New Vikings Uniforms

[oldschoolvikings]

Nice color on this photo.

I'm looking forward to when we can finally see the new uniform in a game situation. Those carefully controlled publicity photos never really tell you how things are going to look. I think seeing these training camp images, even though they aren't of the actual uniforms, give a better indication of the uniform's impression than Nike's 'shopped pics.

[chriscj83]

I think my favorite part is that the black face mask isn't as noticeable as I thought it'd be. Still loving those helmets; they might usurp my #1 favorite Vikings helmet, overtaking the early 80's purple shell/white mask combo.

[PALEFACE]

Nice color on this photo.

I'm looking forward to when we can finally see the new uniform in a game situation. Those carefully controlled publicity photos never really tell you how things are going to look. I think seeing these training camp images, even though they aren't of the actual uniforms, give a better indication of the uniform's impression than Nike's 'shopped pics.

I agree. After watching the videos on Vikings.com, you can tell that the purple looks really nice both on the helmet and unis. Whats great about this helmet is that the light spots just get more purple while the rest is a bit darker, compared to their old helmets which just looked like the normal purple (not darker) and produced a bright glare when light hit them. Not sure if I am explaining that.

I am totally going to the first game vs. Detroit and I am fully expecting to see purple pants!

[tajmccall]

I was at the unveiling and yeah, the black facemask is totally unoffensive in its ability to blend in. So much less offensive and jarring to the eye like a grey or white mask. I hated those white facemasks so much, i abandon my usual "hey man, we all have like our own opinions and stuff, man" stance on differences and take the obnoxious view

Seriously. Thank god it was only a few seasons. Totally ruined the helmet. White facemasks are only ok on white helmets. Its really i think the only helmet thing that bugs me. Besides of course whatever the piss Jacksonville just did.

Many lovely people here loved those things. Yeah, they matched the pants and numbers. I'm happy for ya. Looked like hot garbage.

[oldschoolvikings]

I was at the unveiling and yeah, the black facemask is totally unoffensive in its ability to blend in. So much less offensive and jarring to the eye like a grey or white mask. I hated those white facemasks so much, i abandon my usual "hey man, we all have like our own opinions and stuff, man" stance on differences and take the obnoxious view

Seriously. Thank god it was only a few seasons. Totally ruined the helmet. White facemasks are only ok on white helmets. Its really i think the only helmet thing that bugs me. Besides of course whatever the piss Jacksonville just did.

Many lovely people here loved those things. Yeah, they matched the pants and numbers. I'm happy for ya. Looked like hot garbage.

I never liked the White mask for the Vikings, either, but i'm kinda case by case about white masks overall. Here's two teams I can't picture any other way...

I think it's because both of these team just have one color other than white... I dunno, it's just my exception, I guess.

[OnWis97]

I was at the unveiling and yeah, the black facemask is totally unoffensive in its ability to blend in. So much less offensive and jarring to the eye like a grey or white mask. I hated those white facemasks so much, i abandon my usual "hey man, we all have like our own opinions and stuff, man" stance on differences and take the obnoxious view

Seriously. Thank god it was only a few seasons. Totally ruined the helmet. White facemasks are only ok on white helmets. Its really i think the only helmet thing that bugs me. Besides of course whatever the piss Jacksonville just did.

Many lovely people here loved those things. Yeah, they matched the pants and numbers. I'm happy for ya. Looked like hot garbage.

I agree with OSV, that it's case-by-case (and that OSU looks good). But yeah, those white facemasks in the 80s looked awful. I really believe purple is the only way to go.

I never thought I'd be saying this about a BFBS element, but I would much prefer this black mask to the white or gray. White or gray would, as you say, stick out like a sore thumb much more.

All that said, there is really no reason to have used black over purple. I don't understand why they did not just use purple.

[tajmccall]

Ok, yes, Both of those are fine. Two color teams, totally makes sense. But the Vikings are Purple and Yellow. Not Purple and white. Which is why I get why people go bonkers for the grey facemasks on teams without grey in the scheme. It ends up being such a giant obelisk of color in their uniforms, without being a color that should be featured so much.

