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I expect that will happen. I should do a story in the league on the unique celebrations and sideline elements of different teams. You know the Dragons have some pyrotechnics happening, the Thunder have to pump in the thunderclap sound, and the showboats have steam-pumping whistles when they score. They just have to.

OK, I have looked at all the media I could find. This video on XFL Twitter seems the best to see the different uniform details. My comments (and I will try not to let my traditionalist rage get the best of me) are below. First off, I feel like the XFL went out of their way to offend anyone over 40 and cater to 15 year olds who love pro rasslin'. That is the only explanation I can devise for these looks. They check off so many boxes of my "most hated design features in contemporary football", including unitard looks, chrome helmets, socks with no stripes or even white in them, over the top helmet concepts, and bad color combos. But, to be fair, I am sure I can find something I like about each so here is the team by team analysis. 1. DC Defenders. GOOD: Simple color scheme. A bit of silver added to white and red. They found a way to add the flag to the stripes. I don't hate what they did with the numbers. BAD: The logo is a downgrade from 2020, and they don't use the secondary. The pant stripes are boring. UGLY : Unitard when white pants would work well with red jersey. Camo in white and silver is just not effective. A white face mask with that look also does not help. OVERALL: The best (least fubar) of a bad bunch. 2. Orlando Guardians GOOD: The jerseys are not highlighter green. The number font itself is fine, but... BAD: The helmet stripe serves no purpose. The number color is brutal. White with neon piping would be better. UGLY: The grey sleeves with those other 2 colors is just bad. The numbers will be really hard to see. Unitards again. OVERALL: Not vomit-inducing, but not a good uniform, especially with how they use neon green and grey over each other. 3. Arlingdallas Renegades. GOOD: Light blue jerseys stand out. BAD: The helmet stripe is a nightmare, way too wide. the Shoulder stripes look like overalls or like he is wearing a parachute. The lack of the secondary logo (which is far superior to the primary) is a missed opportunity. UGLY: Sky blue jersey and sky blue pants make a painful unitard. The number concept (thin red stripe in black numbers, can work, but the font is not great for this team. The pant stripe does not work with the diagonal sky blue line through it and I think I saw half side panels also. Way too much going on. OVERALL: Really bad set of bad ideas thrown together, but still not the worst in Texas, much less the league. 4. Houston Rough (to look at) necks. GOOD: The color combo is fine. Very Texas, but fine. no unitard look, which is a nice departure. And I actually don't mind the oil effect in the stripe, but not sure it works in the numbers. BAD: Hard to separate the bad from the ugly. The number font is fine. the blue side of the helmet is fine. UGLY: That helmet does not work as a 1-time alternate for an arena-league team in Texas, much less a full time look. Just amazingly bad and it also forces them (I guess) to go with another horrible trend, the number-on-one-side helmet. The shoulder yoke is brutal, especially with the cutouts for the league and brand logos. OVERALL: Just another mishmosh of bad 2000's trends all wrapped up in a "Yee Haw, we is from Texas" overkill of bad taste. 5. San Antonio Brahmas GOOD: I think they are at least not wearing black. It's dark grey, right? Hard to tell. BAD: Unitard, bad number font, piping that changes tones from bottom to top of the numbers. Shoulder stripes are generic. UGLY: Are they horns? is the guy's head being impaled by the horns because they come from the back of his head not the front? What happened to the "B" hidden in the horn logo? or are they lightning bolts, which have nothing to do with Brahma bulls? And is that really "cracked horn" pattern or a lightning pattern? OVERALL: This new high caffeine energy drink is gonna be dope. What? It's a football team? Really? 6. St. Louis Battle-I-swear-if-someone-says-frickin'-ka-kaw-this-is-over-Hawks. GOOD: They did not screw up the colors. The blue is distinctive. I like that they made the helmet a metallic silver. BAD: Boring pants, boring shoulder stripes, boring font. Why not silver pants? Why not? UGLY: The wings on the helmet feel way too low, like neck wings, not head wings. Yet another unitard, and one that has such an obvious solution. OVERALL: Meh with a side of "whatev". 7. Seattle (Redundant Sea) Dragons GOOD: The color scheme, a bit light on the green, but overall decent. Not a unitard. BAD: The shoulder and pant stripes are boring. Stripeless socks (all teams equally bad here) Ugly: the chrome helmet does not work for me. Not with this team identity at least. And what is with the fractile design stripe. What does that have to do with anything? The number font is not a good fit either. OVERALL: Salvageable with perhaps the fewest adjustments of any team. 8. Las Vegas Vipers GOOD: Stuck to a basic color scheme, no new weird colors. I may actually like that it appears that in the helmet divides, where the different pieces separate, it appears they edged the helmet in red, rather than all black. Adds a hint of color in an unusual but not obtrusive way. I like the concept of a snake skin pattern on the pant stripes, but not sure it shows up enough with black on black. BAD: The logo still sucks (again a Monster energy drink, not a sports logo), black on black on black on black unitard. UGLY: The number font stinks for this team. The name font is not great either. "Vipers" is ilegible red on black. The pant stripe is almost invisible at any distance because it is black on black, so the whole look is just ballet leotard. OVERALL: Major underwhelming and overdone with the black "ooh, we're las vegas, we're badass" vibe. My overall impression: This entire line was designed by, for, and to dude-bros who drink 6 "Full Throttle" drinks by 10am, want to know how much you bench, are trying to get into crypto, and go to the gym to look in the mirrors. Maybe there is an audience for that, after all our society is crumbling under an amazing presure of idiocracy and self-indulgence, so this might work for the XFL, but this quickly aging Gen-X guy is going to stick to more traditional looks and probably to the NFL, CFL and USFL for his football fix. I just don't need the energy this thing is putting off. And my apologies to the Washington Commanders. I was wrong. You could have designed a worse look. Who knew?

