Opinion: Too many teams with red and blue

[CaliforniaGlowin]

I wanted to vent my frustration over how there are so many teams with red & blue colors in the major sports.  Yes I know this is America, and I'm OK with it being connected to the brand (Nationals, Capitals, Patriots, Texans, etc.) or if the team has had the colors forever (Cubs, Indians)  But with other teams like the Twins, Pistons, Braves, Bills, Clippers, Avalanche, etc. is it really necessary?  I can see the use of them in the past, but this is an era of new color possibilities.  Instead of coming up with different ideas, to me it's like an easy lazy fallback because the colors are "American" and are generally accepted.     These teams combined with other red OR blue teams like the Dodgers, Angels, Rockets, Royals, Reds, Chiefs...it all seems too much.  

 

This is just my opinion and I know it doesn't mean anything, but I'm sick of it.  There are plenty of colors that either do not get used or could be used more.  Anyone else with me?

[TBGKon]

I think its more along the lines of what colors sell.  Reds and blues (and maybe black) tend to be colors that can match with anything.

[IceCap]

4 minutes ago, CaliforniaGlowin said:

But with other teams like the Twins, Pistons, Braves, Bills, Clippers, Avalanche, etc. is it really necessary?

When you see the alternatives? Yes. The Pistons tried dropping red, white, and blue in favour of a trendy 90s colour scheme, and it was hated. 

[MJWalker45]

Baseball had this happen as a result of World War 2. Almost everyone switched over to red, white and blue during the war and some stayed with it instead of reverting back to their original colors. Then when teams like Minnesota and Texas came into existence after moving from Washington they switched to differing colors of blue and red because coming up with unused colors wasn't considered then.

[DeFrank]

I don't think there's necessarily a problem with it, but I do think there are obviously examples of teams that should move away from it. And not necessarily teams that "fit" the RWB/patriotic theme. For example, the Capitals and Wizards had an incredibly cool thing going with the blue/black/bronze schemes. They were perfectly DC/federal/presidential. Made a ton of sense. There's also always the idea of a green-themed DC team based off of federal bank notes.

 

[Morgan33]

The overabundance of RW&B teams in the MLB borders on comical.  I know many of those looks are considered untouchable but it doesn't make for a very interesting looking league.

 

The NHL, on the other hand, has the ideal amount.  While four franchises use the colours in some capacity, there's no overlap when it comes to identity.  The Canadiens put red first resulting in the perfect visual-counterpart to the Rangers while the Capitals and Blue Jackets mirror them with Navy instead of royal.

[CaliforniaGlowin]

Yea, the war timing makes sense, thanks for the info.

 

That Caps logo is great!  I wish they had that now.

[Cardsblues02]

In my opinion, red and blue are not overused because the color scheme works so well. I mean, its almost timeless! I have never heard anyone really gripe about a team using red and blue. Some teams, who don’t traditionally use red and blue, should stay away though. IMO, only a few teams from the big 4 shouldn’t use red

and blue (of teams who do).

 

NBA

Pelicans (Purple and Gold)

Clippers (should go orange, blue)

I would say ATL Hawks, but they have since walked away from the navy.

 

MLB

Angels, but it really isn’t that big of a deal. They look fine. Baseball teams have so much history in their logos, so with the exception of a few, changing colors would not be smart.

 

NFL

Tennessee? They could use a new scheme IMO, but it is more about the double blue.

 

NHL

Avs, but that is really about it. 

 

[-Akronite-]

The MLB is the only league where it's really an issue IMO, although I'm usually in favor of more unique color schemes in ANY league.

 

The NFL isn't THAT bad. You have the:

-Texans, who come off generic but match the state flag,

-Patriots, who's justification is obvious

-Bills, who have had the colors for decades and have a strong identity/uniforms with their brighter blue

-Titans, who could set themselves apart better by emphasizing their Columbia blue

 

But yes, baseball is the real issue and I'm not sure what's to be done about it. I like the idea of Philly going back to maroon and blue. The Twins could emphasize the yellow/gold they've added? If the Indians ever change their name they could start with a fresh color palette maybe... As things are, it's hard to tell any of these franchises to change their colors and look for the good of the league. But overall it's not that big of an issue since baseball has the best history of using white/gray to separate the teams and keep it clear who's who.

[CreamSoda]

The Avalanche aren't even red and blue...

[SFGiants58]

I’ve long proposed a way for MLB to diversify (for some teams):

 

Red Sox: Forest Green/Red (simple color swap, no red caps after Bucky Dent killed them)

 

Cleveland: Navy/Light Blue, Maroon/Orange, etc.

 

Twins: Forest Green/Light Blue

 

Rangers: Brick Red/Slate Blue

 

Braves: Black/Red

 

Phillies: Maroon/Light Blue accents

 

Royals: Purple/Yellow

 

Of course, a lot of these identities are too set in stone now to really change. The rest of the majors should have followed Charlie O’s example in the 1960s. If navy/red can’t go, color distribution, accent colors, and fonts will work well enough.

[oldschoolvikings]

 

Weird chart... has some mistakes.  They've got the Packers, Vikings, and Jags with one gold, and the Chargers, Steelers, Chiefs, and Washington with another.

 

 

[oldschoolvikings]

 

 

 

 

[oldschoolvikings]

Last one...

 

(sorry, I'm kind of obsessed with these charts and graphs.)

 

[seasaltvanilla]

7 hours ago, CaliforniaGlowin said:

But with other teams like the Twins

 

The Twins have been wearing red and blue since 1901, only a few years less than the Indians.

[OnWis97]

1 hour ago, seasaltvanilla said:

 

The Twins have been wearing red and blue since 1901, only a few years less than the Indians.

Yeah.  I’m not convinced long-term red/blue teams need to change.  The Twins are red and blue and not Wild or T-Wolves colors.  Having a Twins color overhaul would be downright jarring for lifelong fans.

[Bomba Tomba]

6 hours ago, oldschoolvikings said:

 

Weird chart... has some mistakes.  They've got the Packers, Vikings, and Jags with one gold, and the Chargers, Steelers, Chiefs, and Washington with another.

 

 

One is gold, the other is yellow

[tigers]

So much white.

So little imagination.

[Bill0813]

11 hours ago, oldschoolvikings said:

 

Weird chart... has some mistakes.  They've got the Packers, Vikings, and Jags with one gold, and the Chargers, Steelers, Chiefs, and Washington with another.

 

 

What am I missing about this chart?  Official team colors?  Every team has a white road jersey, so it's used if "unofficially" by 4 teams.

[oldschoolvikings]

5 hours ago, Bomba Tomba said:

One is gold, the other is yellow

 

Missing the point... the Chiefs, Redskins, Packers, and Steelers all wear the same gold, but that chart has them in different places.