Unpopular Opinions

[clonewars2008]

1 hour ago, Ridleylash said:

If I'm recalling right, upon the initial reveal the logo was officially said by the team to be "the head of a Roman general, a member of the Senate of the Roman Republic, projecting from a gold circle"; it doesn't seem like the centurion aspect came up at all.

In most cases in order to be a General or a Senator one must have served in the Roman army and most of them were at one point Centurions, The Roman astatic is better than the =O= one. It's good to throw back to on an alternate but the Centurion look is to project power and strength.  

 

Quote

I'm pretty sure you're joking, but I'll address your Leafs take anyway. A franchise being terrible for decades isn't close to the same as one relocating, folding, then having an expansion team adopt their name & colours 60 years later. Despite their dysfunction, you can still draw a straight line from the current Leafs to the teams of the past. Morgan Rielly played with Phil Kessel, who played with Tomas Kaberle, who played with Wendel Clark, who played with Borje Salming, who played with Dave Keon, who was on the Leafs when they won their last Cup.

 

As for the Sens, the original plan was to use something like the Peace Tower wordmark they initially unveiled. After the massive success the Sharks had selling merchandise, there was pressure to come up with something "cooler" that kids would want to wear. This lead to the Canadian senators = Roman senators = Roman centurions stretch.

I'm kinda joking about the Leafs, but they are a husk of their former self and died when Conn Smythe did. Overreliance on history is terrible especially when you have done :censored: all since the Sgt. Pepper came out. Montreal is teetering on this too as we are nearing 30 years since their last cup. Oh you have 24 Cups? Cool, how many fans were actually live and remember seeing one?

But for the Sens they shouldn't rely on that history either, yes it's good to call back but it's shouldn't be the identity of the team. I like that they stuck to the Roman theme. I like it, I grew up with it, it's more than just nostalgic feelings either as 4 years ago we almost won a cup in that look. and yeah the 3D look is kind of goofy but this brand is still a good brand and with the switch back to the 2D era it shoots up in the brand standings (though I was also a big fan of the RBK Edge look just wish they didn't have the O logo there and added the updated 2D logo to the shoulders).

[Danny the Sheeb]

The glaring inconsistencies ruin the Cowboys' set.  The white jersey set is fine design-wise (although K-State does it better, fight me), but the blue one sucks and the three (four?) different shades of blue drive me crazy and so do the shiny pants and the black on the sleeve stripes and it's all very frustrating.  I'm a staunch traditionalist, but some things should just be left in the past.

 

 

 

(Yes, I'm aware they made the pants less shiny last year, don't @ me.)

[Chromatic]

On the topic of unpopular opinions about the Cowboys, they should wear blue at home. I know tradition and all that and blah blah but I think their blue set is a lot stronger than their white and yet its never worn.

[DCarp1231]

1 hour ago, Chromatic said:

On the topic of unpopular opinions about the Cowboys, they should wear blue at home. I know tradition and all that and blah blah but I think their blue set is a lot stronger than their white and yet its never worn.

I’ve said it numerous times, but the current white set needs to be throw in a dumpster and the Color Rush needs to replace it. There would only be one shade of blue in use too

[spartacat_12]

On 4/6/2021 at 6:29 PM, clonewars2008 said:

In most cases in order to be a General or a Senator one must have served in the Roman army and most of them were at one point Centurions, The Roman astatic is better than the =O= one. It's good to throw back to on an alternate but the Centurion look is to project power and strength.  

I'm kinda joking about the Leafs, but they are a husk of their former self and died when Conn Smythe did. Overreliance on history is terrible especially when you have done all since the Sgt. Pepper came out. Montreal is teetering on this too as we are nearing 30 years since their last cup. Oh you have 24 Cups? Cool, how many fans were actually live and remember seeing one?

But for the Sens they shouldn't rely on that history either, yes it's good to call back but it's shouldn't be the identity of the team. I like that they stuck to the Roman theme. I like it, I grew up with it, it's more than just nostalgic feelings either as 4 years ago we almost won a cup in that look. and yeah the 3D look is kind of goofy but this brand is still a good brand and with the switch back to the 2D era it shoots up in the brand standings (though I was also a big fan of the RBK Edge look just wish they didn't have the O logo there and added the updated 2D logo to the shoulders).

