Ugliest uniform ever?

[IceCap]

To be honest, I didn't like the number font at first, but it's grown on me. Its jagged lines and energetic feel match the logo much better than athletic block ever did. Then again, I'm a firm believer that in this day and age, when any legible font can be put on a uniform, there's no excuse for a team to still use plain athletic block which can easily be copied.

The wordmark remains rounded/blocky. Aesthetically speaking the jagged numbers clash.

Generally speaking I'm sort of the opposite. Just because you CAN have a funky number font doesn't mean you SHOULD. The purposes of a costume number font and wordmarks under the collar are to help the NFL "stamp" the design of the jersey. With the Chargers you have the ever present lightning bolts on the sleeves so I see no need for a weird number font or the wordmark under the collar.

The last number font the Chargers had, IMO, was perfect. Was it a custom font that looks like the designer was trying way to hard to make it unique? No, but it was simple, effective, complemented the logo, and was strangely unique to the NFL.

Just dropping the wordmark from under the collar and adopting the previous set's number font would improve the current set ten-fold, in my opinion.

All of these are considered "classic" and "untouchable" but in reality, they are the most boring, paint-by-numbers, cheapest-looking uniforms imaginable. There is no creativity here and no uniqueness. They look like the most bog standard uniforms you can order from a supplier.

Sorry, not every team's willing to toss tradition out the window in favour of large sublimated chest logos, goofy fonts, and trendy colours that will look dated five years down the road.

Take your Toronto Maple Leafs concept. Which I admitted would make a FANTASTIC fan jersey. If the Leafs ever adopted it in place of their "plain paint by numbers" sweaters you would see riots in downtown Toronto. "Fresh," "unique," and "new" do not equate good. Likewise "simple" and "traditional" do not equate boring.

[Lights Out]

I never said every team should have chest logos or goofy fonts, but every team should, at the very least, have striping if it's a football uniform, a creative script or breast logo and a NOB if it's a baseball uniform, or trim or another unique element if it's a basketball uniform. Sorry, having a plain one-color jersey with plain athletic block is boring and just doesn't cut the mustard with me. The only "tradition" with those teams is a tradition of stubbornly holding out from modern design elements and looking cheap and dated as a result.

As an aside, I don't hate all classic uniforms - there's many sets that I really like:

They all look classic and old-timey but there's at least one unique element that really pops on each of them that the ones I listed as ugly didn't.

[lost_limey]

I like plain-looking clean jerseys much more so than some of the monstrosity's posted in this thread. However, I feel that Penn State's uniforms are too plane. They need something, anything to de-genericize them and they'd be a 1000x better. Hell, just thicken up the helmet stripe a little, or put the Nittany Lion logo somewhere on the damn uniform

[IceCap]

I never said every team should have chest logos or goofy fonts,

You've hit around that point plenty of times before.

but every team should, at the very least, have striping if it's a football uniform, a creative script or breast logo and a NOB if it's a baseball uniform, or trim or another unique element if it's a basketball uniform. Sorry, having a plain one-color jersey with plain athletic block is boring and just doesn't cut the mustard with me. The only "tradition" with those teams is a tradition of stubbornly holding out from modern design elements and looking cheap and dated as a result.

Who are you to decide what a team should have? If the Yankees have always had plain block "NEW YORK" script on their road jerseys, why should they change? That's the way it's always been. Whether you personally like the design or not is irrelevant. It's become part of the Yankees' visual identity; it's not going anywhere. Likewise with the Leafs. It really doesn't matter if you think the simple two stripes on the waist and wrists is boring. It's an established part of the team's visual identity and resonates more with the fanbase then your giant leaf on the chest pattern would. Penn State, Michigan, these teams always have worn these "paint by numbers" looks, but guess what? They work for them. They're part of the their respective teams' visual identities. The Nittany Lions wouldn't look like the Nittany Lions if you slapped a logo on their helmets, added stripes, and a funky number font. They very well may look better, but they wouldn't look like Penn State, and that's the important part.

Am I saying it's ok for a newly established team to go with plain jerseys and a logo-less helmet? No. That wouldn't work. Teams like Penn State, and the Yankees, and the Maple Leafs, and other teams you decry as having boring looks, get a pass. You know why? It's because their looks have withstood the test of time. The looks have been associated with both the best and the worst these franchises and their fans have been through, and because of that these "paint by numbers" designs have soul, they have meaning. You may not like the way they look, and if you don't, that's fine. I can't, nor do I wish to, change your mind. What I do ask, however, is that you take the "Fresh and New is Better" blinders you have on off and realize that while you may not like these old designs, they have a place, and in many cases they have meaning. Just like a plain, stripeless jersey with block numbers won't fly for an expansion team, a jersey with coloured panels and piping won't work for the Oakland Raiders.

