NBA Changes 2020/21

[bucky_bleichert]

i mean, if you're going to respond to our (valid) criticisms and frustrations with a blanket response of "you're old and times change" + can't see the difference between what the pistons, hornets, and others were doing with alternates in the 90s to what is happening today, then we're just going to have to agree to disagree.

 

you can enjoy whatever the hell pelicans wearing city flag pinnies vs. the bucks in multiple shades of blue is supposed to be and i'll continue to be bummed about the league trashing their aesthetic history and tradition for a quick buck. 

 

[CaliforniaGlowin]

The league is not targeting the hardcore fans, they're after the casual "oooh that jersey is fyre af! Who is that?" fans.  They can figure it out. 

 

Do real fans buy jerseys from a team they're not a fan of? I saw a lot of non Heat fans buy their vice jerseys.

[Digby]

The Basquiat Nets and Oakland Warriors doubleheader on TNT last night was offensive; a showcase of clueless gentrifier aesthetic.

[sky1324]

I will say that there's a big difference between an alternate jersey that uses the team's pre-established color palette and the nickname/city name on the front and a black and teal reading "Buzz City" on the front or a black and gold jersey reading "MLK". It's brand dilution, pure and simple, and it sucks. These teams are throwing away their brands for a quick buck and I really hate seeing it.

[andregunts]

3 minutes ago, QCS said:

I will say that there's a big difference between an alternate jersey that uses the team's pre-established color palette and the nickname/city name on the front and a black and teal reading "Buzz City" on the front or a black and gold jersey reading "MLK". It's brand dilution, pure and simple, and it sucks. These teams are throwing away their brands for a quick buck and I really hate seeing it.

Ok so we should have another “Charlotte” jersey and let’s not honor MLK right? As long as we trod out another “Hawks” jersey that’s fine.

 

end sarcasm

[gosioux76]

1 hour ago, Old School Fool said:

 

 

 

Can anyone tell me whether Oregon State won this game? 

[dont care]

30 minutes ago, andregunts said:

When were the first alternate jerseys release? Early 90s? Hornets Purple and Pistons Red? Like 93-94? 

 

That's been almost 30 years!! Imagine people back then having their heads explode because they moved away from "tradition", I love this thread and the history of the aesthetics of the sport. Times change, technology change, you guys expect the same old "home, away, alternate, and throwback"?

 

I like the funky colors, funky court, as long as we still have Lakers yellow and Celtic green, I don't care if we have 5 other radical uniforms. 

 

Its 2021 people, we are in the future, accept change and move ahead with the times. I LOVED the Nets court last night with the Basquiat court, yes its not their traditional boring black/white but that's cool, because Im not a grumpy 90 year old. 

 

The NBA plays a 82 game schedule, if 50% of the games divert from the traditional home white vs away color then so what? Its a long season and we have multiple chances to experiment and at the same time the other 50% of the games are the traditional. 

 

Accept change and accept the NBA is moving forward that's it. 

 

also, you guys hated the sleeve jerseys? I LOVED THEM!!!! I cant wait for them to come back so I can see you antiquated people heads explode. 

 

 

 

They were still team colors and represented the brand. Now we have designs and colors every year that don’t correlate with the current brands coming out every year to the point they need to add new courts to match these brands and cause further confusion for fans trying to watch the games. I don’t care about creating more merchandise for fans to buy because that’s what fashion jerseys are for and existed for as long as alternates have that you posted, and there was no issue with those.

[PrimalCookie]

2 minutes ago, gosioux76 said:

 

Can anyone tell me whether Oregon State won this game? 

We didn't.

[Digby]

13 minutes ago, CaliforniaGlowin said:

The league is not targeting the hardcore fans, they're after the casual "oooh that jersey is fyre af! Who is that?" fans.  They can figure it out. 

 

Do real fans buy jerseys from a team they're not a fan of? I saw a lot of non Heat fans buy their vice jerseys.

Doubt any of us have access to useful data on jersey sales, but on the casual fans front, does selling a couple extra jerseys to hypebeast casual fans outweigh confusing the marketplace of other casuals?

 

I think the emphasis on scorebug colors is a little misplaced, and for the record the Celtics local broadcasts can’t get their act together on that front, thanks NBC Sports.

 

But it’s easy enough to, eventually, figure that out — but a lot of people outside the hardcore fans want to care and be entertained by the NBA but want to put as little effort in it as possible. If the Bulls don’t look like how they remember and the Rockets are powder blue now and the Heat are garish and who is that team that just says MLK anyway, at some point the casual has nothing left to grab onto.

[Digby]

10 minutes ago, andregunts said:

Ok so we should have another “Charlotte” jersey and let’s not honor MLK right? As long as we trod out another “Hawks” jersey that’s fine.

 

end sarcasm

It is not a radical notion that jerseys should have the team name on them. Try literally once to post without weirdly aggressive personal attacks.

[sky1324]

11 minutes ago, andregunts said:

Ok so we should have another “Charlotte” jersey and let’s not honor MLK right? As long as we trod out another “Hawks” jersey that’s fine.

 

end sarcasm

1. Yes

2. That's not what I said, but I do think it's a little weird to honor him with a basketball jersey.

3. Yeah, glad you're understanding, even if I would prefer Atlanta.

 

I want my team to look like my team when they play. That means team colors only, no ridiculous city nicknames on the jerseys, and consistent and cohesive design across each jersey. What's wrong with that?

[gosioux76]

Every brand is built with a style guide, a set of rules that set boundaries for the brand designed to maintain consistency. Many of us, understandably, find comfort within those boundaries. We're taught to color inside the lines, to maintain that balance. And there's challenge inherent in producing something unique within a standardized set of elements. It's satisfying to see something new built from something familiar.

