Most/Least successful Uni/Logo overhauls

[hawk36]

Huge success has to be the Broncos. From 4 time Super Bowl losers to back to back Super Bowl champions.

Not picking on you in particular, hawk, but my question to a bunch of people is this: if the Buccaneers win a couple Super Bowls in their newest uniform, does that make it a success?

I guess we'd have to see 10 years from now or so. I'd say the Broncos uniform was a success, beyond the field, since it ushered in a whole new look in uniforms and remained in tact since the change. Their look jolted the NFL into a new era. True, many of the new looks are poorly designed, but some are great and the overall look in the league I'd say is at a better level than when the Broncos look was unveiled. Just my opinion but that's how I would present my argument.

[MCM0313]

What do I mean by major? Let me give an example: New York Jets adding black facemask and trim and green road pants in 1990 does not count. New York Jets darkening their shade of green a bit sometime in the 2000s does not count. New York Jets changing from "futuristic jet" logo to "old-school" logo DOES count.

In essence, changes that involve a significantly different color scheme, logo, and/or uniform set. I suppose the line is somewhere close to the Patriots' 2000 change (same logo, similar color scheme, drastically different uniforms) or the Spurs' ditching of the "fiesta" logo (similar logo with drastically different colors, similar uniforms)---I'd accept both of those, although the Spurs one is cutting it kind of close. This isn't just about how the new logo/uniform/scheme looks, either---it has more to do with how it looks compared to the one that preceded it. In other words, how much of an improvement was the new one from the old, or alternately how far did the new one fall from the immediately-preceding glory? Switching from a bad look to a solid-but-unspectacular one should rank higher than going from one classic to another. My picks:

Best:

NFL---1. Bengals add stripes, 1981; 2. 49ers switch from silver to gold, 1964; 3. Buccaneers go from decent-looking but silly to respectable-looking with a tough logo, 1997; 4. Rams add horns to helmet, 1947 (honorable mention for first helmet logo)

MLB---1. Brewers replace striking-out fat man with ball-in-glove, 1978; 2. White Sox go from dulled-down successors of "beach blanket" look (seriously, 1986-90 White Sox were boring looking) to traditional black and gray, 1990-91; 3. Mariners drop generic drop-shadowed S, add teal and silver, 1993 (adding a teal alternate would improve them further the next year, but I don't count that as "major"); 4. New York Giants thankfully dump 1916's plaid look, 1917; 5. Braves add iconic tomahawk on chest, 1946

NBA---1. Nuggets adopt "rainbow skyline," 1981; 2. Suns go to "flying ball" look, 1992; 3. Pistons add "lightning" look, 1978/adopt classic logo, 1979/drop the teal, 2001; 4. Bobcats become Hornets, 2014.

NHL---Going to abstain from this one as I don't know the NHL as well.

I'll post my worst later.

[2001mark]

Best...

1. Toronto Blue Jays 2012, & it's not even close.

Sure it's a retro refresh, yet going from the Black Jays back to our beloved Blue Jays was major. Personally, I'd have it top 5 brandings of all big 4 leagues.

2. New England Patriots 1993.

I began my Patriots fandom as soon as Parcells signed on the dotted line & I could quit the Bills. Bledsoe & his video game arm was next. The rebrand was fresh, youthful, progressive, clean & balanced. It stood out nicely in a league filled with heritage.

+ its own refresh started with the dynasty.

3. Chicago White Sox 1991.

Another personal fav, it's not every day that a freshened, sharpened rebrand is an immediate ode to a century's old ball club. Old became new again, & vice versa.

HM: Seattle Mariners 90's... team grew up.

Worst...

1. Miami Marlins, latest.

Florida Marlins, their logo, colour schemes, were awesome. That new stadium should've felt like a chillaxed indoor teal streaked pool atmosphere... instead it looks like a f'n Chuck-E-Cheese.

2. Detroit Pistons, mid 90's.

Glad it failed, it tarnished brand greatness.

3. Houston Rockets, latest.

Weak logo, red isn't special, no one really cares.

[TruColor]

We've got one coming up that should top the "worst" list for all-time.

And no, I'm not going to "leak" who that team is.

All I will say, is that if ANYONE on this board thinks it's an upgrade, I'll be shocked.

[Pabig]

It is obvious that the Raptors will be that team. They can only downgrade. Their current set is perfect for them.

