WideRight

OK, a quick Baltimore update and then a crowdsourcing question.  

Here is the updated logo w/wordmark, dealing with the uppercase/lowercase issues.  I think this is a good transitional look to allow for the B to remain as the main logo but also pay tribute to a logo they have had for 18 seasons. 

And here is the complete look.  The trend towards stripeless pants is taking hold in the USFL.   In this case, all striping is removed from the helmet as well, and the sleeve/shoulder treatments are very basic, a single sash (similar to Houston NFL) and grey/silver sleeves. 

1 hour ago, raysox said:

Quick little update to the Cardinals concept. I ended up fixing the collar striping to match the cuffs, and I noticed an inconsistency with the white pants striping. Also added decals to the helmet, something I noticed was missing when I did.....

 

The Commanders are weird. I love their helmet but think the rest of the uniform leaves a lot to be desired. I understand they want to distance themselves from the old brand, but I think they could do that with the color combination they were using. I don't think this is ground breaking but using the DC flag stripe could have been such a small win on the side panels. 

The color rush uniform may be my favorite, weirdly enough. Them having a black alternate stinks. I was thinking yellow like Minnesota uses, or maybe a grey. But the grey I started with felt flat and clashed with the colors. I was struggling to fix it, and decided to go with a more sandy-grey to lean into the warmer colors the Commies use.

 

Love the main two sets, though  I think a white set of pants would also be cool.  Not sure about the alt greys, seems unnecesary, but I am a guy who finds it annoying for teams to have uniforms that do not use team colors (The Oregon Effect, though it is fine for soccer since that is the historical tendency).  The shoulder treatment is great, though I might recommend that the white jersey have white sleevecaps, because that extra maroon stripe seems unneeded. 

12 minutes ago, neo_prankster said:

@WideRight

Did the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks logo ever get used in this universe? I wonder if that or the plane from the AAF Memphis Express logo could be used by the New York Jets in this universe.

The Skyhawks logo was not used (not one I particularly care for).  So far in name or logo use, the following WLAF/NFL Europe Teams have made an appearance:

Portland Thunder:  have used the name and logos of both the Orlando and Berlin Thunder.

NY/NJ Knights:  Name and logo was used by the St. Louis Knights

Montreal Machine:  Name and logo have been used by the Chicago Machine

Birminghman Fire: Name and logo used by the Atlanta Fire

Barcelona Dragons:  Name and colors used by the Seattle Dragons

So far that is it, but more may come, though we are now more in the realm of the XFL as far as time period.  So fa very little from the XFL has made it into the league.  Other influences you can see in the league are:

LA Express:  Use LA Avengers logo from Arenaball

Michigan Panthers: Houston Cougars (NCAA) logo used.

Texas Outlaws: Logo (modified) of CFL-USA San Antonio Texans used.

Birmingham Stallions: Unused NFL Bronco logo used.

And, of course, some modernizations have been based on the 2022 revival of the USFL (and that may continue as we get into the 2000's. 

Gosioux76, 

Do you mean more similar to the actual (IRL) blitz logo?  I was trying to get away from that logo since it has not been changed since 1983 and I wanted something different, but I see your point.  The z by itself might be a bit weird, but I will try out a few looks. 

Baltimore update. 

I have tried various options, including the Birmingham Bolts logo, and while I like the B in the Bolts logo, the rest just does not work.  Without changing the Blitz's color scheme the helmet just looks like a Union Jack.  I have tried out about 50 different B logos, and I think this one is the one that will  stick, at least for a while.  I like the simplicity of it.  

So, quite possibly, here is what Baltimore will wear in 2003.  They may revert to a retro "Blitz" text logo later on, but I at least wanted them to try something new for a while. 

And the helmet, all striping gone. 

And yes, that is an element of the LA Chargers new font in the "Baltimore" wordmark.  I also darkened both the red and the blue, because this is the early 2000's and darkening colors was all the rage. 

On 9/6/2022 at 9:09 PM, Kooky01 said:

Is it the Blitz?

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner.   The Blitz got a new secondary logo and their striping is different but they still use the original logo from the Chicago Blitz.  Why?  Because despite many efforts I have not been able to develop something different that I actually like.   

This weekend I will see if I can post a sheet with all 24 logos (2002 Season) on it. 

57 minutes ago, ralphz said:

Houston? 

Wranglers just got updated this past year, so they are no longer using the original logo.   Houston is a 1984 expansion club, so while they do use the same logo as in 1984, they are not one of the original 12. 

On 9/2/2022 at 6:37 PM, Kooky01 said:

Uh, i noticed a pattern that the four divisions host on a roational basis and Jacksonville 2007 appears to disrupt that since a West team hosted in 03 and shouldn't a West team host in 07 and Jacksonville in 08? Sick summer bowl logo BTW.

The Bulls get moved up in the rotation as part of a deal to get them a new stadium, otherwise it will remain a divisional rotation. 

2002 will mark the 20th season of my USFL Alt History.  Of the 12 original franchises only 1 retains the same exact color scheme and helmet logo from the original 1983 designs.  There are more teams with unchanged colors/helmets once we get into the 1984, 1987, and 1995 expansions, but from the original 12 clubs only 1 remains largely unchanged. 

