~Bear Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 The logos aren't the best, and they are all a little too similar, but they surely could have been worse. I really like the Fleet, Apollos, and Commanders logos. Arizona Hotshots have a nice logo as well, but the whole abstract AZ in the background is too much. The other logos are pretty meh if I'm being honest. The uniforms are definitely going to make-or-break this league aesthetically. This might seem like an obvious statement, but since all the logos fall into that middle-of-the-road category (except for maybe the Fleet, which I find to be the most professional looking), we do not need trashy uniforms a la Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans. However, we could use a little uniform variety as well. So while the Atlanta Legends would make sense taking a classic uniform approach, the Birmingham Iron could take a more modern step (hopefully towards the Seattle Seahawks or Detroit Lions rather than the Nike garbage mentioned earlier). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkg74 Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 A little bit better out West! I really like Utah's colors resembling the Breakers(!!!), count me in. SD Fleet? WTF! Worst ever nickname for a sports team right there. Hotshots? 2nd worst ever, congratulations AAF The colors and logos for both are nice though please change those nicknames San Antonio is solid, cool nickname I felt the WLAF approached USFL levels of gorgeous eye-candy maybe even surpassed them, anyone agree?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewharrington Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 4 hours ago, Mac the Knife said: Okay. I exaggerate. But they've come closer to 'nailing it' than any league, before or since, in any sport. I’m just not seeing it, unless you give it a huge design handicap for being born in the mid-1980s. There were maybe three high-caliber logos in the entire league, and a vast majority of the uniforms were just stock designs (albeit in fun colors); they were the 1980s equivalent of the “click-n-fill” uniforms everyone loves to hate for the last 20 years. I still don't have a website, but I have a dribbble now! http://dribbble.com/andyharry [The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the position, strategy or opinions of adidas and/or its brands.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sodboy13 Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 WLAF definitely topped the USFL, but remember that they had NFL Properties behind them. Iut of the 11 uniform sets the league had in its initial two seasons, Raleigh-Durham is probably the weakest. And it's still okay, and definitely miles ahead of the Gunslingers. On 1/25/2013 at 1:53 PM, 'Atom said: For all the bird de lis haters I think the bird de lis isnt supposed to be a pelican and a fleur de lis I think its just a fleur de lis with a pelicans head. Thats what it looks like to me. Also the flair around the tip of the beak is just flair that fleur de lis have sometimes source I am from NOLA. PotD: 10/19/07, 08/25/08, 07/22/10, 08/13/10, 04/15/11, 05/19/11, 01/02/12, and 01/05/12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sodboy13 Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 1 minute ago, andrewharrington said: I’m just not seeing it, unless you give it a huge design handicap for being born in the mid-1980s. There were maybe three high-caliber logos in the entire league, and a vast majority of the uniforms were just stock designs (albeit in fun colors); they were the 1980s equivalent of the “click-n-fill” uniforms everyone loves to hate for the last 20 years. The '83 Blitz were the New England Patriots with silver swapped in for white on the helmet and pants. The '84 Blitz were... something. I'm not sure what, but there was a lot of it. Now, the Jacksonville Bulls, there's a football uniform you can set your watch to. On 1/25/2013 at 1:53 PM, 'Atom said: For all the bird de lis haters I think the bird de lis isnt supposed to be a pelican and a fleur de lis I think its just a fleur de lis with a pelicans head. Thats what it looks like to me. Also the flair around the tip of the beak is just flair that fleur de lis have sometimes source I am from NOLA. PotD: 10/19/07, 08/25/08, 07/22/10, 08/13/10, 04/15/11, 05/19/11, 01/02/12, and 01/05/12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo_prankster Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 1 hour ago, mkg74 said: A little bit better out West! I really like Utah's colors resembling the Breakers(!!!), count me in. SD Fleet? WTF! Worst ever nickname for a sports team right there. Hotshots? 2nd worst ever, congratulations AAF The colors and logos for both are nice though please change those nicknames San Antonio is solid, cool nickname I felt the WLAF approached USFL levels of gorgeous eye-candy maybe even surpassed them, anyone agree?? I'd say the WLAF and USFL are pretty much equals when it comes to eye-candy football uniforms. If only those two leagues could have co-existed, we could've had so many aesthetically awesome matchups uniform-wise. The Fictional Story of Austus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4_tattoos Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 The San Diego Fleet logo reminds me a lot of the Virginia Destroyers logo from the UFL. Hotter Than July > Thriller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pengin. Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 I don't like the Arizona Hot Shots logos/wordmarks at all. I'm happy they went a different route than a mountain lion, roadrunner, or coyote. I have no connection to the team outside what was shared in this thread. Other than that, the logo itself is pretty busy. Crossed Axes in a shield that has an illustration of a fire in the woods makes things really cluttered. The AZ in the fire illustration is good though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDAWG Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 So if the AAF Is able to make it to 2020, does this mean we'll see the Arizona Hot Shots Part Deux? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sykotyk Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 Just nicknames, the west would be: 1. Stallions 2. Hotshots 3. Commanders 4. Fleet I didn't think Commanders could be anything but #4.... but somehow we got the Fleet Enemas. Laughing aside, Armada would've been a much better name. I know they were going "US Navy" rather than "navy in general".... but there were other options. Stallions is great, but a little unspecific to Utah or Salt Lake City in general. Hotshots is a new, unique name, but seems a bit corny being in "Arizona". Commanders is such a miss. Beats out Gunslingers, in corniness, but could be so much better. Interesting they went with Salt Lake City for the Utah team, while Phoenix-area got Arizona. Is it just because the stadium they plan to play at is in Tempe they couldn't have gone with Phoenix? Now, overall names: 1. Apollos 2. Stallions 3. Hotshots 4. Legends 5. Iron 6. Express 7. Commanders 8. Fleet As for logos. They all seem a bit 'soft' and cartoony. Apollos and Stallions maybe the best. Hotshots third. I liked the Legends crown. Stallions looks more like a chess piece than a football logo. Express, Iron, Commanders, and Fleet aren't that great. Why do the Commanders look like a Cavaliers/MLS love child? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gothamite Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 15 hours ago, seasaltvanilla said: Arizona also has a "hidden" AZ in the roundel above the crossed axes. I don’t think the letters can be considered “hidden” when they’re a very notable part of the logo, visible at a glance. The Green Bay Packers Uniform Database! Now in a handy blog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrimsonBull9584 Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 I know this point have been brought up in various ways, but when criticizing/critiquing these names, consider the following: Imagine that the NFL line up for the last 99 seasons has been different than it was. And one day the NFL states that they will expand and they have introduced four new team names that will "represent the city and culture" of their surrounding area. And they are: Green Bay Packers Cleveland Browns New England Patriots Washington Redskins What sort of comments do you think we'd see? "Green Bay's logo is only a 'G'? Fail." "Browns logo is terrible, just a helmet? And named after the guy who founded and coaches the team?" "Why New England? Why not Boston? And for that matter we have a whaling culture here, why not Boston Whalers? These guys don't listen to fan input!" "Redskins have a terrible logo! It should be like a spear or something better." As I see it, the reason we accept the "unusual" NFL team names and logos is because that's how they've always been. We've all grown up with the Packers and we never really questioned it because it's always been there. Had the Atlanta Legends been the team that was introduced in 1966, with Mike Vick jerseys in the '00s, and Super Bowl appearances, we would't think twice about it. And then, the AAF comes out with the "Atlanta Falcons", well everyone would be on this forum saying that Falcons is generic and that they didn't listen to fan input and they failed. There really is no "wrong" team name or logo (excluding the debate on Native American imagery, but thats another dissuasion), it's more about exposure and time. So many pro and college teams have ridiculous names and mascots, but they often get a pass because they've been around so long. We are too quick to judge something new. Are there logos I don't like from the AAF? Yes. But I'm not going to pretend that NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA, or whatever, are any better just because they've been around longer. Let's just calm down, wait for the season to start and then criticize the uniforms. (Which is always fair game) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrimsonBull9584 Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 I just found this article regarding the military themed names of the Commanders and the Fleet. https://www.westernjournal.com/wc/alliance-american-football-sends-message-military-team-names/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=pitgrit&utm_campaign=lminetwork&utm_content=2018-09-25 It's this opening that bothers me: Quote The NFL has alienated many fans with how it has handled players’ protests during the national anthem, which some view as disrespectful to those who have served in the U.S. military. That’s not lost on