Old Uniforms That Are Better Than Their Modern Counterparts

[29texan]

I think people like older versions for the nostalgic reasons, period.

Nope. I tend to like older looks, and I was a 90s kid. I have no reason to be nostalgic for a lot of the older looks I prefer. I like them because they're simply superior designs.

I'm sorry, I can't agree with that. (And if you're a 90s kid, you're in your 20s. This is when nostalgia starts kicking in)

Not every older uniform is "superior" and some aren't even remotely decent.

The 1960 Broncos uniforms are a perfect example.

[tron1013]

Agreed with the previous three posts, but I like this...

WAYYY more than this...

Worst. Uniforms. Ever.

IMO,the Rainbow Astros were better than the others later.

The "Family" era of the Pirates were the best unis in baseball. Ever.

Not to defend the new Tampa jerseys but isn't the image above a Photoshop? I have seen the home red jersey and a road white jersey but the orange top isn't available on the team store.

[wonderbread]

Yes its a photoshop

[Midway]

I think people like older versions for the nostalgic reasons, period.

Nope. I tend to like older looks, and I was a 90s kid. I have no reason to be nostalgic for a lot of the older looks I prefer. I like them because they're simply superior designs.

I'm sorry, I can't agree with that. (And if you're a 90s kid, you're in your 20s. This is when nostalgia starts kicking in)

Not every older uniform is "superior" and some aren't even remotely decent.

The 1960 Broncos uniforms are a perfect example.

I share Cap's sentiments. I'm 22 so it wasn't like I was around or aware of all the old school looks during their prime. Looking back on the history of uniform design, I find it easy to say that for the most part, past uniforms looked much more cohesive and reflective of the team's identity better than today's mix of gaudy and fill in the blank templates. Each era has its bright spots of course, but the older uniforms had a better sense of iconicism that when you look at the documented film and photography, you almost always knew exactly who was playing who.

[IceCap]

I think people like older versions for the nostalgic reasons, period.

Nope. I tend to like older looks, and I was a 90s kid. I have no reason to be nostalgic for a lot of the older looks I prefer. I like them because they're simply superior designs.

I'm sorry, I can't agree with that. (And if you're a 90s kid, you're in your 20s. This is when nostalgia starts kicking in)

Exactly. Only I grew up during the 1990s. The decade of large logo'd basketball jerseys, gradient hockey sweaters, and a trend towards making everything either black, navy, purple, or teal. If I were going to be nostalgic about anything it would be for these sorts of uniforms. Generally though? I don't like them. I prefer older looks from the 60s through the 80s. I never grew up with those looks, so it's not like I prefer older styles because of nostalgia. I prefer them because I think they're better designed.

Not every older uniform is "superior" and some aren't even remotely decent.

I don't believe I ever said they were instantly superior. Just that, by and large, I prefer older looks.

The 1960 Broncos uniforms are a perfect example.

The 1960 Broncos uniforms were terrible. The orange crush look though? Blows the current look out of the water.

[29texan]

I think people like older versions for the nostalgic reasons, period.

Nope. I tend to like older looks, and I was a 90s kid. I have no reason to be nostalgic for a lot of the older looks I prefer. I like them because they're simply superior designs.

I'm sorry, I can't agree with that. (And if you're a 90s kid, you're in your 20s. This is when nostalgia starts kicking in)

Exactly. Only I grew up during the 1990s. The decade of large logo'd basketball jerseys, gradient hockey sweaters, and a trend towards making everything either black, navy, purple, or teal. If I were going to be nostalgic about anything it would be for these sorts of uniforms. Generally though? I don't like them. I prefer older looks from the 60s through the 80s. I never grew up with those looks, so it's not like I prefer older styles because of nostalgia. I prefer them because I think they're better designed.

Not every older uniform is "superior" and some aren't even remotely decent.

I don't believe I ever said they were instantly superior. Just that, by and large, I prefer older looks.

The 1960 Broncos uniforms are a perfect example.

The 1960 Broncos uniforms were terrible. The orange crush look though? Blows the current look out of the water.

Well for one, you DID say they were "simply superior".

I don't see how the Orange Crush uniforms are THAT much better than the current ones. The blue tops are better than the orange ones, but they work and have become somewhat of an instant classic.

