Digby

It was modernized, but disastrously so. Not that that rationalizes everything that's happened since, but it does explain it. The three stadiums you've mentioned did modernization right. Somewhat shockingly competently in the Ricketts family's case.

I think the hyperlocal stuff is largely the product of Nike putting its full weight into the City Edition-ification of all that it can (even if the roots of that probably trace, before that, to soccer). New teams get to start there, so lucky them. That said, I'd also suggest that part of this is because we're going on a century in some cases of pro sports as an established cultural/economic force... and several decades of the merch-selling, in particular, being an enormous economic piece of the pie. So it's getting harder and harder to do something new. And that's not just the capitalist cynicism of attention being more valuable than quality. There's also the legal element, as evidenced by a Utah pro team nickname getting legally scuttled by a college team mascot on the other side of the country, which is insane. So there's a level of clever trendiness but there's also this piece of being forced to come up with something comically specific and difficult. I do some day-job work in the drinks industry, and the craft brewers have completely run out of reasonable names for beer. With that industry being so localized, I think it's insane that trademark disputes mean two individual beers (not even breweries) can't share a generic-ish name if their distribution areas are time zones apart. But, here we are, and now every new beer I see has a name like a Fiona Apple album title. Same gist.

I don't know that the Mardi Gras color scheme works in a hockey context, at least not this particular one. But the 90s scheme of purple with sky-blue trim seems like a versatile no-brainer regardless of which direction the name might go in.

Honestly I really dig the beehive/mountain combo design motifs that DetroitHockey has been using in coverage, and it's a sharp color scheme too. But I suppose a bees theme are too Blue Jackets (and opens the door to something corny like the Utah Buzz), the mountains and colors are too Avalanche, and the mountains are doubly beaten to the punch by Real Salt Lake's new jersey. (Honestly didn't even realize Utah changed their flag until all of this -- new one is pretty good!)

Much like what I might say at the top one of Snowbird's peak bowls, I'm not sure we want to go down that one.

Love the aesthetic of those posters, but I was even thinking something less travel poster (agree on the Jets though) and more outdoors-gear emblem. Relatedly, Utah's ski resorts are particularly well-represented among resorts with strong mid-to-late-century modernist designs. Best aesthetic for that industry, IMO.

I was hoping that's what we'd get for next season and beyond. At that point I could at least live with the weird stripes and white numbers.

I've always pushed for a retro ski vibe for one of the mountain-region MLS teams but it would work for hockey too. Maybe even better, as a winter sport. Especially at this current moment where REI-chic is still pretty on-trend. Maybe he got a focus group to tell him that the practice-jersey Jazz was simply too galaxy-brained to work.

Qualtrics guy is gonna use his own stupid product to make this happen. Cool cool.

I don't think it's worth expending braincells on the possibilities, this particular Cleveland Browns situation reeks of "sure grandpa let's get you to bed" more than anything with much actual chance of happening.

Lots of overlap with the northern transplants who moved so they could buy a McMansion and performatively proclaim how much they couldn't stand snow-shoveling a couple times per winter. They're not missed back home.

Revs were competing for Supporters Shield with a pretty similar roster at this time last year. This year they have 4 points from 8 games and lost in historic fashion in CCC. Is a Petrovic-level keeper even more valuable than we ever imagined? What is Caleb Porter doing on the training pitch that's making Bruce Arena, of all people, appear to be a tactical genius?

There's no way a competent branding process can't spin out an identity in a couple months, but the placeholder name schtick fulfills three needs of the design industry as it stands in 2024: 1. replacement of craft with as many stakeholder meetings as possible 2. cynical marketing scheme for the first year of Utah's existence -- drag out a whole extra year of drama and intrigue 3. supply chain issues are still real, but self-inflicted; the likes of Fanatics and Nike who've "optimized" so much that they backed themselves into a new version of total rigidity

Zion and Jimmy both sustaining significant injuries in the "play-in tournament" really rubs me the wrong way. The suits will cry, why can't we get our star players playing more often? Well, stop setting up traps that get them hurt in fake-important games to miss the games people actually care about.

Yeah but of all the owners in the Big Four, who's among the most likely to galaxy-brain the first AI logo, with totally annoying press materials to announce all of it?