 

I hate to break it to you, but liking the brand purely because you associate it with a deep playoff run, and not due to the actual merits of the design, is nostalgia. Also, I'm not sure exactly how young you are, but I'm pretty sure there are quite a few living people on the planet who can remember 1993.

[DCarp1231]

Everything about the Steelers identity below the helmet sucks.

[The_Admiral]

On 3/21/2021 at 9:04 PM, dont care said:

Then why did the Washington nationals take that name rather than the senators?

 

I remember an old article from fall 2004 that quoted Bud Selig as saying he always liked the name "Washington Nationals, or Nats for short" better than Senators. He may have meant it, he may have been paying lip service to people who took issue with DC's own lack of actual United States Senators, but he did strongly hint that they'd end up being the Nationals at a time when everyone thought they'd be the Senators or the Grays. I think it worked out well because Nats is a good secondary nickname and it represents their place in the National League, Washington having been an AL town the first two times. 

[Ridleylash]

On 4/9/2021 at 12:17 PM, spartacat_12 said:

I hate to break it to you, but liking the brand purely because you associate it with a deep playoff run, and not due to the actual merits of the design, is nostalgia. Also, I'm not sure exactly how young you are, but I'm pretty sure there are quite a few living people on the planet who can remember 1993.

That, and calling out the Habs for "overreliance on history" is kinda stupid because the fact is that it's literally one of the most iconic looks in hockey, and honestly probably sports in general. You show that jersey to someone and they immediately know what team it is. That's not "overreliance on history", that's "not :censored:ing with what works". 

 

And honestly, the 90's look isn't even the best look for the Sens; certainly their best primary look, but they've had two alternate designs (the laurel jersey and the modern barberpoles) that both are leagues above their primaries of any era.

 

The main reason they should keep the current theme isn't because of some bull like "they were carried by Andrew Hammond to an Eastern Conference Final they probably didn't deserve to be in", it's because it's a solid foundation that takes a key part of the city (the fact it houses the country's government) and has fun with it to give the team evocative imagery.

 

The barberpole works wonderfully as an alternate to homage the Senators that came before, but...well, these Senators are not those Senators. It's been 30 years of this theme, I think there's enough mileage to keep it the permanent main look.

[DCarp1231]

We need more teams in baseball to have sleeve numbers like the Phillies

[Quillz]

2 hours ago, DNAsports said:

We need more teams in baseball to have sleeve numbers like the Phillies

Not something I disagree with, but I just really hate the Phillies number font. I don't know why, it just looks too "soft" for lack of a better way to put it. Also, sometimes the white keyline will intersect with itself and it just looks muddled. I liked both the maroon and number font they used prior to 1993.

[ManillaToad]

the Ducks should still go by Mighty Ducks of Anaheim

[AFirestormToPurify]

5 hours ago, ManillaToad said:

the Ducks should still go by Mighty Ducks of Anaheim

Unpopular opinion?

[ManillaToad]

7 hours ago, AFirestormToPurify said:

Unpopular opinion?

 

I figured even the people who are okay with the "of Anaheim" don't like the "Mighty" part

[AFirestormToPurify]

2 hours ago, ManillaToad said:

 

I figured even the people who are okay with the "of Anaheim" don't like the "Mighty" part

I like both lol. Some people don't like the "of Anaheim" part? I guess I've been living under a rock all along

[IceCap]

On 3/24/2021 at 1:37 PM, clonewars2008 said:

Also, can we add the Leafs to the same situation as the Sens? Unpopular opinion but the Leafs at this point are two different franchises with one that was only good cause they had less than 5 other teams to compete with most of the time and a 50 year old franchise marred with terrible ownership, over reliance on the past, inapt and overhyped teams and all intent and purpose the Toronto maple Leafs died and folded with Conn Smythe. The NHL record books should say Toronto Maple Leafs I (1927-1967) and Toronto Maple Leafs II (1967-present)

Oh look, a Sens fan defending bad logos AND being salty about the Maple Leafs!