[tajmccall]

I was at the unveiling and yeah, the black facemask is totally unoffensive in its ability to blend in. So much less offensive and jarring to the eye like a grey or white mask. I hated those white facemasks so much, i abandon my usual "hey man, we all have like our own opinions and stuff, man" stance on differences and take the obnoxious view

Seriously. Thank god it was only a few seasons. Totally ruined the helmet. White facemasks are only ok on white helmets. Its really i think the only helmet thing that bugs me. Besides of course whatever the piss Jacksonville just did.

Many lovely people here loved those things. Yeah, they matched the pants and numbers. I'm happy for ya. Looked like hot garbage.

I agree with OSV, that it's case-by-case (and that OSU looks good). But yeah, those white facemasks in the 80s looked awful. I really believe purple is the only way to go.

I never thought I'd be saying this about a BFBS element, but I would much prefer this black mask to the white or gray. White or gray would, as you say, stick out like a sore thumb much more.

All that said, there is really no reason to have used black over purple. I don't understand why they did not just use purple.

I assume the facemasks can't be painted matte (or satin) so instead of mismatching the purple (or in UofM's case, maroon) they just go black. Both colors are dark enough where its much less offensive then my aforementioned rant.

[Harmening]

Hmmm, white masks for the Vikes were my favorite, too.

[OnWis97]

I was at the unveiling and yeah, the black facemask is totally unoffensive in its ability to blend in. So much less offensive and jarring to the eye like a grey or white mask. I hated those white facemasks so much, i abandon my usual "hey man, we all have like our own opinions and stuff, man" stance on differences and take the obnoxious view

Seriously. Thank god it was only a few seasons. Totally ruined the helmet. White facemasks are only ok on white helmets. Its really i think the only helmet thing that bugs me. Besides of course whatever the piss Jacksonville just did.

Many lovely people here loved those things. Yeah, they matched the pants and numbers. I'm happy for ya. Looked like hot garbage.

I agree with OSV, that it's case-by-case (and that OSU looks good). But yeah, those white facemasks in the 80s looked awful. I really believe purple is the only way to go.

I never thought I'd be saying this about a BFBS element, but I would much prefer this black mask to the white or gray. White or gray would, as you say, stick out like a sore thumb much more.

All that said, there is really no reason to have used black over purple. I don't understand why they did not just use purple.

I assume the facemasks can't be painted matte (or satin) so instead of mismatching the purple (or in UofM's case, maroon) they just go black. Both colors are dark enough where its much less offensive then my aforementioned rant.

I suppose rather than saying "there is no reason" I should have asked "what is the reason?". In any case, I'd like to see the "best case" purple as I question it would be that far off.

Oh well, as we agree, the black is not nearly as jarring as I'd have guessed.

[Sec19Row53]

I was at the unveiling and yeah, the black facemask is totally unoffensive in its ability to blend in. So much less offensive and jarring to the eye like a grey or white mask. I hated those white facemasks so much, i abandon my usual "hey man, we all have like our own opinions and stuff, man" stance on differences and take the obnoxious view

Seriously. Thank god it was only a few seasons. Totally ruined the helmet. White facemasks are only ok on white helmets. Its really i think the only helmet thing that bugs me. Besides of course whatever the piss Jacksonville just did.

Many lovely people here loved those things. Yeah, they matched the pants and numbers. I'm happy for ya. Looked like hot garbage.

I agree with OSV, that it's case-by-case (and that OSU looks good). But yeah, those white facemasks in the 80s looked awful. I really believe purple is the only way to go.

I never thought I'd be saying this about a BFBS element, but I would much prefer this black mask to the white or gray. White or gray would, as you say, stick out like a sore thumb much more.

All that said, there is really no reason to have used black over purple. I don't understand why they did not just use purple.

I assume the facemasks can't be painted matte (or satin) so instead of mismatching the purple (or in UofM's case, maroon) they just go black. Both colors are dark enough where its much less offensive then my aforementioned rant.

I suppose rather than saying "there is no reason" I should have asked "what is the reason?". In any case, I'd like to see the "best case" purple as I question it would be that far off.