And here is your winner, the 2003 Boston Cannons football club. Drew Bledsoe, Tiki Barber, London Fletcher, and Coach John Fox bringing football to Beantown!!!

While the initial reveal of USFL Boston's identity will occur on the USFL Lives website, for the always amazing followers of Cris Creamer's Sportslogos.net, I present the three uniform designs. One of these will be taking the field in March of 2003 at Alumni Stadium on the campus of Boston College. But which one? Tune in to the USFL Lives website tomorrow to find out. Will it be the Cannons, with their explosive new look. Or the Colonials, with their revolutionary style? Or will the Commanders be sailing into Boston?

Well, everyone, we are down to the wire on our Boston USFL identity vote. I have just published the Week 13 recap, and I have already simulated Week 14's games, so all I have to do is write the recap for the week. So, the poll will remain open until 12-midnight (EDT) tomorrow night. At that time I will check the results, close the poll and prepare to reveal the new Boston USFL club's identity, and full uniforms in the Week 14 recap on Saturday morning. So, if you have not yet voted, now is your last chance. It is an amazingly tight 3-way vote right now and even a small number of votes cold alter the decision. I have committed to going with the poll results regardless of how close the vote is. I will only weigh in if we have a tie at the top, and that very well could happen. So, hit up the site if you have not voted yet, and then check back on the main site on Saturday to see what the result is. And, in the meantime, I decided at the 11th hour that I really did not like the idea that Reebok would design a whole new logo set for the relocated Knights but essentially keep the St. Louis uniforms intact. So, removing all the arch-themed elements, I designed a new version of Nashville's uniform, including a new "swordstrike notch" motif that you can see on the new helmet stripe as well as on both the pant and sleeve stripes. Nashville also becomes the only USFL team to have a single-color number set, with no outlines. Seems odd that I would not have done this before, though I do tend to like numbers with at least 1 outline, so not that surprising. Here is the just released Nashville Knights full design set. As always, click to go to the Imgur site, where it can be blown up for more detail.

While Texas debates whether to go with a new design for 2004, Houston will have their new look ready to roll. The Gamblers ditch the "early 2000's Bills" look with mismatched panels, yokes, and pant stripes, and go full on western. I have shown elements of this before, but here is the full look. Some notes: 1. The logo is unchanged (main logo) but there is a new wordmark with a more Wild West font. 2. Helmet remains the same, no stripes, very much like the 2022 USFL version. 3. Both jersey's feature the "Western wear" look of piping. Team logo on sleeves. 4. Pants also have a version in black and white, with a jaguar-esque red horizontal color block at the knees. It's a uniform that makes you want to say "Howdy, pardner". Click on it to get to the Imgur version where it can be blown up for more detail. More on Texas coming soon, plus the Breakers go through a serious modification of their main logo and helmet design.

So maybe a 1-day change like that weird Niners logo, where fan reaction is hugely against it so it changes back without ever seeing the field. Any other thoughts on this?