[Rockstar Matt]

I never said every team should have chest logos or goofy fonts, but every team should, at the very least, have striping if it's a football uniform, a creative script or breast logo and a NOB if it's a baseball uniform, or trim or another unique element if it's a basketball uniform. Sorry, having a plain one-color jersey with plain athletic block is boring and just doesn't cut the mustard with me. The only "tradition" with those teams is a tradition of stubbornly holding out from modern design elements and looking cheap and dated as a result.

As an aside, I don't hate all classic uniforms - there's many sets that I really like:

They all look classic and old-timey but there's at least one unique element that really pops on each of them that the ones I listed as ugly didn't.

Sorry, but the Clippers have never had a "classic" look. Every uniform they've ever had has always been associated consistent losing. And the Raiders Home Uniform set is untouchable. That is my favorite jersey of all-time and they aren't even my favorite team. That is a classic look. Easily trumps anything the Chargers have ever worn.

[BadSeed84]

Turned on the pirates vs padres game.

Both had throwbacks on. Pirates with Black pants, white THICK pinstripes tops and yellow hats on (Did they wear the white jerseys on the road?) and the padres in their brown and yellow.

[Lights Out]

Sorry, but the Clippers have never had a "classic" look. Every uniform they've ever had has always been associated consistent losing.

I meant classic as in "not modern," not classic as in "they won a championship every year wearing these." I don't see how the fact that the Clippers haven't won a lot or been a great franchise makes the uniforms they've worn suddenly become modern and ugly.

And the Raiders Home Uniform set is untouchable. That is my favorite jersey of all-time and they aren't even my favorite team. That is a classic look.

Really? Because the Raiders' uniforms have been associated with losing and dysfunction for a while now too, pretty much since when Al Davis became senile and power-hungry and the team stopped winning Super Bowls. By your logic, they should be changed immediately because they're a pathetic franchise now in those uniforms.

[seattlefan26]

how could anyone hate these?, they're timeless!

[Legend]

I guess this belongs in the unpopular opinions thread, but I love most jerseys people consider ugly. I know that Paul Lukas guy hates anything bright or creative, but I love it.

Oregon? Love it.

All orange anything? Love it.

NBA jerseys from the 90's, Raptors, Grizzlies, Rockets? Love it.

I'd be more apt to consider a plain jersey ugly than something considered ugly by most peoples standards.

Amen! These are what I'd consider ugly:

All of these are considered "classic" and "untouchable" but in reality, they are the most boring, paint-by-numbers, cheapest-looking uniforms imaginable. There is no creativity here and no uniqueness. They look like the most bog standard uniforms you can order from a supplier.

Thank you Lights Out, I'm glad I am not alone on this.

Plain and bland lacks anything decent. Oh wow, solid colors and no graphics? So amazing, who took hours coming up with that? I'm guessing the same guys who sat around and decided to just start using throwbacks again, and not making anything new.

A throwback DAY, but not full time. It leaves alot to be desired.

[eriqjaffe]

What's the story behind the original pic? Were those all supposed to be prototype looks that they were considering? If so, that teal-&-orange jersey was probably a good decade ahead of its time...unfortunately it was still ugly. How you manage to mess up anything with the awesome color combo of teal & orange, I have no clue.

Yeah, the Sox did a contest where fans could submit jersey designs to replace the navy & white "pajama" set they had worn through the late 70's. Those were some of the finalists getting modeled at Comiskey park - not sure if the models are the designers or not (although the guy on the left looks a hell of a lot like Jeff Reardon, doesn't he?). Obviously, the second jersey from the left is more or less what the Sox wound up going with.

[TFoA]

Every uniform they've ever had has always been associated consistent losing.

While I do agree that the Clippers have never really had a classic look, I don't agree with winning making a look into a classic. I mean, if winning turned uniforms into classic, would you say that these are/will be classic because they won consistently in them?

And these aren't because they lose all the time in them?

If so...eh. It's all a matter of opinion, so maybe this was a dumb argument on my part.

[Buster]

Sorry but Flying Elvis is NOT classic, nor even a good design. They need Pat back.

[Buster]

So is that interception. Too bad Cromartie followed it up by developing a fear of all contact and had to be shipped out of town.

Yeah, but now he has a chance to win something with his new team.

[Cujo]

So is that interception. Too bad Cromartie followed it up by developing a fear of all contact and had to be shipped out of town.

Yeah, but now he has a chance to win something with his new team.

Removed the super grinny face. True statement.

[JQK]

I guess this belongs in the unpopular opinions thread, but I love most jerseys people consider ugly. I know that Paul Lukas guy hates anything bright or creative, but I love it.

Oregon? Love it.

All orange anything? Love it.

NBA jerseys from the 90's, Raptors, Grizzlies, Rockets? Love it.

I'd be more apt to consider a plain jersey ugly than something considered ugly by most peoples standards.

