MilSox

7 hours ago, Red Wolf said:

FCS doesn't pull from the same pool as FBS. They'd need to compete for that talent as much as they do now.

Maybe not in general, but how much talent do you think there to go around in a mid sized state like Michigan which already has 5 D1 programs, and sits on top of Ohio, which has even more? 

The room for North Dakota State to make such a jump was there because even though it's in a small state, there are no power conference programs from Western Minnesota on through Eastern Washington/Oregon, and you still have to go to Montana to find a program capable of competing on NDSU's level. That doesn't exist in Grand Valley's case. Trading being the Clemson/Alabama of Division 2 for being just another FCS program doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

On 9/28/2021 at 2:34 PM, Geoff said:

And forgot to mention that in today's newsletter, Matt talked about other D2 schools looking to make the jump including three that interest me: the big boys of the Gulf South - Valdosta State, West Georgia, and West Florida. 

 

Others he listed as interested in moving up: Grand Valley State (how have they not already?), Lincoln Memorial, Lindenwood (not surprised, they're gonna announced D1 hockey ... someday), Queens University, and Central Oklahoma. 

Grand Valley even in FCS would be a mistake IMO.  Competing with Wayne State or Michigan Tech and the like for recruits is one thing. But to continue that same level of success in FCS means digging from the same talent pool as Michigan, Michigan State, and the MAC schools.

North Dakota State got away with it because they're the top program in a fairly large swatch of the country. Grand Valley wouldn't have such a luxury.

Vegas is one of my favorite cities, but I don't think it'll be the slam dunk that MLB thinks it is.

The Knights work because they were the first major franchise in Vegas.  They also play on an ice plant which I would imagine the locals find to be a nice change of pace from what they normally deal with.  Last time I was in Vegas (a few months before COVID), I was honestly taken aback by how much Knights paraphernalia I saw around town. They've really embraced that team.

The Raiders work because of all NFL teams, they probably have they fanbase that's the least affected by geography.  They also play their games on the weekend in a tourist destination, so even when they have lean years, they can rely on the other team's fans to fill the seats.

The only way I see Las Vegas working for MLB is if they somehow manage to build a ballpark on the strip and make it an absolute uniquely Vegas novelty/monstrosity that has to be experienced.  I don't see too many locals wanting to spend a summer evening in Vegas baking in the desert sun. The  only thing I can think to compare them to is the Diamondbacks, who may not even break a million fans for the entire season. 

Until the Bucks social media started posting pics of rookie Giannis after the finals, I'd completely forgotten that he ever wore this uniform.

I feel like Engelmann Stadium at UWM in Milwaukee might be more on line with what you're going for.

For context (and because I somehow still remember this information from a project I did when I was still a student there) the Eastside of Milwaukee is the most densely populated area in America that isn't on a coast or in Chicago. The main campus serves nearly 30,000 students yet contains only 4 city blocks. But somehow, they managed to wedge a soccer facility between two buildings that can accomodate over 3,000 spectators. Something that isn't appreciated enough by the general public who aren't stadium/urban planning dorks.

Following

After seeing the surprisingly (to me) overwhelmingly positive response to these from casual fans... or at least fans who aren't obsessive uni nerds... I may have to soften my stance on these.  They aren't offensive to the eye (as much as some of us distaste monochrome) and are on brand for the Packers.  So maybe I shouldn't be so critical.

But damn... has the bar really been set this low? Part of me feels like the biggest reason these have been so well received is because we've been subjected to so many side panels and weird striping over the years that simply being inoffensive and looking like a football uniform is considered a home run.

42 minutes ago, DNAsports said:

 

Dammit... I'm gonna have to be an Elks fan.

The 1936 unis were so much more interesting and they represented a championship season. Why scrap that direction to call attention to an era when the team nearly went bankrupt? And not even the best unis from that era, at that? Especially if they're taking liberties and calling it "throwback inspired." At least the unis they wore with the northwestern stripes would register as Packers unis to most people. 

Then again, the rasslin fan in me loves that these are technically a tribute to Dick the Bruiser. I may have to get a #72 throwback.

Not bad in a vacuum, but in real life, the similarity to the Pirates is too jarring for me.  This would look more "Chicago" to me with red instead of yellow. 

On 6/14/2021 at 11:56 PM, qboy18 said:

Hello, I have been thinking of a concept idea for a while and am new to the whole forum thing. I would appreciate some tips and stuff for navigating the site but my idea is a Wisconsin Handball Association (WHA). I already have 30 teams picked out with 6 conferences of 5 teams each. I just need to figure out team names, logos, jerseys and the like. Any tips?

I'm down if you want my help. Inbox me.

6 hours ago, heavybass said:

Do I include the non-football teams in the FBS? That's Arlington, Little Rock and Wichita State.