 

The NBA, more than any other league, has gradually encroached beyond those boundaries. The Wizards in black and gold. The Hawks seemingly every-five-years rebranding. The Jazz jumping casually from purple and gold to the mountain aesthetic to navy and copper to green and gold. 

 

This latest set of NBA alternates is essentially the league tossing out all the rules. They don't apply any more. The lines we're supposed to color within no longer exist. Anything is in play. 

 

I can understand how, to some people, this is freeing. But to others, myself included, those rules help define a brand and what it stands for. Without it, the brand is sort of meaningless. 

 

So you can frame this as the "old heads" vs. some new generation debate if you want. But I prefer to see it as the difference between appreciating standards and a willingness to be distracted by the next shiny object. 

[Scrumptious Ham]

If you turn on an NBA game and it takes you longer than 60 seconds to figure out the teams, you are beyond simple. 

[jp1409]

55 minutes ago, Digby said:

The Basquiat Nets and Oakland Warriors doubleheader on TNT last night was offensive; a showcase of clueless gentrifier aesthetic.

 

Golden State court is absolutely brutal...

[DG_ThenNowForever]

8 minutes ago, Scrumptious Ham said:

If you turn on an NBA game and it takes you longer than 60 seconds to figure out the teams, you are beyond simple. 

 

It's not a terrible point, but it really also shouldn't take 6 seconds, let alone 60.

 

The NBA has always been the fashion-forward American sports league, at least until Nike went nuts with college football. I remember when the Bulls came out with the black pinstripe jersey and so many of us lost our damn minds by how cool it was. It was like the Bulls, but black!

 

The NBA is in an interesting place since for all of its cultural relevance, people don't watch the games. They catch Twitter and House of Highlights, but there are tons of NBA fans who prefer to watch reaction videos and clips instead of watching the games live. Some of that is due to some pretty terrible local sports packages and lockouts, NBA TV being sometimes included in base packages, sometimes not, and NBA League Pass being an awful, overpriced, buggy product. But a lot of that is due to cable being really expensive, streams being available enough for people who want to find them, and social media filling in enough of the gaps the games become unnecessary.

 

So in a world where TV rights are still a ton but have a finite cap due to future viewership habits, making up revenue on the backend with a billion disposable jersey designs does make some semblance of sense. You can sell one yellow LeBron Lakers jersey; or you can sell a yearly update (or two) to the people who will drop $150 on a jersey but not even close to that on a TV package.

 

Moral of the story is if you want fewer jerseys, spend more on TV.

[andregunts]

38 minutes ago, QCS said:

1. Yes

2. That's not what I said, but I do think it's a little weird to honor him with a basketball jersey.

3. Yeah, glad you're understanding, even if I would prefer Atlanta.

 

I want my team to look like my team when they play. That means team colors only, no ridiculous city nicknames on the jerseys, and consistent and cohesive design across each jersey. What's wrong with that?

its 2021!!!!! Lol 

 

the NBA has jerseys to sell. You think “Atlanta” or “Hawks” in the same template will sell every single season in the same color? 
 

Man stop with the complaining man. 

[sky1324]

4 minutes ago, andregunts said:

its 2021!!!!! Lol 

 

the NBA has jerseys to sell. You think “Atlanta” or “Hawks” in the same template will sell every single season in the same color? 
 

Man stop with the complaining man. 

Just because it's 2021, doesn't mean we should tear down iconic brands. And you've proven my point: it's ultimately about money, nothing more.

 

I'm not saying that each team should share the same template at all, in fact, I love when teams differentiate themselves (Hornets' pinstripes, Bulls' diamond shorts, etc.). What I am saying is that I dislike how disjointed teams' identities have become. In regards to jersey sales, none of the other Big 4 leagues use a similar disposable jersey system yet their jersey sales still bring in more than enough money.

 

And I like some of these jerseys. I love the Utah red rocks and the Miami Vice, but there's too much crap to make this brand dilution worth it. Teams are selling out for money and I don't like it.

[Digby]

22 minutes ago, jp1409 said:

 

Golden State court is absolutely brutal...

on the plus side, I will grant that the fauxback update to the We Believe set looks great with the modern font — all time great color scheme — but the crassness of changing the wordmark to Oakland just ruins it.

[Digby]

24 minutes ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

 

The NBA has always been the fashion-forward American sports league, at least until Nike went nuts with college football. I remember when the Bulls came out with the black pinstripe jersey and so many of us lost our damn minds by how cool it was. It was like the Bulls, but black!

 

 

huh, a new and different jersey that smartly builds upon an established brand without compromising it, what a concept.

[projectjohn]

2 hours ago, andregunts said:

When were the first alternate jerseys release? Early 90s? Hornets Purple and Pistons Red? Like 93-94? 

 

That's been almost 30 years!! Imagine people back then having their heads explode because they moved away from "tradition", I love this thread and the history of the aesthetics of the sport. Times change, technology change, you guys expect the same old "home, away, alternate, and throwback"?

 

I like the funky colors, funky court, as long as we still have Lakers yellow and Celtic green, I don't care if we have 5 other radical uniforms. 

 

Its 2021 people, we are in the future, accept change and move ahead with the times. I LOVED the Nets court last night with the Basquiat court, yes its not their traditional boring black/white but that's cool, because Im not a grumpy 90 year old. 

 

The NBA plays a 82 game schedule, if 50% of the games divert from the traditional home white vs away color then so what? Its a long season and we have multiple chances to experiment and at the same time the other 50% of the games are the traditional.

 

Even though I don’t like it, I could accept a lot of this, but not the frequency, which is what I think most of the “old heads” biggest complaint is. There’s absolutely no reason beyond trying to increase sales that these jerseys (most of which aren’t even good) need to be used so often. 20-25% of the time, tops. Not the 50% or more it feels like we’re getting now.