 

It's Ottawa Sports Radio Bingo.

 

On 4/6/2021 at 6:29 PM, clonewars2008 said:

Overreliance on history is terrible especially when you have done all since the Sgt. Pepper came out.

And yet the Leafs' uniforms- their classic look- is infinitely better than any Senators logo with a Centurion on it.

[DCarp1231]

I’ve always thought the Maple Leafs uniforms kinda sucked.

 

Then again, I’m not exactly a huge hockey uniform enthusiast either.

[Ridleylash]

33 minutes ago, IceCap said:

And yet the Leafs' uniforms- their classic look- is infinitely better than any Senators logo with a Centurion on it.

I mean, the Leafs have had a century's worth of time to refine and tweak their look, where the Sens have had 30 or so years, a decent chunk of which was spent using a terrible Reebok template design. Obviously one's going to be better.  

 

I just don't think the answer to solving the Sens' identity is "scrap everything, go Silver Seven" because there's now too much brand equity in the look the current franchise has generally kept to since it's inception, and I'd rather them not try to Browns things by taking another franchise's design for their own. I'd argue the best option would just be to split things down the middle; keep the Silver Seven look on as a permanent alternate while using the mid-late 90's jerseys full-time.

 

Maybe if the NHL decides to open a proper fourth jersey slot without a gimmick attached (which it feels like the Reverse Retro is a test platoon for), we could literally split the difference and have darks and whites for both. That way, both camps stay satisfied because both sides have home and away options.

[spartacat_12]

15 hours ago, Ridleylash said:

I mean, the Leafs have had a century's worth of time to refine and tweak their look, where the Sens have had 30 or so years, a decent chunk of which was spent using a terrible Reebok template design. Obviously one's going to be better.  

 

I just don't think the answer to solving the Sens' identity is "scrap everything, go Silver Seven" because there's now too much brand equity in the look the current franchise has generally kept to since it's inception, and I'd rather them not try to Browns things by taking another franchise's design for their own. I'd argue the best option would just be to split things down the middle; keep the Silver Seven look on as a permanent alternate while using the mid-late 90's jerseys full-time.

 

Maybe if the NHL decides to open a proper fourth jersey slot without a gimmick attached (which it feels like the Reverse Retro is a test platoon for), we could literally split the difference and have darks and whites for both. That way, both camps stay satisfied because both sides have home and away options.

 

As much as I would like to see a black & a white =O= set as permanent alternates, I can't imagine a situation where the team doesn't have some sort of red jersey in the rotation.

[IceCap]

@clonewars2008 actually said he likes the Senators' centurion look because he grew up with it. That's nearly the dictionary definition of nostalgia. 

And you know what? That's fine. There's nothing wrong with that. 

Best to not accuse others of relying too much on history when your argument boils down to "I liked it when I grew up" though. 

 

The way I see it is this...

 

The original Senators/Silver Seven were important not just to Ottawa, but the sport. They're a truly pivotal squad in the sport's formative years. 

This is why the new team chose the name. The goal was to harken back to that classic name and identity. If the "hundred year gap" (in reality only ~70 years) had degraded the original Senators' legacy so much then the team wouldn't have adopted the name or colours. 

 

The idea that the =O= logo is somehow untenable as a modern day brand ignores the strong brands of teams like the Habs and Leafs. The argument that "those are boring!" is pretty weak. You can't separate a logo or uniform from context. And like those teams or not, those uniforms and logos resonate across the sport, from generation to generation. 

Does the =O= logo have the potential to be that for Ottawa? Yes. If it didn't they wouldn't have brought the "Senators" name back in the first place. 

 

 

 

[spartacat_12]

^ This. Historically speaking, Ottawa has contributed just as much to the sport of hockey as cities like Montreal & Toronto have. It's the birthplace of the Stanley Cup, and home to one of the league's founding 4 franchises, who just happened to be the sport's first ever dynasty. Canadian Tire Centre has streets surrounding it named Silver Seven Rd, Frank Nighbor Pl, Cyclone Taylor Blvd, and Frank Finnigan Way. It makes sense for them to have a simple, traditional brand.