Wednesday, March 14, 2007
This time, the swoosh went too far.
When Florida played Tennessee a few weeks back, followers of college hoops may have noticed something a little different about the reigning national champs’ uniforms. Each Gator was modeling a shrunken top, complete with alligator-scale printing, and shorts so baggy Michael Jordan would’ve questioned the aesthetic direction he helped send the game in as a fresh-faced NBA newcomer.
The uniform templates are yet another example in a long line of fashion statements churned out by the Microsoft of college athletics. It seems like each year a handful of schools in Nike’s stable receive ultra-exclusive digs. Cutting edge, ridiculous; whatever the verdicts are, they’re almost always successful in one regard — generating lots of buzz and message board banter.
Who along with Florida was chosen to wear the company’s latest jersey experiment? Drum roll please … Ohio State, Arizona and Syracuse. Each school wore the outfits in their respective conference tournaments last week, to mixed reviews.
The switch to the outfits, temporary as of now, is borderline acceptable for only two of the four teams, Ohio State and Florida, as both have experienced recent success. The second pair, Arizona and Syracuse, should know better. They both have legendary coaches and recent success to go along with respectable basketball histories.
nutgraf
If any program is above Nike’s “Elite” distinction and conforming to half of college basketball, and high school, sadly enough, it’s Kansas.
I think the new-age tops are worth giving a try. When worn with the undershirts, they have an Under Armour sleekness to them and the smaller details on each team’s versions give a nod to the schools’ past in a creative way. Plus, there’s the functional aspect of them. Players say it helps eliminate opponents from grabbing their jersey to get an advantage on defense.
It’s when one takes a gander at the short part of the ensemble that hilarity ensues and each school’s reputation takes a slight hit. So far the best analogy I’ve been able to come up with for them is a pair of extremely high-water “hammer” pants.
Kansas fans should be counting their lucky stars the Kansas Athletics Department ditched Nike as its official apparel provider back in 2005. Although it’s doubtful Bill’s boys would have donned the new getups, the basketball program would still be within grasp of the mad-scientists over at Nike.
It’s other template currently being force-fed on college basketball, the “shoulder slashes,” if you will, is already growing old. And let’s not forget the “Elite” jerseys released to a select group of schools a few years back and still in use today, sometimes in combination with the shoulder slashes.
If any program is above Nike’s “Elite” distinction and conforming to half of college basketball, and high school, sadly enough, it’s Kansas. Some people, such as Nike executives, may think it’s great that you can take one glance at a team and know if it’s a Nike school. Personally, I think it offends each program’s unique history.
I’ll take Adidas’ simple, yet effective style instead of the swoosh’s “premium performance” uniforms any day because let’s face it: Nike wants each of its schools to stand out from the crowd … the Nike way.
Molina is an Olathe sophomore in journalism.
— Edited by Ryan Schneider
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