[MCM0313]

We've got one coming up that should top the "worst" list for all-time.

And no, I'm not going to "leak" who that team is.

All I will say, is that if ANYONE on this board thinks it's an upgrade, I'll be shocked.

Nuts...I'm disappointed just to hear that. I know you won't leak, but speculation's always fun...Browns' new digs to go with their slightly-changed logo? Rams in 2016? Iggles in 2016 or 2017? If they removed the iconic decals from their helmets I would probably be legitimately depressed for awhile.

...or MLB, maybe. Padres not bringing back the brown, but going to black instead? Brewers combining the ball-in-glove with navy and gold and chaffs of wheat?

NBA? Pistons getting away from blue-and-red again? Hawks somehow finding a way to mess up Pac-Man? Clippers going even more generic? Blazers ditching the iconic modern-art weirdness on the front of their jerseys? Sixers bringing back the stars on the shorts? Celtics making those black-numeral jerseys their primary aways? Mavericks...um...Rockets...Nuggets...Kings...doing weird things?

It is obvious that the Raptors will be that team. They can only downgrade. Their current set is perfect for them.

Meh, I liked the Raptors better with purple. Diff'rent strokes.

[Cosmic]

We've got one coming up that should top the "worst" list for all-time.

And no, I'm not going to "leak" who that team is.

All I will say, is that if ANYONE on this board thinks it's an upgrade, I'll be shocked.

This is amazing. I can't wait.

I assume it will be revealed this calendar year?

[MCM0313]

Best...

1. Toronto Blue Jays 2012, & it's not even close.

Sure it's a retro refresh, yet going from the Black Jays back to our beloved Blue Jays was major. Personally, I'd have it top 5 brandings of all big 4 leagues.

2. New England Patriots 1993.

I began my Patriots fandom as soon as Parcells signed on the dotted line & I could quit the Bills. Bledsoe & his video game arm was next. The rebrand was fresh, youthful, progressive, clean & balanced. It stood out nicely in a league filled with heritage.

+ its own refresh started with the dynasty.

3. Chicago White Sox 1991.

Another personal fav, it's not every day that a freshened, sharpened rebrand is an immediate ode to a century's old ball club. Old became new again, & vice versa.

HM: Seattle Mariners 90's... team grew up.

Worst...

1. Miami Marlins, latest.

Florida Marlins, their logo, colour schemes, were awesome. That new stadium should've felt like a chillaxed indoor teal streaked pool atmosphere... instead it looks like a f'n Chuck-E-Cheese.

2. Detroit Pistons, mid 90's.

Glad it failed, it tarnished brand greatness.

3. Houston Rockets, latest.

Weak logo, red isn't special, no one really cares.

You know what's funny? I actually liked the grey hats that the Jays wore at home in 2004. I didn't like their logo much, or the black that permeated the rest of the uniform, but if they'd combined grey with blue (like on an actual blue jay) and kept black to a trim color, and had a blue alternate instead of a black alternate, they could've looked good. That said, they abandoned the grey hats and went more and more black with little blue even though it's in the color...so yeah, they looked awful, and their 2012 change was a HUGE upgrade. It would've been a significant upgrade even in the scenario I mentioned, too. I was actually going to include that but forgot.

Still, though, #4 on my list for MLB...the Giants really did wear plaid, both at home and on the road, during the 1916 season. It was actually available in-game in one edition of MLB The Show (forget which year). Enjoyably funny for a one-time thing...but, even in 1916, it would've been HORRIBLE as a full-season look.

[ConcreteCharlie]

Best...

1. Toronto Blue Jays 2012, & it's not even close.

Sure it's a retro refresh, yet going from the Black Jays back to our beloved Blue Jays was major. Personally, I'd have it top 5 brandings of all big 4 leagues.

2. New England Patriots 1993.

I began my Patriots fandom as soon as Parcells signed on the dotted line & I could quit the Bills. Bledsoe & his video game arm was next. The rebrand was fresh, youthful, progressive, clean & balanced. It stood out nicely in a league filled with heritage.

+ its own refresh started with the dynasty.

3. Chicago White Sox 1991.

Another personal fav, it's not every day that a freshened, sharpened rebrand is an immediate ode to a century's old ball club. Old became new again, & vice versa.