Can you name it?  

(Hint, it is a trick question.  Their entire look is not identical, but the colors and helmet logo are the originals.)

Hi all, the USFL in 2000, leading up to the 2000 Summer Bowl, has released the logo for the 2001 Summer Bowl in Chicago.  As with many of the designs I am working on, this is a repurposed logo,  a modification of the standard logo for the Sears/Willis Tower, with added text and a sun (for summer, of course) in team colors (Maroon/Sky).   As with several other logos, the emphasis is on the city and not football itself.  The 2000 logo was very football heavy (goalpost, footballs as zeroes in 2000), but 2001 is more about Chicago than the sport.  It tends to alternate between a very location-heavy and very football-heavy logo.  I can also tell you that the Summer Bowls upcoming will be in  Pittsburgh (2002), Seattle (2003), Orlando (2004), Houston (2005), Philadelphia (2006) and Jacksonville (2007).

15 minutes ago, Kooky01 said:

Surprised Denver did nothing to commerate Columbine like the other Denver teams but maybe that got butterflied too. 

 

 

Yeah, I am not tracking every possible issue or event that could lead a team to do a patch, but 9/11 seems too big to ignore.  

BTW, there is one missing piece to these 2002 uniforms.  I am designing a 9/11 commemorative patch that all USFL clubs will wear (patch on jersey, perhaps sticker on helmet too) in 2002.  New Jersey, Washington and Pittsburgh may take it a step further, we shall see.  I thought about altering history and not having 9/11 happen, maybe having Gore win the 2000 election, but decided I should stick to one big historical change (no move to fall for USFL) and not mess with the rest.  

And the last of the 3, the new look for the Atlanta Fire, still trying to get a foothold on the sports market in Atlanta (and still waiting for a winning season).  Will a new look in 2002 help them along?  (Or will they improve in 2001 and kick off a new look with a winning club in 2002?)

The new flame design adorns the helmet, and the new A logo is on the pants and the sleeves.  The basic jersey design is not changed, though the collars now contain an ombre effect shifting from gold to red or white to gold.  The numbers do the same, with gold at the top of both sets.  No pant stripes (We will see how long this lasts) but three pant sets, with the orange being the least used to be sure.  

4 hours ago, ManillaToad said:

 

How far are you taking the alt history? Present day?

 

 

This rules. I love that Philly's kept the same logo, it's a classic

The goal is to go until I catch up with real life, so yes, 2023 perhaps?  Not sure what happens after that, maybe I start over with a different premise.  I still have 22 seasons to go, with 18 in the books.  

Ok, here we go again, the second of 3 new looks for 2002.   Here are the Philadelphia Stars.  It is hard to portray using the template and colors I have available, but the gold for Philly remains a very saturated metallic gold, not the yellow used in the actual 2022 USFL Stars.  So, metallic gold pants and helmet to go with the red jersey.  Philly is the first of our clubs to go with a stripeless pant set, but only in gold, not white.   You can also see (particularly if you zoom) that the orange is used very sparingly in the sleeve stripes and as part of the logo.  We will see if it becomes more visible in later iterations of their uniform. 

17 hours ago, neo_prankster said:

Whichever direction you choose for the Buccaneers, I would try to find a way to keep the pirate ship on the sleeves.

 

Also, the Bandits and Bucs will both share Raymond James Stadium, right? Or does one of them share Tropicana Field with the Rays?

Yes, the Bandits and Bucs, like many USFL/NFL clubs in the same city, work together to finance a new stadium and then share that stadium.  This is a good arrangement for both clubs as it differs some costs, and a better deal for the city since they get twice the number of games in the stadium each year.  Sharing a stadium with an MLB or MLS team is much more problematic due to scheduling, and the USFL teams with the biggest stadium issues tend to be those who are the only tenant (Portland, Memphis, Birmingham, Jacksonville, etc.) because it is hard to convince the city to spend $$$ on renovations much less a new stadium. 

Thinking about the Buccaneers redesign.  I do believe that they would still abandon Bucco Bruce around 2000, but the presence of the Bandits as a major rival for sports attention means that there is no way the Bucs go with pewter, red and black as their dominant colors.  

So, what to do?

Well, if you look at some of the design ideas pitched for the change, you can find the answer.  They move to the flag logo (or a version of it) but they do not abandon the creamsicle look in its entirety.  

I may make a design just to show this off, but I am going to work from the premise that the Buccaneers chose the design in the upper right of this image as their new look, never adding pewter and not adding quite so much black as they did IRL.  

1 hour ago, neo_prankster said:

Nice job with the Bandits. Although, I wonder if they might be a farm affiliate for the Bucs because of the color similarities.

 

Also, on that new Atlanta Fire logo, I think that will look great if you do an NHL series with the Flames staying in ATL.

 

One more thing, where do the Fire play their home games? Turner Field, Bobby Dodd Stadium or the Georgia Dome? Did Ted Turner or TimeWarner own the Fire at one point?

