Best Identities In Sports

[FGM13]

NHL: Canadiens, Red Wings, Blues

 

MLB: Cardinals, Red Sox, Blue Jays

 

NBA: Lakers, Celtics, Sixers 

 

NFL: Colts, Chiefs, Packers

[JayJaxon]

The Yankees are definitely the most overrated team of the bunch. New York barely makes a case to crack the top 3 identities in their own division (Toronto and Baltimore are better and Boston may pass them as well)

 

St. Louis would be higher for me if they took that great St. Louis script and applied it to the road uniform where it belongs.  The Bay area teams and the Cubs are some of the best, with the Cubs edging out the others.  

 

I'm not really big on the other sports but that is my baseball evaluation. 

[Satomiblood]

My selections will be pretty limited considering that I've only ever followed the NBA.

 

I think the Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, Blazers, and Spurs have the best identities in the NBA. I think those 4 teams have been the most consistent in terms of their design element. Their logos are pretty iconic at this point. And aside from minor tweaks, their looks have remained relatively the same over the past 20-25 years. I know they've fallen prey to some atrocities in the sleeved jersey department, but at the very least, their primary home and away uniforms have stood the test of time.

 

And some of the alternates have been pretty good. I'm a fan of the Lakers' holiday/Sunday whites. Their Hollywood Nights jersey is also among the best as far as sleeves are concerned, "BFBS" notwithstanding. Boston's gold and black-trimmed jerseys are a compromise between tradition and modernity. We've seen some crazy alternates over the years. The Cs have played it relatively safe, save for their gray pride jerseys. And with exception to the red pinstripe version, Chicago's black alternate has always made sense even though red/black will always trump black/red. For Portland, I don't think I've found a look that's never worked for them. And the Spurs...they've held on to the same idea since the Robinson era and it's worked. The sleeved camo jersey is an aesthetic mistake, but everything else is solid.

[sparkychewbarky]

Best NHL Home Uni...

 

 

Best NHL Away Uni...

 

 

Best NFL Helmet...

 

 

Best MLB Unj...

 

 

Best CFL Uni...

 

[DustDevil61]

I've decided to split each league into "Traditional" and "Modern" categories, with "Modern" generally referring to identities introduced around 1990 or later and/or otherwise buck traditional trends. It can be kind of vague, though I'll try to limit myself to no more than 4 entries each (though I'm really shooting for 3 each). Only current identities count and I'm primarily basing these decisions on home and away uniforms along with team branding (though having 15 alternates clearly knocks the Cavs off the perch). Anywho, here goes:

 

MLB

Traditional: Cardinals, Cubs, Yankees, Dodgers.

Modern: Mariners, Blue Jays.

 

NFL

Traditional: Raiders, Packers, Colts.

Modern: Vikings, Broncos, Ravens.

 

NBA

Traditional: Celtics, Bulls, Spurs, 76ers.

Modern: Hornets, Lakers.

 

NHL

Traditional: Canadians, Red Wings, Blackhawks.

Modern: Flyers, Stars, Kings, Blues.

 

Some notes:

 

I consider the Lakers and Blues to be modern because the Lakers' uniforms do have a more modern cut, dating back to 2000 or so, and the Blues have the bottom dark blue hem that matches their pants (a post-Edge NHL first?).

 

Despite their lackluster logos, the LA Kings and Baltimore Ravens otherwise have great identities.

 

Also, while they can just as easily be considered "Traditional" teams by looking at their uniforms, the Stars (Kellyish Green) and Flyers (Orange) OWN their primary colors in the NHL. Also, kudos to the Stars for going to a lighter shade of green.

[Morgan33]

Best NHL home look

 

Best NHL road look

 

[MCM0313]

On 7/27/2016 at 9:02 PM, mattb6 said:

MLB: Far and away, the Blue Jays have the best identity. They took what was a big fan favorite and refreshed it perfectly. The typeface and the bird work well together on the jersey, creating a unique and classic look. 

 

NFL: For me, it's the Texans. I love the logo, and for being 14 years old it feels like it could've been released yesterday. The uniforms are what make it the best for me, and timeless is a word that comes to mind. I could see the set lasting for 20+ years as they have yet to be the slightest bit dated. 

 

NBA: This is tough. I would've said Celtics or Lakers, but they lose out because of the gray and black alternates. So I'll pick the 76ers. The logo is classic, and the uniform sets are very nice. Also- no bad alternates. 

 

MLS: The MLS has the best logos of the major American leagues, so it's hard to pick (besides the Revs). I'm gonna go with San Jose because I love the uniforms year in and year out, and the crest looks great, especially with the red for the clubs heritage. 

