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Portland Trailblazers new uniforms?


Schilly

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You guys would have to actually go to Portland and see how much Rip City is embraced.

Which is why it's silly to put it on a sports jersey. Put it on fan t-shirts that will be sold locally, but not on a jersey that's just going to make the rest of the country go "huh?"

Again, it's the 40th anniversary. And apparently (upon reading an article on today's announcements) they'll only be used twice each:

When the Blazers have a game honoring a decade, they will wear special alternate uniforms, which were unveiled Monday. In two of the games, the current team will wear uniforms like those of the 1976-1977 NBA championship team, with the team name vertically stretched down the right side of the jersey. The other two games, the team will don newly designed jerseys that say "rip city" on the front, playing off the catchphrase coined by Schonely during the first season to indicate a good play.

They're going to have four different games honoring each of the four decades of the team - two will feature the 76-77 style red away, two the new white "rip city" jerseys. It's not going to encroach all that much I don't think.

For what it's worth, the jerseys seem to have been received well by the Blazers fan community - especially the red throwbacks. It's a celebration for the fans this year, it really doesn't matter what others think.

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You guys would have to actually go to Portland and see how much Rip City is embraced.

Which is why it's silly to put it on a sports jersey. Put it on fan t-shirts that will be sold locally, but not on a jersey that's just going to make the rest of the country go "huh?"

As someone who lives in Portland and understands the locals embrace of "rip city," I completely agree. It's a widely recognized regional nickname that almost nobody outside of Portland seems to recognize. It should have been left as a fan apparel.

But at the same time, I think it's hard to make the argument that this is just about making more money from jersey sales. I can't see why anybody would buy these outside of Oregon and Southwest Washington. Unless, of course, you like wearing shirts that prompt people to ask, "what does that mean?

Yes, people don't know about it now, but you can't tell me that after this year, everyone who watches the Blazers play, in person, highlight, etc. and see's these jerseys won't at least add 1 and 1 and know that Portland=Rip City. I'm sure that anyone watching Sportscenter will hear a witty remark from a host about the history or something, or they may end up wiki'ing it for more info. This Rip City nickname will definitely become more known with these.

No offense to the great people of Oregon, but I highly doubt this will be the case.

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The jerseys aren't that bad. It's no different than the Warriors bringing back "The City" uniforms a few years ago, which I might add have been extremely popular in/around the Bay Area. You go to a Warriors game and half the people in the stands are wearing memorabilia that has "The City" on it.

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Upon further thought, I have figured out what it is about the Rip City jersey that bugs me. As other people have complained about, the mismatched fonts are an issue for me, too. But the bigger issue is that the '70s font for "ripcity" is so out of place with all of the modern elements -- i.e. funky collar stripes, multi-color side panels, logo @ base of collar, modern font for name and numbers.

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Upon further thought, I have figured out what it is about the Rip City jersey that bugs me. As other people have complained about, the mismatched fonts are an issue for me, too. But the bigger issue is that the '70s font for "ripcity" is so out of place with all of the modern elements -- i.e. funky collar stripes, multi-color side panels, logo @ base of collar, modern font for name and numbers.

Ooh...look! It's a Frylock sighting!

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Upon further thought, I have figured out what it is about the Rip City jersey that bugs me. As other people have complained about, the mismatched fonts are an issue for me, too. But the bigger issue is that the '70s font for "ripcity" is so out of place with all of the modern elements -- i.e. funky collar stripes, multi-color side panels, logo @ base of collar, modern font for name and numbers.

But don't you think the uniform fits in with the Blazers uniform history? It looks as though they've taken elements throughout their history and then put a new spin on it. This is essentially what a team should do if they were to introduce a new retro/modern alternate.

Utah_Jazz_2010-11_Identity_Signa-2.jpg
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Upon further thought, I have figured out what it is about the Rip City jersey that bugs me. As other people have complained about, the mismatched fonts are an issue for me, too. But the bigger issue is that the '70s font for "ripcity" is so out of place with all of the modern elements -- i.e. funky collar stripes, multi-color side panels, logo @ base of collar, modern font for name and numbers.

But don't you think the uniform fits in with the Blazers uniform history? It looks as though they've taken elements throughout their history and then put a new spin on it. This is essentially what a team should do if they were to introduce a new retro/modern alternate.

I'm just wondering if maybe they might be going with the "ripcity" template but with "trailblazers" on white and "portland" on either red or black, starting in 2010-2011. I have grown up in Portland to a balzer fan we are "Rip City", period. The old Blazers magazine was "Rip City Magazine" it is synonymous with the blazers here. As I understand it the franchise at one time even owned the copyright to the term "Rip City". Now I think it is kinda silly to have on a uniform on a regular basis, but for 2 games, no biggie. Keep an eye on the template though I still think that could be the new look soon.

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You guys would have to actually go to Portland and see how much Rip City is embraced.

Which is why it's silly to put it on a sports jersey. Put it on fan t-shirts that will be sold locally, but not on a jersey that's just going to make the rest of the country go "huh?"

As someone who lives in Portland and understands the locals embrace of "rip city," I completely agree. It's a widely recognized regional nickname that almost nobody outside of Portland seems to recognize. It should have been left as a fan apparel.

But at the same time, I think it's hard to make the argument that this is just about making more money from jersey sales. I can't see why anybody would buy these outside of Oregon and Southwest Washington. Unless, of course, you like wearing shirts that prompt people to ask, "what does that mean?

Yes, people don't know about it now, but you can't tell me that after this year, everyone who watches the Blazers play, in person, highlight, etc. and see's these jerseys won't at least add 1 and 1 and know that Portland=Rip City. I'm sure that anyone watching Sportscenter will hear a witty remark from a host about the history or something, or they may end up wiki'ing it for more info. This Rip City nickname will definitely become more known with these.

No offense to the great people of Oregon, but I highly doubt this will be the case.

How do you figure? I had never heard of it, none of my friends had ever heard of it, and now we know because of the jerseys. I'm sure there will be all kinds of people who at least see them on Sportcenter or something. Basically, even if not a lot, it will become more well known.

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