Teams that have started horrible design trends.

[BBTV]

Whoever started the current boring faux-retro trend in sports would be the worst offender.

In hockey, that's definitely Reebok's ultra-futuristic Edge v1 set that started that trend. The "Vintage" series in 2003-04 didn't work out that well sales-wise. Nobody bought the '68 baby blue Pens jersey then, everybody bought one when the Winter Classic used it

I think in baseball, you could make a case that the Phillies change from their 70s-80s set to their current one in 1992 would be one of the first moves to a faux-back design.

Since then, when the neo-retro stadiums started opening, and teams like the Indians started wearing old-style uniforms, I think that's when the fad really started.

In football, I think that the Lions throwbacks for the '94 season (and to a lesser extend the 49ers) really got teams thinking about older looks, and then in less than a decade we saw the Giants and Jets go back to old looks.

Obviously, the popularity of the Chargers powder blue started a trend as well, as teams like the Nuggets all of a sudden decided that bright blue and yellow were a good combo. That eventually morphed in to the blue-on-blue craze, which Dallas, Memphis, and (most eggregiously) Utah followed (along with countless hockey teams.)

I think the fad in baseball started with the White Sox. They revamped the 1950's look for the new stadium opening in 1991. They were the first of the wave of new stadiums opening, and teams started using their stadium openings as reasons to rebrand, often going retro.

My first thought was the White Sox as well, but in my head I thought it was more modern because of the silver, but yeah it's still a faux-back and I'm sure that teams were inspired by that (though I think that the Chisox and Phillies may have actually preceded the trend, even if they were first to do it.)

Didn't the Patriots uniform template eventually lead to the Rams current look?

No, considering the Rams were set to go to that look in '99 but fouled up the paperwork or something. It's not even really the same template - the Patriots stripes are wider at the bottom and taper in the back.

[tBBP]

The Rams' uniform came out a year or two before the Patriots, if I remember correctly. (And I may not be.)

Also, speaking of the NFL, here's one: the whole "logo above the NOB" thing. I think that first caught on in the NBA, I want to say with the Mavericks when they introduced their current identity (back then it was just a star above the NOB). If that ever catches on in the NFL, you'll have the Arizona Cardinals, of all teams, to thank for it. (The Vikings right now seem to be the only other follower of that little quirk.)

Oh?and how's this for terrible trends? Wait for it....wait for it...

....ANTHRACITE!!!

[Kevin W.]

1999, Nike, the NBA, and the wishbone collar. Two colored uni--only for the Raptors, no one else bought into it. They pulled it off nicely though.

I hate the wishbone collar so much.

Yankees started one nearly 100 years ago. Pinstriped to make Ruth look skinnier(really).

That is an urban legend. The Yankees were wearing pinstripes before Ruth played for them and besides, he wasn't really "fat" until late in his career after he'd already played for the Yankees for a significant amount of time.

[nash61]

Not practiced that much now (outside Buffalo and San Jose), but Buffalo started the front numbers in 07 with their vintage alternate:

A few initial EDGE designed featured the front numbers:

The vintage alternate did NOT start that trend, the Buffa-slug jerseys did. The front numbers on the vintage alt were just a sad by-product.

[VandyDelphia Mike]

Whoever started the current boring faux-retro trend in sports would be the worst offender.

In hockey, that's definitely Reebok's ultra-futuristic Edge v1 set that started that trend. The "Vintage" series in 2003-04 didn't work out that well sales-wise. Nobody bought the '68 baby blue Pens jersey then, everybody bought one when the Winter Classic used it

I think in baseball, you could make a case that the Phillies change from their 70s-80s set to their current one in 1992 would be one of the first moves to a faux-back design.

Since then, when the neo-retro stadiums started opening, and teams like the Indians started wearing old-style uniforms, I think that's when the fad really started.

In football, I think that the Lions throwbacks for the '94 season (and to a lesser extend the 49ers) really got teams thinking about older looks, and then in less than a decade we saw the Giants and Jets go back to old looks.

Obviously, the popularity of the Chargers powder blue started a trend as well, as teams like the Nuggets all of a sudden decided that bright blue and yellow were a good combo. That eventually morphed in to the blue-on-blue craze, which Dallas, Memphis, and (most eggregiously) Utah followed (along with countless hockey teams.)

I think the fad in baseball started with the White Sox. They revamped the 1950's look for the new stadium opening in 1991. They were the first of the wave of new stadiums opening, and teams started using their stadium openings as reasons to rebrand, often going retro.

My first thought was the White Sox as well, but in my head I thought it was more modern because of the silver, but yeah it's still a faux-back and I'm sure that teams were inspired by that (though I think that the Chisox and Phillies may have actually preceded the trend, even if they were first to do it.)

1987 Braves went back to a previous style prior to the Pale Hose and the Fightin Phils.

[Xodius]

The vintage alternate did NOT start that trend, the Buffa-slug jerseys did. The front numbers on the vintage alt were just a sad by-product.