Absolutely.  Hopefully you'll bring back those "Movin' Mavs" jerseys from the 80s back for Arlington.

Get wilder with some other schools. But I feel like traditional looks are perfect for Vermont and other schools that had a long time varsity program.

Speaking of which. I hope my alma mater (UWM) is included.

Man, both throwbacks are a beaut!  It actually does anger me that they Packers have botched the navy look everytime they tried it.  They look so much better in your concept.

Not feeling the red pins, otherwise this is a pretty solid look.  Only I'm not sure I'd consider it an upgrade from the actual set if only because the White Sox hit a grand slam with theirs.

On 6/10/2021 at 8:42 AM, cajunaggie08 said:

Western Michigan seems to be taking design input from Washington Football Team and are going with a W in a circle as well. The new logo appears to be for both the school itself as well as for the athletic teams. The athletic department website features the new W logo throughout yet the football team social media pages are still using the bronco logo. It will be interesting to see if all the teams have new uniforms and equipment that match the new branding and colors.

 

As far as the new main logo, its ok. The biggest issue I have is there is nothing distinctive about it that lets you know its Western Michigan. Brown and gold are unique colors for sure in college branding. Unfortunately they only other school that comes to mind with the same colors is Wyoming, so by using just a W it could be mistaken for a logo for Wyoming, if Wyoming were crazy enough to ever move away from the bucking cowboy logo.

 

New logo

Old Logo

I think Wyoming-WMU has a bit of the Texas-Tennessee think going on where one school is more associated with their mascot based logo that the similar monograms aren't a problem. Granted, it doesn't help that both mascot logos feature horses on top of the similar colors.

I think I'd have preferred to see a WMU rather than just a W. But that would make Western the only D1 Michigan school not branding itself around a single block letter. 

19 minutes ago, oldschoolvikings said:

So are you saying the pants for that uniform were yellow/gold and not that standard brown/tan canvas color?

Yes sir!

On 5/29/2021 at 8:13 PM, oldschoolvikings said:

Next up, Green Bay.  A number of small changes (road sleeve stripes, home collar, sock stripes, 60's number font), probably unnoticeable to the average fan, but to me they would make a huge overall impact.  I'm not sure they'd ever really need to wear the all-white option, but there it is anyway.

 

Not bad.  But keep in mind that the Packers used several fonts in the 60s as that sort of thing wasn't nearly as regulated in those days.  I've seen team photos of Henry Jordan (74) and Forrest Gregg (75) wearing completely different 7s. 

Also, I would prefer the pants matched the jersey on the throwback, as was the case in 1944... the last time they won a championship in the "classic Lambeau" look.

On 5/20/2021 at 2:43 PM, BBTV said:

Who else used the rounded nameplates like that?  I'm sure someone did.

I remember Wisconsin using them the year they had Russell Wilson.

5 minutes ago, Sec19Row53 said:

Eh - it was a phrase used widely when I went to school there (UW '87).

Oh, I've definitely heard it... just not sure how accurate it is anymore. 

Besides, the 1980s UW-Mad phrase I've always liked was ESFU.

2 minutes ago, Sec19Row53 said:

Only in Madison.  It's 100 square miles surrounded by reality.

In fairness, I'm not sure I'd call what surrounds Madison (or most of Wisconsin) "reality" in good conscience.

Milwaukee Milkmen: Since the Brewers are looking like a respectable ballclub again, we have to take up the mantle of having a goofy, nonsensical identity in Wisconsin.

Green Bay Booyah: Hold my beer.

Madison Mallards: Hold my edible.

1 hour ago, flasah said:

 

Yeah I don't think any city under 2 million could support an MLB team. Currently only Milwaukee is under that.

Even that's misleading because for whatever reason, only Milwaukee County and three counties that surround it are counted in the metro population.  But if you include all 9 counties in Southeast Wisconsin, the population is over 2 million.  Granted, half of those people live in Milwaukee County itself, which is why a market like Milwaukee can work.  Baseball needs a strong centralized population because few fans are willing to go on a significant commute to attend a weeknight game, which I would think goes to your point.  Lots of western metros have massive populations.  But if that population is spread out, which tends to be the case with sunbelt cities, it won't translate into attendance.

For sure... it's one thing for a team like the Toronto Blue Jays to have a leaf as part of their identity.  But a junior team in a league that's more or less localized to a single Canadian province?  Seems a bit redundant.

On 5/6/2021 at 1:56 PM, gothedistance said:

 

Two A. Rodgers. Now that caught me off guard.

Too bad FNOB isn't a thing anymore. I was too young to remember when the Rams did it with Jack and Jim Youngblood. But I always looked forward to seeing the Broncos when they had Doug and Dave Widell.

I also used to wonder what the Bears would have done if they ever got Mark Carrier the WR when they had Mark Carrier the DB.