HM: Seattle Mariners 90's... team grew up.

Worst...

1. Miami Marlins, latest.

Florida Marlins, their logo, colour schemes, were awesome. That new stadium should've felt like a chillaxed indoor teal streaked pool atmosphere... instead it looks like a f'n Chuck-E-Cheese.

2. Detroit Pistons, mid 90's.

Glad it failed, it tarnished brand greatness.

3. Houston Rockets, latest.

Weak logo, red isn't special, no one really cares.

You know what's funny? I actually liked the grey hats that the Jays wore at home in 2004. I didn't like their logo much, or the black that permeated the rest of the uniform, but if they'd combined grey with blue (like on an actual blue jay) and kept black to a trim color, and had a blue alternate instead of a black alternate, they could've looked good. That said, they abandoned the grey hats and went more and more black with little blue even though it's in the color...so yeah, they looked awful, and their 2012 change was a HUGE upgrade. It would've been a significant upgrade even in the scenario I mentioned, too. I was actually going to include that but forgot.

Still, though, #4 on my list for MLB...the Giants really did wear plaid, both at home and on the road, during the 1916 season. It was actually available in-game in one edition of MLB The Show (forget which year). Enjoyably funny for a one-time thing...but, even in 1916, it would've been HORRIBLE as a full-season look.

They wore "Worlds Champions" on their uniforms for a whole year once. Can you imagine if a team did that today. (I think it was NY Giants but definitely somebody)

[martymcfry]

Seahawks blue-navy-green color scheme from '02, Mariners M's Branding of the 80s, and Seattle Sonics green-yellow-red branding of the 90s are the worst of Seattle.

[MCM0313]

Best...

1. Toronto Blue Jays 2012, & it's not even close.

Sure it's a retro refresh, yet going from the Black Jays back to our beloved Blue Jays was major. Personally, I'd have it top 5 brandings of all big 4 leagues.

2. New England Patriots 1993.

I began my Patriots fandom as soon as Parcells signed on the dotted line & I could quit the Bills. Bledsoe & his video game arm was next. The rebrand was fresh, youthful, progressive, clean & balanced. It stood out nicely in a league filled with heritage.

+ its own refresh started with the dynasty.

3. Chicago White Sox 1991.

Another personal fav, it's not every day that a freshened, sharpened rebrand is an immediate ode to a century's old ball club. Old became new again, & vice versa.

HM: Seattle Mariners 90's... team grew up.

Worst...

1. Miami Marlins, latest.

Florida Marlins, their logo, colour schemes, were awesome. That new stadium should've felt like a chillaxed indoor teal streaked pool atmosphere... instead it looks like a f'n Chuck-E-Cheese.

2. Detroit Pistons, mid 90's.

Glad it failed, it tarnished brand greatness.

3. Houston Rockets, latest.

Weak logo, red isn't special, no one really cares.

You know what's funny? I actually liked the grey hats that the Jays wore at home in 2004. I didn't like their logo much, or the black that permeated the rest of the uniform, but if they'd combined grey with blue (like on an actual blue jay) and kept black to a trim color, and had a blue alternate instead of a black alternate, they could've looked good. That said, they abandoned the grey hats and went more and more black with little blue even though it's in the color...so yeah, they looked awful, and their 2012 change was a HUGE upgrade. It would've been a significant upgrade even in the scenario I mentioned, too. I was actually going to include that but forgot.

Still, though, #4 on my list for MLB...the Giants really did wear plaid, both at home and on the road, during the 1916 season. It was actually available in-game in one edition of MLB The Show (forget which year). Enjoyably funny for a one-time thing...but, even in 1916, it would've been HORRIBLE as a full-season look.

They wore "Worlds Champions" on their uniforms for a whole year once. Can you imagine if a team did that today. (I think it was NY Giants but definitely somebody)

I've seen that too. I believe you're correct that it was the Giants. Actually, it may have been more than one team that did that.

[MCM0313]

So, Blue Jays in 2012 and New York Titans becoming the Jets are two more to add to "best." Another is the Broncos dropping the brown and mustard-yellow, although with a helmet logo and normal socks they could've done okay with that look. Also, Twins adding pinstripes.