You're right. I guess I try to forget those Buffaslug jerseys ever existed.

[andrewharrington]

If you would have told me that Shaq wore shorts that short in the NBA I never would have believed you without seeing it...

or was that skinny at one time

or dribbled the basketball up the floor at what looks to be a running pace

[MJWalker45]

Pretty sure the Rams came first. With gold panels at first.

[Kevin W.]

Both the Rams and Patriots started wearing their current uniforms in the 2000 season.

[thespleenenator]

The Rams' uniform came out a year or two before the Patriots, if I remember correctly. (And I may not be.)

Also, speaking of the NFL, here's one: the whole "logo above the NOB" thing. I think that first caught on in the NBA, I want to say with the Mavericks when they introduced their current identity (back then it was just a star above the NOB). If that ever catches on in the NFL, you'll have the Arizona Cardinals, of all teams, to thank for it. (The Vikings right now seem to be the only other follower of that little quirk.)

Oh?and how's this for terrible trends? Wait for it....wait for it...

....ANTHRACITE!!!

Was it Oregon who started the Anthicrite, or someone else?

[Kevin W.]

The Rams' uniform came out a year or two before the Patriots, if I remember correctly. (And I may not be.)

Also, speaking of the NFL, here's one: the whole "logo above the NOB" thing. I think that first caught on in the NBA, I want to say with the Mavericks when they introduced their current identity (back then it was just a star above the NOB). If that ever catches on in the NFL, you'll have the Arizona Cardinals, of all teams, to thank for it. (The Vikings right now seem to be the only other follower of that little quirk.)

Oh?and how's this for terrible trends? Wait for it....wait for it...

....ANTHRACITE!!!

Was it Oregon who started the Anthicrite, or someone else?

Yeah, Oregon started the random black/gray trend.

[Jungle Jim]

On July 16, 1970 the Pirates unveiled a new uniform set that changed the face of baseball: the double-knit pullover jersey and elastic waist pants. Paul Lukas wrote about it two years ago.

[sorcerer77]

On July 16, 1970 the Pirates unveiled a new uniform set that changed the face of baseball: the double-knit pullover jersey and elastic waist pants. Paul Lukas wrote about it two years ago.

That photo might be from a famous Roberto Clemente play, which was just a single, but demonstrated why Clemente is on the short list of all-time greats. Veteran Mike Cuellar was pitching, and fooled Clemente into a check swing grounder right back to Cuellar. By all rights, this should have been an very easy putout, but the 37 year old Clemente tore down the line so fast it rattled Cuellar, who made a high throw to first, and Roberto beat it out. Clemente later scored on a home run by Bob Robertson as the Bucs won the game.

[DC in Da House w/o a Doubt]

Weird stripes, panels, pretty much all of it.

Yep.

(not a terrible look btw...)

[OnWis97]

On 7/11/2012 at 9:35 PM, Buc said:

The Rams' uniform came out a year or two before the Patriots, if I remember correctly. (And I may not be.)

Also, speaking of the NFL, here's one: the whole "logo above the NOB" thing. I think that first caught on in the NBA, I want to say with the Mavericks when they introduced their current identity (back then it was just a star above the NOB). If that ever catches on in the NFL, you'll have the Arizona Cardinals, of all teams, to thank for it. (The Vikings right now seem to be the only other follower of that little quirk.)

Oh—and how's this for terrible trends? Wait for it....wait for it...

....ANTHRACITE!!!

 

Earlier, I thought it was the Steelers that started the "logo on the left shoulder" thing.

 

Though according to "Football Uniforms Past and Present", this started in 1997, which I am pretty sure was the first year Wisconsin did it. This is the only photo I could find from the 1997 kickoff classic (pummeled by 'Cuse), the debut of the "W" on the shoulder.

 

It appears that the Colts did it in 1997 (BTW, I loved when the Colts had stripes all the way around and blue facemasks)

 

And the Jets started in 1998.

 

In 1997, Wisconsin was with Reebok, but I don't recall whether the NFL (or the Steelers/Colts) was. So I don't know whether it was a Reebok thing, a coincidence or if there was some other college team already doing it that they all copied.

[illwauk]

Weird stripes, panels, pretty much all of it.

Yep.

(not a terrible look btw...)

Cal did it better.

[DC in Da House w/o a Doubt]

Weird stripes, panels, pretty much all of it.

Yep.

(not a terrible look btw...)

Cal did it better.

I can't help but think you should have posted a pic of Marshawn Lynch instead, just to confuse the hell out of people.

[illwauk]

I probably would have if I'd remembered Marshawn wore #10 in college

[DC in Da House w/o a Doubt]

I probably would have if I'd remembered Marshawn wore #10 in college

tisk tisk... you call yourself a Wisconsin-Milwaukee fan??

[kevinmets]

Yankees started one nearly 100 years ago. Pinstriped to make Ruth look skinnier(really).

Not really.

http://www.snopes.com/sports/baseball/pinstripes.asp