Amen! These are what I'd consider ugly:

(Images of beautiful uniforms)

All of these are considered "classic" and "untouchable" but in reality, they are the most boring, paint-by-numbers, cheapest-looking uniforms imaginable. There is no creativity here and no uniqueness. They look like the most bog standard uniforms you can order from a supplier.

Thank you Lights Out, I'm glad I am not alone on this.

Plain and bland lacks anything decent. Oh wow, solid colors and no graphics? So amazing, who took hours coming up with that? I'm guessing the same guys who sat around and decided to just start using throwbacks again, and not making anything new.

A throwback DAY, but not full time. It leaves alot to be desired.

If you consider those uniforms to be "ugly", then your opinions of style and design should forever be disregarded.

[Lights Out]

Sorry I just don't see what's so damn special about one-color uniforms with no striping and plain athletic block numbers. There is exactly zero creativity in any of the uniforms I listed, except for Michigan's helmet.

[IceCap]

Sorry but Flying Elvis is NOT classic, nor even a good design. They need Pat back.

The current Patriots set is one of the modern uniform sets I really like.

Pat, and the uniforms associated with him, need to be left in the past.

Sorry I just don't see what's so damn special about one-color uniforms with no striping and plain athletic block numbers. There is exactly zero creativity in any of the uniforms I listed, except for Michigan's helmet.

It's not always about what's "special." Are Penn State's uniforms the pinnacle of graphic and uniform design? No. Of course not. I doubt anyone here would make that claim. The thing is, though, that isn't what matters. They aren't trying to "push the envelope" and try new ideas out with their uniforms. They're simply keeping the uniforms that the team has worn all through their history, through the good times and bad. Like I said in my last post these uniforms that you call boring are full of tradition because they're associated with their teams' good times, and their teams' bad times; that is to say that they've become part of the team's soul.

You don't have to like them. You should, however, acknowledge that they're the way they are for a very real purpose; legacy, tradition, these are qualities these old teams value.

Honestly, it seems like you won't be happy until every team has giant logos splashed across their jerseys, wacky number fonts, and/or insane pants striping patterns. I'm sorry, that's not going to work for some teams. More modern looks work for some teams, but for others they just don't.

I'll try this with simpler language; a custom font won't work for the New York Yankees' road jerseys just like plain block font won't work for the Tampa Bay Rays' road jerseys. For some teams these uniform styles you call "boring" work.

[Lights Out]

Wow, I'm actually agreeing with Ice_Cap here. Pat Patriot is one of the ugliest logos ever. Way too detailed for a football helmet and it suffers from the same poor "bad photocopy" quality as the Lakers' logo.

That being said, the current set is horrible. The Pats should have never ditched these:

[IceCap]

Wow, I'm actually agreeing with Ice_Cap here.

I don't hate all modern looks, and I don't love all older looks

The Pats, Eagles, Rams, Panthers, Texans, Broncos, Seahawks, and Titans all have great modern looks, in my opinion. Likewise the Pat the Patriot set, the Bucco Bruce set, the old Detroit Lions set, and the Montana era 49ers look all need to be left in the past. Heck, I love the updated Cardinals logo.

Pat Patriot is one of the ugliest logos ever. Way too detailed for a football helmet and it suffers from the same poor "bad photocopy" quality as the Lakers' logo.

Indeed. If Pat had survived he would have gotten a facelift ala the Seahawks and Cardinals by now. Combine it's poor quality with the franchise's joke status during the majority of its tenure, and I'm at a loss as to why people love it so much.

That being said, the current set is horrible. The Pats should have never ditched these:

I like these, and the current Pats set, about equally. So all other factors being equal I have to go with the Super Bowl era look.

[cheo25]

Wow, I'm actually agreeing with Ice_Cap here.

I don't hate all modern looks, and I don't love all older looks

The Pats, Eagles, Rams, Panthers, Texans, Broncos, Seahawks, and Titans all have great modern looks, in my opinion. Likewise the Pat the Patriot set, the Bucco Bruce set, the old Detroit Lions set, and the Montana era 49ers look all need to be left in the past. Heck, I love the updated Cardinals logo.

Sorry, but the Titans uniforms look like CFL rejects. The Eagles need to learn that green and black clash, and that midnight green is horrible. Same for the Lions and the needless black trim. The Broncos' side panels are awful and have spawned almost 15 years of bad knockoffs of bad design. The Montana 49ers uniforms are an upgrade over the drop shadow look. And I prefer Pat the Patriot to Flying Elvis.

I'll agree with you on the Texans, Panthers and Seahawks.

The beauty of simple looks like the Raiders, Penn State, Michigan, etc., is that you know who they are when you see them, be it 1970 or 2010. There's no need for flash and gimmicks with uniforms like those.

And there's the argument for the classics. Matter of personal preference.