Oh well, as we agree, the black is not nearly as jarring as I'd have guessed.

Since I don't have two full-sized Vikings helmets sitting around here, but I do have the old and new Riddell mini helmets, let's have fun with facemasks to help make this point. Regardless of your like or dis-like of minis, I think they help in an exercise like this (at least it drove the point home for me that black works, and the old purple doesn't on the new helmet). Anyway, here's both of them as they were designed:

Here they are again, but I've flip-flopped the facemasks, putting purple on the new version, and black on the old version:

[mcrosby]

The two Minnesota teams (Gophers and Vikings) that have gone to a black facemask have done so in the same way that teams go to grey. It is a neutral color and on a dark helmet it works so so so SO well.

[chriscj83]

I was at the unveiling and yeah, the black facemask is totally unoffensive in its ability to blend in. So much less offensive and jarring to the eye like a grey or white mask. I hated those white facemasks so much, i abandon my usual "hey man, we all have like our own opinions and stuff, man" stance on differences and take the obnoxious view

Seriously. Thank god it was only a few seasons. Totally ruined the helmet. White facemasks are only ok on white helmets. Its really i think the only helmet thing that bugs me. Besides of course whatever the piss Jacksonville just did.

Many lovely people here loved those things. Yeah, they matched the pants and numbers. I'm happy for ya. Looked like hot garbage.

I regret nothing.

[oldschoolvikings]

I was at the unveiling and yeah, the black facemask is totally unoffensive in its ability to blend in. So much less offensive and jarring to the eye like a grey or white mask. I hated those white facemasks so much, i abandon my usual "hey man, we all have like our own opinions and stuff, man" stance on differences and take the obnoxious view

Seriously. Thank god it was only a few seasons. Totally ruined the helmet. White facemasks are only ok on white helmets. Its really i think the only helmet thing that bugs me. Besides of course whatever the piss Jacksonville just did.

Many lovely people here loved those things. Yeah, they matched the pants and numbers. I'm happy for ya. Looked like hot garbage.

I agree with OSV, that it's case-by-case (and that OSU looks good). But yeah, those white facemasks in the 80s looked awful. I really believe purple is the only way to go.

I never thought I'd be saying this about a BFBS element, but I would much prefer this black mask to the white or gray. White or gray would, as you say, stick out like a sore thumb much more.

All that said, there is really no reason to have used black over purple. I don't understand why they did not just use purple.

I assume the facemasks can't be painted matte (or satin) so instead of mismatching the purple (or in UofM's case, maroon) they just go black. Both colors are dark enough where its much less offensive then my aforementioned rant.

I suppose rather than saying "there is no reason" I should have asked "what is the reason?". In any case, I'd like to see the "best case" purple as I question it would be that far off.

Oh well, as we agree, the black is not nearly as jarring as I'd have guessed.

Since I don't have two full-sized Vikings helmets sitting around here, but I do have the old and new Riddell mini helmets, let's have fun with facemasks to help make this point. Regardless of your like or dis-like of minis, I think they help in an exercise like this (at least it drove the point home for me that black works, and the old purple doesn't on the new helmet). Anyway, here's both of them as they were designed:

Here they are again, but I've flip-flopped the facemasks, putting purple on the new version, and black on the old version:

I agree that the black mask looks really bad against the metallic purple helmet, but I'm not sure I see what the problem is with the purple mask on the matte purple helmet. Seems workable to me.

[AgentColon]

Agreed. The purple would have been fine. No worse than the black.

[OnWis97]

I agree that the black mask looks really bad against the metallic purple helmet, but I'm not sure I see what the problem is with the purple mask on the matte purple helmet. Seems workable to me.

I agree. Of those four, black mask on old helmet is the worst. Purple mask on new helmet is not too bad, though I see what people are saying. On the other hand, I think it's servicable and in theory they could have made it a bit of a better fit with a tweak (i.e. they would not simply use the old mask).

[trekbkr]

Ok, yes, Both of those are fine. Two color teams, totally makes sense. But the Vikings are Purple and Yellow. Not Purple and white. Which is why I get why people go bonkers for the grey facemasks on teams without grey in the scheme. It ends up being such a giant obelisk of color in their uniforms, without being a color that should be featured so much.