 

I'll refrain from the NHL as I'm not a hockey fan, or know much about the sports style. 

Agree with you that the Texans have a great identity. The logo's always been very good and the uniforms have really grown on me, especially their "deep steel blue," although I also love the red jerseys. I feel that their aesthetic brand is very underrated by most.

[kroywen]

MLB: Yankees. They have the most classic home uniform, and a very simple identity altogether. I'm not bothered at all by the varying interlocking NYs - each one functions best in their respective mediums. The thin NY on the caps, or the print NY, would look terrible on the chest. And the chest logo is more or less a bold version of the cap logo, which makes sense. I would be fine if they replaced the print logo with the cap logo, but I;m ultiamtely ambivalent about that. But it's an identity that is so immediately recognizable and iconic, and with such well-designed uniforms, that it surpasses all others.

 

Runners-up: Cardinals, Dodgers

 

NFL: Steelers. The black and gold work perfectly together, and have tons of historical significance for the city. The sleeve stripes, while unfortunately truncated by modern uniform cuts, are probably the best in all of football. I love the quirkiness of the asymmetrical helmet. I wish they'd dump the italic numbers, but willing to overlook that.

 

Runners-up: Bears (went back-and-forth with Pittsburgh on this one), Colts

 

NHL: Canadiens. The best home uniform in all of hockey. The CH logo and chest stripe are perfect, full stop, and I don't think a red-and-blue color scheme has ever been executed better on a sports team (which is really saying something, given how common it is). The roads leave something to be desired, but they're solidly middle of the pack.

 

Runners-up: Blackhawks (very close second for me), Rangers, Bruins

 

NBA: Celtics. This would've been a no-brainer back when they just had two uniforms - a home and an away - and both read "CELTICS," but luckily for the Celtics, every other NBA team has a small army of unnecessary alternates as well. I hated the change to "BOSTON" on the road jersey (why change it away from what the likes of Russell and Bird wore?), but what can you do? The NBA is full of terrible uniform decisions.

 

Runners-up: Bulls. Knicks might come in third, or maybe the Lakers, but both have enough flaws in their identities (terrible logos, unnecessary alts) that I don't feel I can justifiably call them "runners-up."

 

The lesson? Keep it simple, stupid. Generally speaking (and there are some definite exceptions), the fewer alts you have, the fewer secondary colors you incorporate, the more memorable and iconic your identity can become. Alts can be a great thing if they add to a team's identity, but the very best identities are so great that adding any unnecessary elements just detracts from the identity (see the Celtics and their awful alts that are vastly inferior to their primaries).

[worcat]

How can anyone say the Spurs when they don't incorporate their fiesta logo or colors at all? While I do like their jerseys and their brand, I can't justify thinking it's a top identity when it ignores it's main logo.

[Chawls]

On July 27, 2016 at 7:18 PM, BrandMooreArt said:

 Selection based on:

• logos
• word marks / type
• color palette
• team name
• primary home/away uniforms

 

NFL: Raiders; Texans

NBA: Bulls; Celtics

MLB: Yankees; Cubs; White Sox (1990 - current)

NHL: Red Wings; Maple Leafs

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

The Toronto Argonauts have the best look in all of football, better than every other CFL team and better than every team in the NFL and the Arena League.

 

Their white helmets are beautiful, as is the A logo. They wear blue over white, or white over blue, or all white. And they demonstrate that it is possible to have sleeve stripes on today's uniforms.

[Discrim]

4 hours ago, worcat said:

How can anyone say the Spurs when they don't incorporate their fiesta logo or colors at all? While I do like their jerseys and their brand, I can't justify thinking it's a top identity when it ignores it's main logo.

Because it hasn't been their primary logo for 15 years, give or take.

[2001mark]

2 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

The Toronto Argonauts have the best look in all of football, better than every other CFL team and better than every team in the NFL and the Arena League.

 

Their white helmets are beautiful, as is the A logo. They wear blue over white, or white over blue, or all white. And they demonstrate that it is possible to have sleeve stripes on today's uniforms.

Boat logo > A

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

17 minutes ago, 2001mark said:

Boat logo > A

 

No way. The simple A is better than the guy holding the A shield; and it is waaaay better than the goofy cartoony boat.

 

That logo, along with the wide stripes down the centre -- that is what a football helmet should look like. My only quibble is with the little flair on the back of the stripes. But the overall look is so clean and so dignified that I can overlook that one thing, and call the Argos the champs.

