Grey Facemasks For Everyone*

[IceCap]

So grey facemasks.

 

I used to be of the opinion that unpainted, grey facemasks were a relic of outdated tech, and that they were only justifiable if grey or silver existed elsewhere in the team's uniform.

 

Then @andrewharrington raised a point a few years back; that it was possible to consider a facemask equipment rather than "part" of the uniform. IE not something that has to be coloured.

You can see precedent for this in hockey helmet cages. Where cases are usually stock white, black, or grey/silver. Very few, if any, teams in leagues that mandate cages bother colour coordinating them with their uniforms.
So why not football?

I thought about it, and it just made a lot of sense. Grey facemasks work as a neutral colour for that piece of equipment. And they often look less gaudy than red, gold, blue, etc.

 

I wouldn't say that I'm for grey facemasks across the board these days, but I think "neutral" shades like white, black, and grey work best.

 

So what's everyone's take on it?

[infrared41]

I think just about every team with a "classic" uniform would look even better with a gray facemask - assuming they don't already use gray like Dallas, Indianapolis, NY Giants, etc. 

[WavePunter]

I'm of opinion that grey facemasks are fair game for anyone.. Some teams look better in them, some don't.. I'm for whatever color helps achieve a team's desired look the best

[Bluefalcon]

Count me in on Team Hate 'Em. It's jarring to see a grey piece of equipment on teams that don't have grey/silver in their color schemes (Cardinals, Bills, Colts, 49ers). If they can color the shoes, belts, gloves, tape, etc. then facemasks are fair game.

 

Cardinals - should have a black facemask

Bills - blue

Cowboys - blue, if they can ever decide which shade to use

Colts - blue

Raiders - black

49ers - red

Buccaneers - just blow it up already

 

Giants and Lions are OK, although I'm not completely sold on the Lions 'chrome' look.

[IceCap]

6 minutes ago, Bluefalcon said:

If they can color the shoes, belts, gloves, tape, etc. then facemasks are fair game.

I'm of the opinion that team shoes should be black or white.

 

*shrug*

[hormone]

The helmet is such an integral piece to a football uniform, and it’s not 1970 anymore, so use color. Heck, I even loved the colored shoes. Here’s the current NFL teams that I’d let pass on gray: Dallas, Oakland. It’s an eyesore seeing gray stick out like on the 49ers. Where else is gray? Don’t give me the “classic “ argument unless you’d give it a pass to wear a brown, leather helmet. Sorry, really hate gray masks. Looks bad on a team like the cards, but even worse when a team regresses back to gray like the colts.

[SFGiants58]

I’m fine with grey face masks, as long as there is historical precedent for the team or if grey is in the color scheme.

 

What I’m not fine with are white facemasks on dark-colored helmets (current Rams, 1980s-‘90s Giants, and early ‘80s Vikings). It should never compete with the helmet logo for attention. Luckily, grey or shell-colored facemasks prevent this.

[Eszcz21]

5 hours ago, Bluefalcon said:

Count me in on Team Hate 'Em. It's jarring to see a grey piece of equipment on teams that don't have grey/silver in their color schemes (Cardinals, Bills, Colts, 49ers). If they can color the shoes, belts, gloves, tape, etc. then facemasks are fair game.

 

Cardinals - should have a black facemask

Bills - blue

Cowboys - blue, if they can ever decide which shade to use

Colts - blue

Raiders - black

49ers - red

Buccaneers - just blow it up already

 

Giants and Lions are OK, although I'm not completely sold on the Lions 'chrome' look.

The Lions face mask isn’t chrome it is silver like the helmet. It is stated at 3:10 here in this video.

 

[Dynasty]

If teams never introduced team colors to them, then I'd have no issue. But now they have, and they look much better and in place than grey.

[daveindc]

Isn't the helmet itself just "equipment" also? Why color the helmet then? 

[BBTV]

Not sure what other "equipment" is allowed to be some non-coordinating color.  Could Texans or Dolphins players wear gray gloves?  Wristbands?  Use gray tape on their shoes or other visible area?

 

Helmets are logos.  Logo shouldn't have a prominent portion of gray if it's not one of your colors.  Get the gray the f out of here.

[oldschoolvikings]

1 minute ago, BringBackTheVet said:

Not sure what other "equipment" is allowed to be some non-coordinating color. 

 

Chinstraps?  Front and back bumpers?

[BBTV]

Just now, oldschoolvikings said:

 

Chinstraps?  Front and back bumpers?

 

Those need to be coordinating - in those cases, white.  All consistent across all teams.  All "equipment" has rules, be it "team color", or "white only", or "white or black only", etc.

[lbj273]

Count me on the train for gray of gray is otherwise used on the uniform otherwise barring it being a long time unchanged look (Alabama) I think it looks tacky

[OnWis97]

1 hour ago, SFGiants58 said:

I’m fine with grey face masks, as long as there is historical precedent for the team or if grey is in the color scheme.

 

What I’m not fine with are white facemasks on dark-colored helmets (current Rams, 1980s-‘90s Giants, and early ‘80s Vikings). It should never compete with the helmet logo for attention. Luckily, grey or shell-colored facemasks prevent this.

I’d actually argue that gray can stick out just as much.  The Bills and Colts are two examples.

 

To me, the helmet is as much a part of a team identity as the primary logo and should therefore try to use team colors.  With few exceptions, teams with no gray or silver should not have gray masks.

[burgundy]

Gray facemasks obviously work well when teams have silver or gray as one of their colors, and they look fine for teams with a classic look. I also think they look great with metallic gold helmets, but that may just be because I'm a Notre Dame fan. I only really have a problem with teams that have overdesigned, super modern uniforms with a gray facemask. I'm looking at you, Arizona Cardinals.

[andrewharrington]

30 minutes ago, BringBackTheVet said:

Helmets are logos.  Logo shouldn't have a prominent portion of gray if it's not one of your colors.  Get the gray the f out of here.

 

Maybe 20 years ago, but I just scrolled through a random team’s official shop and I found three things in the whole store with the helmet logo on it; one men’s 1990s retro-styled zip sweatshirt, that silly flag with the tapered diagonal stripes that old people hang off the front porch of their suburban single-story homes, and a “fidget cube,” whatever that is.

 

I think I saw them used on a Coors Light-sponsored large format team schedule at my local sports bar sometime over the past decade... maybe. They’re just not used hardly at all anymore, possibly because they’re so outdated.

[AnPheitseog]

3 minutes ago, andrewharrington said:

 

Maybe 20 years ago, but I just scrolled through a random team’s official shop and I found three things in the whole store with the helmet logo on it; one men’s 1990s retro-styled zip sweatshirt, that silly flag with the tapered diagonal stripes that old people hang off the front porch of their suburban single-story homes, and a “fidget cube,” whatever that is.

 

I think I saw them used on a Coors Light-sponsored large format team schedule at my local sports bar sometime over the past decade... maybe. They’re just not used hardly at all anymore, possibly because they’re so outdated.

Logos, maybe not. What you think of first when you think of a team? The most identifiable aspect of a teams identity?

 

Yes

[andrewharrington]

6 minutes ago, DiePerske said:

Logos, maybe not. What you think of first when you think of a team? The most identifiable aspect of a teams identity?

 

Yes

 

Eh. For me it’s more color and logo. Helmets change much more often than those two things.

[San Diego]

The grey looks good on the throwbacks but I think the colored masks are better with today's uniforms. I prefer the yellow facemasks on the Chargers.