Not perfect but not much worse than the ones from the 80s.

[IceCap]

Well for one, you DID say they were "simply superior".

In my opinion many (not all) of the older looks are simply superior.

I don't see how the Orange Crush uniforms are THAT much better than the current ones. The blue tops are better than the orange ones, but they work and have become somewhat of an instant classic.

Not perfect but not much worse than the ones from the 80s.

Well now you're just trying to argue personal preference. I doubt you'll convince me and I doubt I'll convince you. You can't hold up your personal preference as "fact." Here's my reasoning, however.

I had to pick a current jersey for the Broncos, I'd go with orange over blue. The Chargers were always the blue team in the AFC West (save for that stint when Seattle joined the party) and the Broncos were the orange team. The Broncos going with primarily blue jerseys struck me as them moving in on the Chargers' territory. It wasn't made any better by the fact that the Broncos' new look saw them adopt a shade of blue extremely close, if not identical to, the shade of blue the Chargers were using at the time.

As for the new look? I just don't like it. For one, I think the logo's a downgrade. The old D/bronco logo could have stood to get a facelift, but it worked. It was sort of like the New Jersey Devils' logo or the Buffalo Sabres' logo. The visuals themselves just spell out the name. A bronco in a D? Denver Broncos. Classic. The current logo looks like a ghost cyber horse. It looks like it came from the era where designers were trying their hardest to make every logo "extreme" or "aggressive." It was a product of the late 90s and it shows.

The uniform itself is centred around the side panels continuing into the pants striping. It's a design that works well on the drawing board. Less so when you actually put people into them and jerseys and pants shift around, breaking the continuing pattern. It was also the first uniform to kick off the current trend of craziness.

Not to mention that the template became so popular that nearly every high school and mid major adopted it at some point. The Broncos had it first, yes. And they couldn't stop other teams from adopting it. I get that. Still? The end result was that the Broncos ended up looking like a high school or mid major team. The look ceased to look like it belonged in the NFL, even if that was where it was introduced.

The orange crush look though? They were a perfect case of not over-thinking their problem. It's a simple template, but what made it work was the colour scheme. The Bears were the only other team that used blue and orange, but their blue was darker, and they used it as the primary. The Broncos' emphasis on orange with royal blue trim made that simple football template stand out as a unique and sharp look. They didn't need mismatching side panels and ghost cyber horse logo for people to recognize them. They just needed a simple but solid striping pattern and a good looking and unique colour scheme.

The only thing I really like about the current look is the number font. Take the orange crush uniforms, use that number font, and update the logo slightly? Broncos uniform perfection.

[JackieMoon]

I miss the old Orange Crush Unis. When the Broncos went to the darker blue, they took on the look of the Bears. Yes, they won two Super Bowls in the navy, and lost four in the orange (5th in modern orange). I don't like the current orange on their homes. It's too "peachy" looking. A lot of teams need to quit trying to look cool and stick with what worked.

Just feel the NFL is abandoning it's roots completely. Trying to contend with the college look. I only dread what will become of the Browns. Not a fan of the team, but they have a solid, classic set that does not need any tweaking. Yes they have no logo on their helmet. But, that makes them who they are. Just like the Steelers only having a logo on one side. It makes them who they are.

Hoping the Eagles go back to kelly green. That was a great look.

[BigGameBob]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this:

[48erhater]

1. New York Knicks 1992-1997 Uniform vs. The modernized current version

Wordmark, Sleeve Piping, Waistband & Shorts Side Panels are completely changed for the far worse modernization of a great set. Modernizing a set can hurt the total image of team if done incorrectly like these new sets... lets not even mention that horrible Alternate.

2. Miami Dolphins 1997-2012 Logo vs. T.D.'s Modernization #5

Honestly the new logo is a well rendered logo, but its just not what you would have expected... I personally don't like it and don't really accept what Nike has done to the entire NFL... Also Nike's Uniform designs have not been up to par since their inception.

