case better than the Watch, and this Helmet has a classic face mask paired with a vibrant helmet stripe.

1) Super Bowl XXI, 1987, Rose Bowl

• The geometric rose is almost mesmerizing and when paired with the gorgeous font of “Super Bowl” flying in horizontally from the left this logo easily lands in the top spot. The logo looks great on this Mug, I’d like to know where these Napkins have been hiding for 38 years, this corduroy Hat still has its appeal, and you got to love the logo paired with the Rose Bowl background on this Patch.

 
  
 
Comments (7)

    Great stuff, Chris! I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’m enjoying your installments of the revived Collector’s Corner! Thanks so much for keeping the tradition rolling!

    I agree with pretty much every word you said about the NFL’s head-scratching decision to get rid of unique Super Bowl logos. I’m sure they think it was to “consolidate the visual branding,” but the Super Bowl is already so ubiquitous that it didn’t need any brand consolidation. To the contrary, the new branding makes it hard to distinguish one game from any of the others, which is its own branding problem for a league that treats each installment of the Super Bowl as crown jewels in its history.

    One last thought, if you don’t mind suggestions: as great as this article is, it would have popped even more, visually speaking, if you’d included an in-line image of the Super Bowl logos you were describing above the text for each entry. Just something to think about for future installments of this great series!

    At the time of Super Bowl XIX Stanford Stadium had a seating capacity of almost 86,000 versus Candlestick’s capacity of just under 70,000 for football. So the NFL went for the higher capacity stadium.

    Same with spartan Rice Stadium (72,000) over the more modern Astrodome (50,000) in Houston for Super Bowl VIII in 1974.

    Back when the number of butts in seats was seen as the bellwether for a sporting event’s success rather than the television revenue.

    As a child of New Orleans and as a man whose first Super Bowl memory is this one (I’ve got nothing on XXX), Super Bowl XXXI takes the cake for me. If only that awesome chip and dip bowl had that logo on it!

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