the fledgling Alliance of American Football, which is paying tribute to servicemen and women in the names of some of its teams. First, it's obvious that the writer does not (or chooses not to) understand what the NA protests are actually about. However, The Western Journal is a conservative publication so that's no real surprise. Second, the implication is that the AAF created these military themed teams as like a counterattack to the NFL? As though the AAF is being more patriotic or trying to gain fans because of this? I don't think that's the reason for the Fleet or Commanders names. But it does worry me if A) this is true on the part of the AAF or B) people actually believe this and start using it as rhetoric against the NFL or other groups. Just seems a little dangerous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Rich Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 On 9/25/2018 at 8:47 AM, WideRight said: They all but say that in the video intro to the team. BTW, those video intros are the pinnacle of overkill. They all but start with "In a world...". Does anyone actually enjoy those? They are so forced and contrived. I find them intolerable. Man, I just went through all eight of those videos. They were (in general) SO BAD. But the worst had to be the one for the Express. It opens up with, "To say that Memphis is fast" , while using ridiculously sped-up footage of highway traffic, trains, airplanes, AND A TROLLEY CAR. Man, Memphis is one of the most Southern, laid-back places in America. Then it includes the ubiquitous few seconds of FedEx loading planes, talking about "teamwork, precision, and execution". Almost a FedEx commercial. It is what it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuordr Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 The survey results to rate the Team Logos of the league are compiled and located on our blog with the Orlando Apollos coming in first and the Atlanta Legends coming in last. http://uwfsportsaesthetics.blogspot.com/2018/09/alliance-of-american-football-league.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyJimmy Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 Oh, good, so both new leagues are appealing to jingoistic morons now. I want to get off the ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo_prankster Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 30 minutes ago, Jimmy Lethal said: Oh, good, so both new leagues are appealing to jingoistic morons now. I want to get off the ride. Yeah, I had so much hope for the AAF...the XFL not so much because I was pessimistic about Vinnie Mac learning from his mistakes. If this really is true, then I guess rational, mature adult football fans are better off sticking with the NFL. The Fictional Story of Austus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WideRight Posted September 26, 2018 Author Share Posted September 26, 2018 32 minutes ago, neo_prankster said: Yeah, I had so much hope for the AAF...the XFL not so much because I was pessimistic about Vinnie Mac learning from his mistakes. If this really is true, then I guess rational, mature adult football fans are better off sticking with the NFL. I really don't think that the AAF is trying in any way to be a counter to the NFL, especially on the Kaepernick protest issues. Ebersol and Polian are so closely tied to the NFL that there have already been rumors that this is an NFL fronted league designed to counteract the rebirth of the XFL. If you look across the league, where do you have military themes? San Diego--Where Navy presence is synonymous with the city. San Antonio-which calls itself Military City USA, and in the case of the logo they are clearly referring back to Texas History, not current Army or Air Force presence. In both cases the use of military names/logos is a locally relevant approach, just as "Apollos" references Florida's role in the Space race and "Hotshots" refers to wildfire specialists including a particular group known by many Arizonans. If every team were the Patriots, Generals, Admirals or Eagles, I would be suspicious, but the logos and names run the gamut from Stallions, to Express, with only a couple of military teams, and those make sense based on the cities involved. Much ado about nothing, likely from a writer for a conservative newspaper that WANTS this to be about anti-Kaepernick sentiments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-Squared Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 95% chance I buy an Apollos t-shirt regardless of whether I ever watch an AAF game. My TeePublic Shop My Instagram Art Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmedges Posted September 28, 2018 Share Posted September 28, 2018 For everybody that wants the San Diego team to be named the destroyers, I believe the fleet fits and sounds better than destroyers ever would. If we were going to relate it to the Navy the fleet represents all aspects of the "team" instead of just one class of ship. It takes positions on offense, defense and special teams together to be successful on the football field and likewise it takes all aspects of the Navy to be successful. The term fleet conjures up this notion of teamwork way more than just a single ship class does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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