3. Utah Jazz 2004-2010 color scheme vs Current color scheme

The Jazz have been on a Identity crisis for several decades as they try to fit their Nickname with the state of Utah. Inconveniently back in 1979 the Jazz relocated from New Orleans, the franchise continue to use the name which was heavily associated with NOLA background. With no association to the genre of Jazz Utah try to insert a mountain/snow vibe into their logo's and uniforms. Ofcourse the famous late 90's uniforms set the tone on what a team from Utah should look like as they continued on and presented the 2004 update. This color scheme in particular to me is far more superior then their current "Let's pay homage to our NOLA past but give the Mardi Gras color scheme a little Utah feel to it, buy using Navy instead of Purple." To me its gives you that mountain chill, that "We are from up north in the Rockies" feel... but that's just me

The worst part of the new logo is the yellow sky with the green mountains. The past two had purple mountains with blue sky which look so much better. Yellow skies make me think pollution. It is a problem in the Salt Lake Valley so maybe that's what they were going for now.

[BBM]

The Buffalo Sabres have been through a tumultuous 15 years, and they are finally on the right track, but they're not quite there yet. The royal blue and gold is a far sharper look than the navy / white piping / gold.

[Silver_Star]

Agreed with the previous three posts, but I like this...

WAYYY more than this...

The old creamsicles are better than that old ginger fart's creations. Glazer family ginger morons!

[Silver_Star]

This...

...better than this...

Time to rid of this garbage and go back to the other style.

I prefer the 1981-1996 one. Because that version didn't need a tiger on the sleeves to show that they were named after a tiger.

[hawk36]

The best uniform set the Cincinnati Reds have ever had. No black, not a pullover/sansabelt pants set, and no faux-western lettering/number font. Just clean and simple (a Mr. Red patch and some piping could look good with these uniforms, but it's not essential).

This set is so perfect. Amazing. late 60s were a heyday for MLB uniforms. Gold era.

[TheRicSlick]

Agreed with the previous three posts, but I like this...

WAYYY more than this...

The old creamsicles are better than that old ginger fart's creations. Glazer family ginger morons!

The Red/Pewter combo is way better than the creamsicles in every category, including winning and looks.

And if winning a SB makes you a moron, I don't know what that makes you.

[Jungle Jim]

I miss the old Orange Crush Unis. When the Broncos went to the darker blue, they took on the look of the Bears. Yes, they won two Super Bowls in the navy, and lost four in the orange (5th in modern orange). I don't like the current orange on their homes. It's too "peachy" looking. A lot of teams need to quit trying to look cool and stick with what worked.

Just feel the NFL is abandoning it's roots completely. Trying to contend with the college look. I only dread what will become of the Browns. Not a fan of the team, but they have a solid, classic set that does not need any tweaking. Yes they have no logo on their helmet. But, that makes them who they are. Just like the Steelers only having a logo on one side. It makes them who they are.

Hoping the Eagles go back to kelly green. That was a great look.

I am hopeful that the NFL will go the way of MLB with uniforms. What I mean by that is, MLB suffered through several years of gaudiness in the 70s and 80s and then the awful BFBS era of the recent past. But now teams are returning to traditional looks and brighter colors. I'd like to banish all the softball jerseys being used in games, but at least the home whites and road grays look nice for most teams.

[mad43dog]

I miss the old Orange Crush Unis. When the Broncos went to the darker blue, they took on the look of the Bears. Yes, they won two Super Bowls in the navy, and lost four in the orange (5th in modern orange). I don't like the current orange on their homes. It's too "peachy" looking. A lot of teams need to quit trying to look cool and stick with what worked.

Just feel the NFL is abandoning it's roots completely. Trying to contend with the college look. I only dread what will become of the Browns. Not a fan of the team, but they have a solid, classic set that does not need any tweaking. Yes they have no logo on their helmet. But, that makes them who they are. Just like the Steelers only having a logo on one side. It makes them who they are.

Hoping the Eagles go back to kelly green. That was a great look.

I am hopeful that the NFL will go the way of MLB with uniforms. What I mean by that is, MLB suffered through several years of gaudiness in the 70s and 80s and then the awful BFBS era of the recent past. But now teams are returning to traditional looks and brighter colors. I'd like to banish all the softball jerseys being used in games, but at least the home whites and road grays look nice for most teams.

I agree with you but if thats the case im afraid we have at least another decade of this crap

[Buster]

Old better than new here:

[wonderbread]

The new ref unis are a lot better, the thicker stripes and hennley sleeves look so much better.

[mad43dog]

Old better than new here:

I think the jeff cap look tops both.