Checked the poll just now. 342 total votes (Wow!) and even stranger, all 3 names have exactly 114 votes for them. This is wild. And, just because this is a logo/design website, I want to provide something for you, so here, for your debate fodder, is the current (1988-2003) and proposed (2004) logo for the Texas Outlaws. Should they make the switch or should fans revolt and want the old "Outlaw Jim" back? LOGO 1988-2003 (Based on the CFL-USA's San Antonio Texans crossed with the colors of the San Antonio Gunslingers, and with an oddly-familiar blue star included). LOGO PROPOSED FOR 2004-? (Based on the short-lived Ottawa Renegades logo, but again with Gunslinger colors).

Yes, a ton of votes have come in between Friday and Today. We are now at 250 votes (I had no idea that many people even knew about the site) and Cannons holds a 108-97 lead over Colonials, with Commanders a distant third. Voting is likely to continue through this upcoming week, so it is not over yet.

Voting still open for the Boston USFL identity (already close to 100 votes. I am so grateful and in awe of the following this this has picked up.) I am also prepping the Reebok redesigns for 3 clubs in 2004: Texas Outlaws will be borrowing some style from north of the border. Houston Gamblers ditch the ugly 2000's Bills look for something so Texas it is practically made of brisket. New Orleans goes new wave, just not the Depeche Mode or Eurythmics type. But, for your viewing pleasure, before those releases are made, here are the next two Summer Bowl Logos, 2002 at Heinz Field, and 2003 in the Emerald City.

It is early, but Colonials is out to the lead. I expect the polls will be open for 9-12 days, based on how long it will take me to simulate and publish the stories for weeks 8-14. I should publish quite a bit this week as I am on vacation for the holidays and avoiding my in-laws (downstairs) by working on this as much as possible.

Hmmm. Not sure what I meant by that. I am working up the uni design for all three, so I think they all will be good.

The link should take you to the poll page, and there is a poll on the bottom where you should be able to to register your vote. Is it not showing up for you?

The poll is now live so I can reveal the three potential identities for Boston's new 2002 USFL squad. You can vote for your favorite here. Boston Colonials: Despite the potential lawsuit from the Patriots, this option remains the preference of the ownership group, and if the USFL can get a deal with the NFL to avoid a lawsuit, they want this to be an option. Based on a modified version of the UFL's Hartford Colonials, with the wings no longer forming an H but out to the sides. It is still designed to resemble a revolution-era medal worn by a military commander. The colors are metallic gold (brighter than Birmingham's, but not as saturated with yellow as Philadelphia's gold), navy blue, and a medium "gunmetal" grey. The helmet features a thin grey stripe bordered by thicker navy stripes and a 3-star pattern by the back bumper. This is the only one of the three designs to feature metallic gold v. athletic gold (yellow) and the only one without a navy helmet. Option 2 is based on a real logo used for a Boston club, the Boston Cannons of pro lacrosse. Colors changed, explosion pattern also changed. This design, like option 3, will be navy blue, gunmetal grey, and athletic gold. The helmet features a thick grey stripe that ends at the bumper with the blast pattern from the logo in gold and white. And finally Option 3, the Boston Commanders, a naval theme which ties in with the city's rich naval history (as Brian in Boston outlined). Based on the AAF's San Diego Fleet logo, this design features the chevron pattern of military insignia as a key motif. The helmet stripe is yellow with a white and grey chevron at the front bumper. The name was chosen for 2 reasons, first, I am not a big fan of singular names (Fleet, Rage, Express, etc.) and try to limit my use of them, and second, I have a BC monogram (visible in the article about the poll on the website, which I had hoped to use for any of the three, so all three needed names that started with "C". Besides, by using this name the USFL would preempt the NFL, possibly allowing us to avoid the disaster that is Washington's new branding. Still not 100% convinced of the font on this one. Might update it. So, head on over to the site to vote. The poll will stay up until I post the recap of Week 14, then the winner will be chosen from your votes (votes from all who do the poll, not just Creamer fans) and the new identity and uniform will be revealed at that time. (And, as with all the logos and uniforms in the league, do not expect it to remain static from 2003 all the way until 2022 or later-- I did the math, by the time I complete 2022 season it may be 2024 or 2025 in real life, so the league will go until it catches up with reality.)

Several really strong logos and concepts here, but not sure what the connection is to the USFL. Seems like a whole new league rather than a callback to the USFL. That said, the art itself is solid.

Maybe it is because I am a USFL purist who fell in love with the league when I was 16 in 1983, but while the new logo is adequate, I miss the old one, and I cannot help but think that this would be a better option for them.

