Uniforms Gone Wild

I like Boise State and I like Georgia. I like their coaches and respect their programs. But when I turned on the TV on opening night I had a hard time watching the game because of their uniforms. Their UGLY uniforms. In a game of the “ugly uniforms”, Boise St. won 35-21. I thought I had seen the ugliest until a few days later I saw Maryland play and, oh my, Maryland topped them all! In a mosaic of the state flag, the Maryland team was really a sight to see. I couldn’t watch the game. Am I overreacting? Perhaps, probably, but that’s how I feel. Yeah, I know, I’m showing my age.

Who started this ugly uniform trend? I think it might have been Oregon. And the thing about Oregon is they have several different ugly uniforms with different colors and designs. An array of ugliness. Now many teams have jumped on the bandwagon and it’s like they are trying to outdo each other. I think the idea is to be modern and flashy but sometimes modern isn’t so cool. It reminds me of the 70’s and 80’s in baseball. Remember those blue collared uniforms with shorts that the White Sox broke out? Yeah, I’m trying not to remember either. Or how about the rainbow striped orange uniforms of the Houston Astros? Ugh! The Padres had some awful uniforms too. For awhile major league baseball was adorned in wild colors, polysester, and elastic waistbands. It was all very modern. But a few years later, by the late 80’s, most teams were going back to their old, traditional uniforms. Nearly all have stuck with the traditional look and they look sharp. I’m hoping football learns their lesson soon.

What uniforms do I like? Well, in college it would be Ohio St., Iowa, Alabama, and Texas. Wisconsin looks sharp and there are many others. Pennsylvania State is about as plain as you can get but I like them OK. In the pros I like the Bears, Packers, Colts, Browns and Dolphins to name a few. When I was a kid the Bears had all black (very dark blue) helmets. Then they got fancy and put a white “C” on the side. Then they REALLY got fancy and colored it orange several years later. Simple but cool.

Okay, I got that off my chest. Now for all you coaches, who have gone modern, go ahead and shake your head at my traditional ideas. I can take it. As always, feel free to give me your opinions here or on Chiefpigskin.com. By the way, we’re getting deeper into the season already! Isn’t it crazy how fast the season goes once we get started? Good luck to all.