Some of my least favorite (these aren't necessarily in any particular order this time, unlike the best):

NFL:

Broncos, 1997---Not that the look they switched to was terrible; it wasn't, and with the change of their regular home jerseys to orange they look pretty darn good anymore. But I absolutely loved the look they had before with the horse jumping through the D, the bright-orange jerseys, and the helmet that seemed to go from dark royal blue to sky blue to everything in between (anybody know what was up with that?).

Eagles, 1996---Don't get me wrong: their look had grown stale, and the nothing-but-the-logo sleeves had always looked a bit empty. The green and grey looked so good on them, though. An update (perhaps adding wings to the sleeves, which they still have never done that I know of) would've done them good, but the overhaul didn't make sense. The helmet is great and I've always liked the pants stripes too, but the rest of the look hasn't been good. As well as the "midnight green" works for the helmet, it's not as good for non-shiny items such as jerseys. Plus, it makes no sense for a team so known for green to switch to a color that, in an RGB color scheme, is actually more blue than green! Cutting back on the grey isn't something I'd have done, but wearing green pants hasn't hurt them too badly---yet they should've replaced the grey with white, not black. I don't like black with other dark colors except purple.

Dolphins, 2013---Their uniforms are decent, but a bit generic (and not enough orange). In fact, "generic" can describe their whole look. They went from being "totally Dolphins," with their own unmistakable style (variations of which they had had since their founding), to looking like a team from a sports movie. Knocking the helmet off the logo, and taking away its face in the process, was a terrible mistake, and in my opinion much worse than anything they did to the uniform itself. The 'Fins had a visual identity that even someone who didn't know football could recognize and identify. The other teams with such identities---Raiders, Colts, Steelers, Cowboys, Rams, Eagles, Bengals---have not messed with what makes them unique and recognizable. They don't look generic.

Rams, 2000---They actually looked good for a few years after their change. Then they dumped the stripeless metallic-gold pants and de-emphasized gold in general, making them rather monochromatic. Those gold pants were great, but they didn't match the jerseys as well as the old pants had matched both blue and white. The helmets looked better with yellow horns, and I didn't mind the mismatch between navy blue helmets and royal blue jerseys (a mismatch the Giants also had, and also got rid of in 2000). The Rams' 1990s road set in particular was in my mind among the best in the league. Of course, that's mostly opinion, so here's something a bit more objective: They should NOT have gotten rid of the horns on the sleeves. Maybe they should've moved them up a bit as sleeves shortened, but if you have the chance to capitalize on your nickname/helmet logo like that, you take it. The sleeve-horns were iconic---not as much as the helmet horns, but iconic still.

NBA:

Pistons, 1996---Duh.

Grizzlies stop wearing teal---Sorry, I'm a sucker for teal. I liked the overall color scheme they had going before they switched to this one, though. Would've liked to see various alternate-colored jerseys.

Mavericks dial down the western font (1992) and switch from green to blue (1993)---From distinctive to generic. I also think their logo change in 2001 was a downgrade, but the uniforms weren't really an upgrade or a downgrade to any great extent.

Kings trade sky blue for royal blue, 1990---The royal blue look wasn't bad, but it was rather generic. The sky blue look was nice, and it was distinctive too.

Bucks lose the Irish rainbow, 1993---The purple-and-green look wasn't terrible, and it was somewhat distinctive in that no other Big 4 team had it (Hornets and Mighty Ducks close). But it wasn't iconic like the look that preceded it.

Here's the thing, though: A lot of the big NBA changes of the last 20+ years haven't been awful even if they weren't great, because the looks they changed from were generic and mediocre. The Mavericks in 2001 are one example of that. Another is the 76ers in 1996. The look they switched from was not distinctive or classic, and they'd made several drastic uniform-only changes in the five or so years before that (including the infamous stars). The look they adopted was well enough executed, just not colorful enough for me personally. I don't like that they de-emphasized the red-white-and-blue that the Sixers by default should always embrace. But they went from looking meh and generic to looking a bit better and a lot more distinctive. Remember how blasé the Wizards looked? Thing is, the Bullets didn't look that great before the name change.

MLB---Reds trade pinstripes for black and excessive drop-shadows, late 1990s; Mets do almost the exact same thing, late 1990s (does this one count via my criteria?); Padres' slippery slope from distinctive to generic, 1991-present; Blue Jays, 2004; and, of course, Arizona dropping its original color scheme, although the phasing-out of teal and copper (while more gradual and less dramatic) was also a mistake in my eyes.