OK, my last post here before I can provide the link to the poll where we will have all 3 Boston identity choices. It is your chance to guess where my head is going. Here is what I will give you as hints: 1. We know the first option is the Boston Colonials, based on the UFL Hartford Colonials logo. But, I have changed one of the three colors. What 3 colors would the Colonials be? 2. The second option is based on another Boston club from an entirely different sport. Colors are changed, but the logo will remain largely as it is in that other sport (with some required changes, of course.) Any guesses? 3. The third option will combine a logo from a failed football league that started after 2010 with a name used by 1 of the 4 major league sports for one of their clubs, but not a Boston club. Colors will be Navy, Athletic Gold, and gunmetal grey. Any guesses on what would combine a major league name with a logo from one of many failed outdoor football leagues we have seen. 3 Names, 3 identities pulled from "reality" and repurposed. Your votes will get to decide which club Boston becomes.

Thanks, color diversity and balance is something I actually pay attention to as I alter uniforms or add new teams. The original USFL did a great job of this, but as we add more teams it becomes tougher. If (and it is an "if" right now) this alternate USFL does expand to 28 teams, it will get tougher, though I notice that currently there are no orange helmets, so that could be a thing, only 1 red helmet (NJ), despite a lot of teams having red as a color. Right now we have: 4 Silver/Grey 3 Gold/Champagne (but notice all 3 tones are very different from each other) 3 Black 3 White 2 Blue (1 navy, 1 royal) 2 Green (1 forest, 1 kelly) 2 Purple 1 Red 1 Burgundy (Yes, that's a red, but it isn't "RED!!!") 1 Silver Sky (not really blue, not really silver) 1 Copper 1 Yellow That leave orange, brown, sky blue, teal and maybe a very dark grey like pewter or anthracite as realistic color options that are not in use.

Only days away from you all getting a vote on the new Boston franchise's logos and nickname. I will be adding a page to the website to have a poll but I will post the images here as well. Until then, here are the three patches the teams are wearing in 2002. A 9/11 commemoration patch, and two variants of the league's 20th Season patch, one for teams that were not 1983 teams (no team logo) and one for those that started in 1983 (team's original helmet in design).

Got to say as a USFL purist that I am not happy about the logo change and definitely not the color change. I get why they did it after everyone threw a hissyfit about the amount of red last year, but I was hoping to see an updated steamboat wheel logo and red and silver (or silver sky, hint hint) as the colors. If they wanted to diversify colors they should have moved the Bandits to Orlando instead, or add the Federals to have a green team. Just not loving the change, but I will still follow the USFL more than the XFL just out of nostalgia for Flutie, Kelly, Cribbs, and Rozier.

I saw that. I have a theory. I think they wanted a 2nd southern hub city along with Birmingham this year and Memphis offered them a better option than Tampa, Houston, or New Orleans could. While I am glad Memphis is getting a shot, I think Tampa Bay is a more iconic USFL team. Banditball and all. Ideally I would want to see both in the league, along with about 16 other cities, but I am not sure this USFL will get there. I just want 2 things: 1) for them to get to all 8 stadiums ASAP, and 2) to add a Western Division so I can go to Gold games in Denver. BTW, for those of you following my Alt History, there is going to be news relatively quickly about one team, and that will lead directly to a poll where you (Cris Creamer followers and followers of my alt history page) will get to vote on a team identity.

The Rams are in St. Louis, so they won't be without football, just spring football. One of the reasons the Knights left was the issues with the Dome, where they were treated like 2nd hand citizens even though they got there first. Bigger issues (ownership scandal) but that was also a reason.

These are awesome. LIfelong Rovers fan. Go Mars!!!

OK, just about to publish the article where the move from St. Louis to Nashville becomes official. So you all get a bit of a preview. Initially, and for most of the 2002 season, the uniforms are unchanged, and the helmet is reduced to the basics as the club awaits new branding and does not want to use the logo with the Arch in it. So, this is the 2002 look: Just a wordmark and a helmet with player number. But, at some point in the 2002 season the club will unveil their new look, and, with permission of the league, they will wear this if they qualify for the 2002 playoffs. The uniforms remain basically as they were (based on LA Xtreme of XFL), but with the new sword (Titans-based) logo, and alternate logos including an "N-with-sword" and the state flag motif. Not sure how long the Knights will keep this motif. Also not sure how long St. Louis will go without a USFL club, or whether we will see more teams move as sales are pending on several clubs. I guess you would need to tune in to find out. See it all play out at https://apsbertsche.wixsite.com/mysite

I really like this update. Any chance you would be OK if I used this concept for my USFL Seattle Dragons (alt history project)?