Uniform trends that oughta go

[johnnysama]

I think there has been a thread for this in the past, but since it would be in bad form to post on a few-year-old thread, I thought I'd do one myself.

This thread is self-explanatory. Here goes.

Black accents on team's color schemes that aren't part of them - OK, most of it's gone. Case in point: Mets, Blue Jays.

Low pants in baseball - Ugh. I know it's more comfortable, but it's dishonoring tradition. I'm a progressive guy in many ways, but some things just look so cool after so many years, it's hard to imagine how it'd be without that look.

Disappearing sleeves on football jerseys - This really gives me a lot of discontent. If these things continue to shrink, where will all the stripes go? How sad.

Those are some of mine. If I have any more to share; I'll be sure to pass that along.

[Lights Out]

Gray facemasks - they're dull and clash with most color schemes.

Retro for retro's sake - too many teams are switching to super-boring "retro" designs with no creativity. When '90s expansion teams are dressing up like the Original Six, you know this trend is becoming a problem.

Vintage white - it looks like someone spilled coffee on all the hockey sweaters and nobody washed them.

[dennisbergan]

-Throwemback Overkill in college and professional football. There are good reasons most "old" uniforms are retired. They sucked then and they suck today.

-NFL players who don't wear pads in their pants. Maybe they like pain and injuries to their legs? Plus, it makes some players look like they are wearing shorts. Its just a soft look and hurts the overall uniform. One of these days, the NFL will mandate padding.

-Maryland Football. Whatever they were thinking, was obviously clouded in drug haze. Its one thing to be "unique". Its another to be "embarrassing" and "assugly". You don't need 107 different uniforms, when you are 2-10. Pick 2 helmets, 2 jersey's and 2 or 3 pairs of pants and go with that.

[hawk36]

1. Double and triple outlining of numerals and letters.

2. Excessive striping, swooshing, lines all over that clutter looks.

3. Small numerals on football jersey fronts. They can be smaller than the back but now they're just way too small.

[TheOldRoman]

Monochrome in football. While some applications are just bad and not terrible, any monochrome uniform would be improved by having different color pants.

"Advanced" templates created by Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Russell, etc. There are absolutely no performance benefits to having the ridiculous templates some of these companies have rolled out. You can have a unique or crazy design within a traditional template (classic Bengals and Chargers, '90s Suns). There is no reason for a bunch of random seams or partial leg striping on football jerseys, and there is no reason basketball jerseys should have tight collars or have the shoulder portion go all the way to the arm and not have trim (not piping) around it.

[CS85]

When will somebody trash the Browns unis so we can make this thread one for the ages?

[BBTV]

-NFL players who don't wear pads in their pants. Maybe they like pain and injuries to their legs? Plus, it makes some players look like they are wearing shorts. Its just a soft look and hurts the overall uniform. One of these days, the NFL will mandate padding.

Are there stats on the number of injuries that would have been prevented had the player been wearing pants pads? Just curious because you don't see too many players getting carted off with thigh bruises or knee-cap bruises. When I was in high school, we often wondered just how valuable those pads really were.

[evanmaldonado]

White for white's sake. I mean, come on, 99% of of all sports teams have one and white isn't in all the color schemes...shame

[piratesfan16]

Gray facemasks - they're dull and clash with most color schemes.

Retro for retro's sake - too many teams are switching to super-boring "retro" designs with no creativity. When '90s expansion teams are dressing up like the Original Six, you know this trend is becoming a problem.

Vintage white - it looks like someone spilled coffee on all the hockey sweaters and nobody washed them.

Good point. The main problem is that it clashes with the clean, pure white ice. Another one you can throw in there is lace-up hockey jerseys. Also, throw in the sudden fascination with powder blue or two-tone blue. Again, throw in the abundance of CIRCULAR LOGOS! Not just in the NHL, but in all of sports *cough* Padres *cough*.

[Iron Lion]

Numbers on the front of NHL hockey jerseys! Gotta go!

[ksupilot]

1. Baggy / long NCAA basketball shorts...they practically reach players' ankles now.

2. Disappearing football sleeves, it's just wrong when you can see a player's armpit hair.

3. NCAA football teams trying to "Out-Oregon" Oregon with crazy uniforms.

4. Any attempts by the Islanders to stray from their classic look. Just stop...please.

[CS85]

1. Baggy / long NCAA basketball shorts...they practically reach players' ankles now.

In a similar note, fashion-statement articles worn by pro athletes that serve no purpose whatsoever. Ala the massive sleeves worn when there's no point (I understand their function, but unless you have an injury or an insanely objectionable tat they're pointless), or these infamous tights:

or these tiny bands that are a total fashion statement in the NFL:

[Sport]

-NFL players who don't wear pads in their pants. Maybe they like pain and injuries to their legs? Plus, it makes some players look like they are wearing shorts. Its just a soft look and hurts the overall uniform. One of these days, the NFL will mandate padding.