[sportstar1212]

We've got one coming up that should top the "worst" list for all-time.

And no, I'm not going to "leak" who that team is.

All I will say, is that if ANYONE on this board thinks it's an upgrade, I'll be shocked.

I'm not one to be pessimistic before something is revealed, so I'm looking forward to seeing this.

[CubsFanBudMan]

3. Houston Rockets, latest.

Weak logo, red isn't special, no one really cares.

Not sure any move away from this can be considered one of the worst updates of all time, but it's your list.

[Lights Out]

The (Devil) Rays have to be up there.

They went from distinctive and cool...

...to boring and bland.

Unfortunately, since the World Series run coincided with the first year of the current set, we're probably stuck with this crap for the foreseeable future.

[waltere]

The worst, by a significant margin, is the recent Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who went from a legitimate modern classic straight to probably the worst uniform set in NFL history.

We've got one coming up that should top the "worst" list for all-time.And no, I'm not going to "leak" who that team is.All I will say, is that if ANYONE on this board thinks it's an upgrade, I'll be shocked.

I am perversely excited for this, as long as its nothing to do with the Islanders move to Brooklyn.

[chcarlson23]

NHL- Best- Pittsburgh Penguins from 2 Blues and White (With a yellow logo) to Black, Pittsburgh Gold, and white

Edmonton Oilers- from reebok disaster with navy and gold to Orange and Blue

Worst- Buffalo Sabres from Black, Red, and silver to Buffaslug

New York Islanders from classic Royal Blue to Fishsticks jersey

Vancouver Canucks- Classic Blue and green to Flying V's

Their are lots of other Changes that some say are good but some would say are bad. Like the Mighty Ducks to the Ducks, or the Kachana Coyotes to the Current, or Preds from Sliver and Navy to current yellow.

[Lucas718]

We've got one coming up that should top the "worst" list for all-time.

And no, I'm not going to "leak" who that team is.

All I will say, is that if ANYONE on this board thinks it's an upgrade, I'll be shocked.

This worries me because the only rebrand I know that is coming up is the Browns. It's too close to the start of baseball season for it to be an MLB team. The NBA and NHL are still in season, so they wouldn't have anything new coming up. SO... unless someone has kept a rebrand completely secret, that pretty much just leaves the NFL and the Browns are the only one who have announced an upcoming change.

But for me the best have been the current Buffalo Bills rebrand and the current Toronto Blue Jays.

The worst by far are the current Tampa Bay Bucs.

[MCM0313]

The (Devil) Rays have to be up there.

They went from distinctive and cool...

...to boring and bland.

Unfortunately, since the World Series run coincided with the first year of the current set, we're probably stuck with this crap for the foreseeable future.

I agree that the Rays' current look is bland and generic (almost like they just used a template and didn't change it one bit), but I didn't think their "Devil Rays" look with the green and black was all that great either. The green was too dark to contrast properly with the black; they desperately needed (in my mind) to either lighten the green or adopt a lighter third color (their current light blue could have worked in that way). Those green alternate jerseys were pretty good, though.

I think it would've been interesting to see them stick with their initial gradient and try to work every color in it into their scheme to some extent. Would it have been busy? Yes. Would it have felt more like a minor-league-grade novelty than like an actual MLB team? Probably. It still would've been interesting, though.

[JMROWE]

The Best Logos \ Uniforms

NFL. \ CFL.

Hamilton Tiger Cats - CFL.

Atlanta Falcons - NFL.

Tennessee Titans - NFL.

Denver Broncos - NFL.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - NFL.

Ottawa RedBlacks - CFL.

NBA.

Charlotte Hornets

Memphis Grizzlies

Phoenix Suns

MLB.

Seattle Mariners

Arizona Diamondbacks

Atlanta Braves

ST. Louis Cardinals

NY. Yankees

NHL. \ AHL. \ CHL.

Hamilton Bulldogs - AHL.\ CHL. (OHL.)

Florida Panthers - NHL.

San Jose Sharks - NHL.

Montreal Canadians - NHL.

Nashville Predators - NHL.

Leigh Valley Phantoms - AHL.

Springfield Falcons - AHL.

San Antonio Rampage - AHL.

Calgary Hitmen - CHL. (WHL.)

Flint Firebirds - CHL. (OHL.)