 

How about the Stars? Do they play at Franklin Field? I wonder if there would be too many scheduling conflicts with the Phillies if the Stars want to share Lincoln Financial Field with the Eagles.

Yes, the Bandits were red with silver long before the Bucs ditched the creamsicle look.  Maybe they don't in this world because they would be accused of trying to look like the Bandits.  

The Fire play at Bobby Dodd, and they are owned by a newspaper magnate from Athens whose name eludes me.  

The Stars currently play at Veterans Stadium (The constrction of Lincoln is ongoing) but scheduling won't be any worse than it is for other teams that have shared multiuse stadiums in the past, like Veteran's Stadium, the Astrodome, or Oakland's stadium.  Besides, it is only for a couple of years until the Phillies get their new ballpark.  The Stars will play 1 season at Franklin Field during the final stages of construction since the Vet will be razed.  

Ready to post 2002 USFL Uniform updates.  We have 3 on tap.  None are radical departures from IRL, but some modifications based on early 2000's style.  Despite my better judgement, after watching some college football this weekend I realized I cannot ignore the trend against pant stripes.  While I find it quite boring and in most cases leads to bad unitard looks, it is a real trend in football design, so 2 of the 3 clubs in 2002 will jump on that bandwagon (in whole or in part).  We will see how long that lasts. 

But, we start with a club that went in another direction.  Gone are the thin "Bronco" style tapered stripes, and in there place are side panels and thicker stripes on all aspects of the uniform. 

So, two thick black stripes with a thin red stripe in the middle is the dominant feature of the new Bandits look.  They retain a side panel from their previous uniform, but without the "swoops".  Instead it is more black.  Reebok symbols are on the sleeve cuffs, with the league's U symbol on the left chest.   A pretty standard look for TBY, but with a very 2000's emphasis on side panels. 

Philly, then Atlanta coming up. 

It was by team, with Russell Athletic and Champion each with teams in their camp through 1993. 

From 1993-1999 it was a leaguewide contract with Nike (Phil Knight was a league owner in Portland)

Starting in 2000 the contract has moved to Reebok. 

it will shift again, perhaps 2 times, before we finish the league. 

And the Atlanta Fire, a franchise in need of some new life.  They take a bit of inspiration from the Atlanta Flames NHL club, creating a new fiery A logo.  The flames will feature heavily on the helmet (as they always have) but the new monogram logo will also appear on the uniforms and in most media formats, replacing the older 1995 Olympic torch.  Will this new look inspire a change to one of the league's perennial also-rans?

Working on the 2002 Reebok updates.  Starting off with two modified logos. 

1. Philadelphia Stars

• Decided to go halfway between the original logo (with wordmark) and the logo of this year's new USFL, adding the orange as an intermediary color and simplifying the fading star effect.  Still a bit of an issue of the logo fading too much on the helmet, but will maintain a metallic gold helmet.  Here is the new version of the Stars logo. 

2. Tampa Bay Bandits

• A tweak that includes a new script wordmark and a more detailed rider & horse logo.  The inspiration to add silver highlights to the horse comes from Brandon Williams's design for the A11FL Bandits, but I wanted to keep the original form of the horse & rider (not adjusting the legs) and I did not add the red to the horse's mane or legs as BW did.   So, again, somewhere between the original and a very good concept from the 2010's. 

The final new logo for 2002 will be the Atlanta Fire.  Still a couple of touch ups to do on it, but I should be ready to post it soon.  The Olympic reference of the torch will be gone and a new, more modern (non-WLAF) flame will be at the center of the logo, one that pays a bit of homage to the Atlanta Flames NHL team while still being very much along the lines of the WLAF and now USFL Fire.  Coming soon, along with 2002 uniforms. 

This is a really solid concept.  Love the sleeve treatment.  Wondering if it would be possible to have some element of the mountain shape incorporated into the helmet or pant stripe.  Not sure.  You would not want to go too far with it, but maybe something like the chevron that Wisconsin added to their plain helmet and pant stripes. 

That is really good. I still lean a bit to the addition of navy for the 1997 logo, but as a 2-color logo, this one is really good. 

18 hours ago, neo_prankster said:

At this point, will we see the Rhein Fire's flame in Atlanta?

 

I feel like when you did the WFL scenario two years ago, you could've done the Chicago Fire this:

- Chicago Fire original logo 1974 thru maybe '86?

- Birmingham Fire flame from 1986 thru maybe '94.

- Rhein Fire or MLS Chicago Fire logo starting in the mid to late 90's.

Well, the Atlanta Fire were created as a 1995 Expansion club, so I used the WLAF template for them.  They will adopt another element of another team later in the 2000's, but not one of the ones you mentioned.  For 2002, they will get a new look, but one from me, not from a real world team (I am doing this a bit more as I move through the years, but as much as possible I am trying to retain the true USFL identities in some form or, if not possible, using real world parallels where they fit well.  I have deviated on occasion (Seattle Dragons using D&D dragon head, not Barcelona Dragons logo, Chicago Machine borrowing only very tangentially from the lacrosse team with that name after starting as a WLAF borrowing, etc.)