[2001mark]

26 minutes ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

 

No way. The simple A is better than the guy holding the A shield; and it is waaaay better than the goofy cartoony boat.

 

That logo, along with the wide stripes down the centre -- that is what a football helmet should look like. My only quibble is with the little flair on the back of the stripes. But the overall look is so clean and so dignified that I can overlook that one thing, and call the Argos the champs.

I also prefer Argonauts > Argos.

I've never been a fan of lettering on helmets, whether single or initials.

[MCM0313]

7 hours ago, worcat said:

How can anyone say the Spurs when they don't incorporate their fiesta logo or colors at all? While I do like their jerseys and their brand, I can't justify thinking it's a top identity when it ignores it's main logo.

Unfortunately the Spurs got rid of the fiesta logo and colors between their first and second championships. I agree that they should've used the colors more though, and I wouldn't be averse to seeing those colors return in some fashion.

[StaatsBrett]

My favorite  logos and the  best  identity is  Portland state  

[PrimalCookie]

I am going to work this into 3 categories - traditional (the most classic look), modern (the most current look), and overall (simply best)

MLB

Traditional: Dodgers home

Modern: Rangers red alternates

Overall: Dodgers home

NFL

Traditional: Packers home

Modern: Texans full set

Overall: Texans full set

NBA

Traditional: Bulls away

Modern: Hornets teal alts, Magic home(tie - watching the Magic play all the time (and owning a Vucevic jersey), I've realized how underrated the Magic's unis are, IF you burn the silver sleeved jerseys and forget about them forever.)

Overall: Hornets teal alts

I don't follow hockey, so MLS

Traditional: LA Galaxy home

Modern: NYCFC away

Overall: LA Galaxy home 

 

 

[Captain Tsubasa]

A whole lot of great sport brands in here, that it's hard to argue with. Maybe some of you overemphasize the uniforms a bit too much vs. the overall brand identity, but maybe that's just the way it came across to me. Anyway, most of my favorite choices have also been mentioned so far.

Here you go:

 

MLB: A's

NFL: Dolphins

NBA: Bulls

NHL: Red Wings

MLS: Timbers

[ColeJ]

I'd probably break it down like this:

 

MLB: Red Sox - I'm biased. This is my team, and my birthplace, and so on... but there's nothing to dislike. The cap is iconic. The wordmark font is beautiful. The number font is unique. The hanging sox are whimsical and instantly recognizable. The fact that so many players wear long socks, and the socks are actually red (fix that, Chicago). Even the alternates, which are far from perfect, seem to simply fit in and feel like a part of the modern Red Sox team that still looks classic in their primary sets.

 

NFL: Raiders - They have what I've described before as perfect uniforms. The jerseys themselves are "bland" in that they don't have anything going on except for the number font, but they still work. In a league where everyone seems to jump through hoops to show how crowded and messy they can make their numbers and shoulders, the Raiders look better than anyone by simply wearing the equivalent of a black tshirt. The helmet stripe and pants stripe match, the jerseys are minimalistic. It looks timeless, intimidating, and clean.

 

NBA: Celtics - Their alternates are all terrible, but really being the best in the NBA is a low hanging fruit. Every team is pretty much ridiculous at this point. At least the Celtics home and road are perfect, and the logo captures that same kind of whimsical iconic fun that the Red Sox do with the hanging socks. I even consider their court to be part of their identity. It's just perfect. If I liked basketball, it would be easy to jump on this bandwagon and just eat it all up and get obnoxious with it.

 

NHL: Red Wings - It pains me to say this, since I can't stand this team... but the Red Wings, even in their current less-than-threatening form, are a powerful looking hockey team. The uniforms are perfectly clean and striking. The excessive use of red, when most other teams would try to break it up with some black or more white, is perfect. Solid red gloves. Solid red pants. Solid red helmets. The logo is gorgeous. It's the kind of team you hate, but sorta wish you didn't.

 

MLS: FC Dallas - I'm biased here too. While I wish the home kit was REAL hoops again, the use of red with royal blue, and the real hoops on the change kit are just too slick looking. I'm far from a diehard MLS fan, but even with the mostly solid red home kit, Dallas looks great. Ideally, they'd wear a red version of their change kit and just be done with it forever, but I know soccer isn't like that... I'm going to go against the grain here too, and say that I actually think the MLS is one of the worst-dressed leagues in North America. A lot of the teams just still feel a little shallow or "fly by night" to me. To put it in hockey terms, which is my native language, there feels like a more Thrashers than Maple Leafs to me, and it can't just be because the league is so relatively young, can it?