I have to disagree. To me, the Vikes have never been Purple and Yellow/Gold; they've always been Purple and White, with Yellow/Gold trim. Their much more limited use of that color sets them apart from other Yellow/Gold wearing teams like the Packers or Steelers. For an even better contrast, consider how their use of Purple and Yellow/Gold differs from LSU, who use the two colors in almost equal proportions.

In fact, there's a case to be made that at least at one time the Vikings didn't think of themselves as a Purple and Yellow team. I had an old NFL publication when I was a kid, a 1976 NFL Almanac paperback. Along with league records and stats for the 1975 season, it had listings for each team, stadium, office address, etc., and those listings included official team colors. I will always remember that the Vikings were specifically listed as "purple and white, with gold trim." Obviously, we can all choose whether to hang our hats on that old designation , but I've always thought that little blurb captured their color prioritization pretty nicely, especially considering that in over fifty years, they've never really gone nuts with their use of Yellow/Gold -- it's always been a third color at best.

[hugevolsfan]

Ok, yes, Both of those are fine. Two color teams, totally makes sense. But the Vikings are Purple and Yellow. Not Purple and white. Which is why I get why people go bonkers for the grey facemasks on teams without grey in the scheme. It ends up being such a giant obelisk of color in their uniforms, without being a color that should be featured so much.

I have to disagree. To me, the Vikes have never been Purple and Yellow/Gold; they've always been Purple and White, with Yellow/Gold trim. Their much more limited use of that color sets them apart from other Yellow/Gold wearing teams like the Packers or Steelers. For an even better contrast, consider how their use of Purple and Yellow/Gold differs from LSU, who use the two colors in almost equal proportions.

In fact, there's a case to be made that at least at one time the Vikings didn't think of themselves as a Purple and Yellow team. I had an old NFL publication when I was a kid, a 1976 NFL Almanac paperback. Along with league records and stats for the 1975 season, it had listings for each team, stadium, office address, etc., and those listings included official team colors. I will always remember that the Vikings were specifically listed as "purple and white, with gold trim." Obviously, we can all choose whether to hang our hats on that old designation , but I've always thought that little blurb captured their color prioritization pretty nicely, especially considering that in over fifty years, they've never really gone nuts with their use of Yellow/Gold -- it's always been a third color at best.

I agree the Vikings are purple & white with gold trim team & the facemask was OK white but I think the black blends better with the overall look.

White was better than gray.

[smith03]

agree the Vikings are a purple and white team not purple and gold. wish they had kept the purple masks.

[TruColor]

Ok, yes, Both of those are fine. Two color teams, totally makes sense. But the Vikings are Purple and Yellow. Not Purple and white. Which is why I get why people go bonkers for the grey facemasks on teams without grey in the scheme. It ends up being such a giant obelisk of color in their uniforms, without being a color that should be featured so much.

I have to disagree. To me, the Vikes have never been Purple and Yellow/Gold; they've always been Purple and White, with Yellow/Gold trim. Their much more limited use of that color sets them apart from other Yellow/Gold wearing teams like the Packers or Steelers. For an even better contrast, consider how their use of Purple and Yellow/Gold differs from LSU, who use the two colors in almost equal proportions.

In fact, there's a case to be made that at least at one time the Vikings didn't think of themselves as a Purple and Yellow team. I had an old NFL publication when I was a kid, a 1976 NFL Almanac paperback. Along with league records and stats for the 1975 season, it had listings for each team, stadium, office address, etc., and those listings included official team colors. I will always remember that the Vikings were specifically listed as "purple and white, with gold trim." Obviously, we can all choose whether to hang our hats on that old designation , but I've always thought that little blurb captured their color prioritization pretty nicely, especially considering that in over fifty years, they've never really gone nuts with their use of Yellow/Gold -- it's always been a third color at best.

Yep. Was listed that way until 1983, when they changed the listing of the colors to "Purple, Gold and White".

One could make the argument that the colors could be "Purple, White and Gold trim" until the first redesign in 1996.