gosioux76

I don't know man, I'm not a fan of the dazzle fabric either, but I'm not in a hurry for anybody to explain why they might be. Some people like them, others don't. I'm not sure why that would prompt you to call the so-called "shiny pants complainers" ignorant.

I'd like him better if he changed his name to Joey Hotdogs.

As someone who's never quite understood the appeal of NASCAR, I found this to be really insightful. It seems pretty clear the Chicago road race was a fail for NASCAR, but I believe posts like this help explain why they're pushing to expand the appeal. As much as some of you might want NASCAR to stick to what it's good at, what was once America's fastest-growing sport feels like it's regressing. Recognizing that, it makes sense to try to latch onto to some of the appeal of F1 — which, with Netflix's help, has succeeded in attracting non-motorsports fans like myself onto racing. You can criticize the results, but I can 't really blame NASCAR for trying. I've never had interest in a NASCAR race, but this Chicago race -- as gimmicky as it may be -- at least caught my attention, now that I'm fully indoctrinated into the F1 universe. I'm sure NASCAR was hoping they could catch more audience in F1's slipstream.

I agree with this. This debate isn't as much about the marathon as it is about the City Connect program in general. The Boston City Connect uniform probably adheres to the spirit of the program better than any others in the set. I can absolutely see the value of wearing that uniform for games played on the day of the race. It's a nice bow on top of the city's celebration of the event. But that's it. I don't want to see it all season long. Make it a one-day thing.

What would the motivation be in USL taking on MLS directly? It used to be that such moves were designed to force the established leagues to expand via merger, a la the AFL, ABA and WHL models. But I can't imagine that as a logical outcome in the case of MLS, which is in perpetual expansion mode. Simply merging and adding USL franchises to the league would mean leaving billions on the table.

I think it looks good. I just don't think it looks like a Red Sox uniform.

A bit of a tangent here, but it will never cease to amaze me that the Kansas City-Omaha Kings were once a thing. One NBA team shared by two cities 180 miles apart.

Someday they'll find a cure for this disease.

This makes sense for the purposes of brand preservation, but if I'm a billionaire who just bought a team, I'm going to name it whatever the hell I'd want to name it, and I don't think the league would stand in the way of a reasonable alternative.

It's pretty bad.

I worked in downtown Portland but lived in Aloha, kind of at the midway point between Nike HQ and Intel's Hillsboro campus.

Jan 5, 2022, Bloomberg Law: Washington NFL Team Punts on RedWolves Citing Trademark Issues It doesn't say anything specific about Arkansas State, but quotes an IP lawyer working with the team as saying trademark issues kept them from considering any Wolves name.

Man, as a longtime (former) Oregon resident, you've just absolutely nailed this whole project. Stunning work.

My eye goes to the negative space between the helmet and hammers, which makes sort of a pentagon shape. I'd love it if it somehow could be adjusted into a keystone shape. Not sure it's possible, but it would be cool.

I was lukewarm on it to start, too, but now I love it. In fact, I'm wearing that hat right now as I type. I live in the St. Louis region, but from Minnesota, and made it back home last weekend to see a game at Target Field. They've really pushed that mark everywhere, including on stadium seats and on the plastic helmets used as a nacho delivery system. (I bought those, too. ) I've come to love everything about the new look.

I'm not sure it's all that unusual. I'm no expert, but it seems like trademark applications can take a long time to process, and in most cases it's either a formality or creates obstacles that can easily be overcome, which seems to be the case here. If you continue following that tweet thread, the author says these trademark rejections aren't likely to become major obstacles for the team.

This is such an interesting discussion, because I can't disagree with anything in @FinsUp1214's post, but at the same time find the Texans look to be completely forgettable. Looking back, it was unveiled in an era of relative design restraint, right before Reebok got high on piping and side panels. I think about the Eagles and Patriots redesigns at the tail end of the '90s as being in a similar class: lacking in gimmick, simple in execution, not flashy, but following much of the traits of traditional football uniforms with small touches of panache. The big difference is that the Eagles and Patriots actually won things in their boring uniforms. Save for the heroics of JJ Watt, there's almost nothing memorable about the 20-year history of the Texans other than the fact that they have nice, but boring uniforms. Is that a case for changing it up? I'd argue that it can't hurt. We've seen teams change their look for worse reasons.

I can't look at that fabric without thinking of the upholstery of my grandmother's couch from the '60s or the trim on the wrist of Captain Kirk's Star Trek uniform. It's awful. I can't imagine wanting to transfer this to another sport, let alone use it at all.

But wouldn't the risk be a lot higher for the NHL than it is for the NBA and MLS? By the late '80s, the NBA had reached near-universal popularity in the U.S. and globally by the next decade. The MLS, meanwhile, was a niche, much like the NBA in the '70s, that benefitted from operating within only-game-in-town markets. The NHL, though, isn't as universally popular as the NBA. It's also not a star-driven league like the NBA, which can generate enough revenue through TV and licensing deals, plus through global markets, regardless of the size of their markets. In the NBA, the high-profile of Dame Lillard in Portland or Ja Morant in Memphis is far more powerful, value-wise, than the relative small size of the cities they play in. You can't say the same about Connor McDavid and Edmonton.

All of this is correct. But if it comes to choosing between a tiny market they know will work or a riskier large market with huge growth potential, they'll take their chances on the large market. Winnipeg, at the time, was the only alternative for Atlanta. If Houston's in play for the Coyotes, I don't see the league passing it up.. I hope I'm wrong. I'd much rather see QC in the league.

That may be true, but it's still a small part of a franchise's overall valuation, and the valuation of the league in its entirety. Consider Winnipeg: Forbes ranks it as the league's 27th most valuable franchise at $650M, but the biggest share of that — 40% — is based on revenue it collects from league-wide revenue sharing. Stadium-generated revenue, including gate receipts, totals less than 20% of the franchise's value. Another piece of the pie is market size. Nearly half of franchise value for the Rangers, the most-valuable franchise, is derived from its market size compared with just 30% for Winnipeg. So if you're the NHL Board of Governors, and things like valuations matter to you, market size is likely a driving factor behind where they choose to expand or relocate a franchise. To be fair, any market — whether it be QC or otherwise — would be an improvement over the Coyotes, which Forbes ranked dead last in valuation and drives more than half of its meager value from revenue sharing. Its market size didn't help boost its value at all, though I'd guess that probably has something to do with its previous suburban location.

But attendance (i.e. ticket revenue) and local interest aren't a big part of the equation when evaluating the big money drivers of pro sports, which is the size of the potential TV audience and franchise valuations. I'm not going to pretend to have the number on this, but it seems logical to me that the league's value with a failing team in a top 10 market like Phoenix (or Atlanta or Houston) is higher when it comes to pursuing TV revenue than a league that has a super-successful team in a tiny market like QC.

I once saw Robin Lopez wearing a Minnesota Wild jersey while shopping at a Target store in downtown Portland, Oregon.

I know nobody likes to hear the realities of sports economics, but @Sodboy13 makes some really good points here. The NHL's return to Winnipeg may have been successful, but I can't imagine franchise owners and broadcast partners being enthusiastic about what adding a second small, but plucky Canadian market to the league will do it their valuations and revenue potential. I think there's no doubt that QC is the market that deserves a team. But professional sports leagues aren't known to be charitable when it comes to profit potential.