Are there stats on the number of injuries that would have been prevented had the player been wearing pants pads? Just curious because you don't see too many players getting carted off with thigh bruises or knee-cap bruises. When I was in high school, we often wondered just how valuable those pads really were.

Well mandated knee pads might cut down on head injuries. Think about it. Would you rather get kneed in the head with someone's bent knee, or would that hurt less if they had a softer cushion on their knee?

How many times have we seen a guy get a concussion from a knee to the head? Quite a bit. Knee pads would lessen the blow.

[Brave-Bird 08]

- Adding grey facemasks for no reason

- Adding matte just because (mfms)

- Adding black helmets, jerseys, pants OR adding black to your color scheme as an excuse to add black

- Doing the fill-by-color option to order collegiate football uniforms (Tulsa, Fresno State, San Jose State, etc)

[TheOldRoman]

-NFL players who don't wear pads in their pants. Maybe they like pain and injuries to their legs? Plus, it makes some players look like they are wearing shorts. Its just a soft look and hurts the overall uniform. One of these days, the NFL will mandate padding.

Are there stats on the number of injuries that would have been prevented had the player been wearing pants pads? Just curious because you don't see too many players getting carted off with thigh bruises or knee-cap bruises. When I was in high school, we often wondered just how valuable those pads really were.

Well mandated knee pads might cut down on head injuries. Think about it. Would you rather get kneed in the head with someone's bent knee, or would that hurt less if they had a softer cushion on their knee?

How many times have we seen a guy get a concussion from a knee to the head? Quite a bit. Knee pads would lessen the blow.

Yeah. The NFL originally said last year that they would make knee and thigh pads mandatory in this collective barganing agreement, but they decided to do a study of the injuries and put it off until they got the results.

[CS85]

I don't see why you wouldn't wear knee or thigh pads, especially at the pro level. I don't think they're cumbersome at all and I'd play harder knowing I had that tiny bit of protection. But then again I'm not a pro athlete.

[drdougfresh]

-NFL players who don't wear pads in their pants. Maybe they like pain and injuries to their legs? Plus, it makes some players look like they are wearing shorts. Its just a soft look and hurts the overall uniform. One of these days, the NFL will mandate padding.

Are there stats on the number of injuries that would have been prevented had the player been wearing pants pads? Just curious because you don't see too many players getting carted off with thigh bruises or knee-cap bruises. When I was in high school, we often wondered just how valuable those pads really were.

Well mandated knee pads might cut down on head injuries. Think about it. Would you rather get kneed in the head with someone's bent knee, or would that hurt less if they had a softer cushion on their knee?

How many times have we seen a guy get a concussion from a knee to the head? Quite a bit. Knee pads would lessen the blow.

I bet Nike will address this with their equipment (Pro Combat integrated padding, performance padded under gear, etc.). They're pretty good about that stuff in the NCAA. For example:

[TheOldRoman]

I don't see why you wouldn't wear knee or thigh pads, especially at the pro level. I don't think they're cumbersome at all and I'd play harder knowing I had that tiny bit of protection. But then again I'm not a pro athlete.

Forget getting a helmet to the knee, I would wear knee pads just to give a little extra protection from falling to the ground. I mean, I have played tackle football in extremely cold weather when the ground was rock hard, and it's not fun falling into a knee.

[TheOldRoman]

I bet Nike will address this with their equipment (Pro Combat integrated padding, performance padded under gear, etc.). They're pretty good about that stuff in the NCAA.

Yeah, but the NCAA mandates knee, thigh, hip and butt pads. The NFL only requires players to wear helmets and pads (which is why Ed McCaffrey wore his old pads from little league). Nike wouldn't design that stuff into the pants until the NFL mandated it because the players would complain.

[CDixonDesign]

I think the Grey facemask is more of a heated discussion more then Black for Black's sake here...

Anyhow, a few i'd like to see phased out:

- Nike System of Dress - Tight jerseys and large baggy shorts

- The current "Grey" alternate jerseys in Basketball. Some work, but 95% of teams can't pull it off well enough..

- "Identity-Less helmets". More specifically, the "flat black" helmet trend in CFB that Nike has started. For example: Matte Helmets with Gloss black logos. Also UA's Matte Black helmet with no side logo and "maryland flag" striping...if you can't openly identify the team by the helmet in a split second, then the design has no meaning...