Overall, from our story on Friday guessing about which home teams would wear their white jerseys to open up the first Sunday of the NFL season, we only missed one, the New York Jets.
We were going back and forth as to whether or not the Jets would wear white against the Bills , they did not wear white at home during the 2011 season, but did twice in 2010, and did again yesterday, our only miss.
Otherwise, the Texans, Buccaneers, Browns, Titans, and Saints were the teams we identified that would wear white and did.
The Seahawks new road jersey made its official debut yesterday, and we like them, especially the lime green trim around the numbers. Makes them stand out.
The team and Nike did miss a unique opportunity to add the city name “SEATTLE” to the right side jerseys stripe near the shoulder. It already says “SEAHAWKS” on the left side and it would have been a symmetrical “SEATTLE SEAHAWKS” as you looked at the jerseys left to right.
What did you like about week one uniform-wise in the NFL? Please let us know at info@proleagueauthjentics.com and we’ll publish your thoughts.
++++++++++
Authentic Store Buzz: New in store are Banner 47 Vintage Tee’s (pictured above).
Also, our Left Field Cards event with artist Amelie Mancini is Thursday, October 4 from 6-8pm at our Center City Philly location (137 S. 13th Street). The event will mark the official unveiling of Amalie’s “Presidents of the United State of Baseball” letterpress baseball cards.
Two days later, Sat. Oct. 6, is the annual Midtown Village Fall Festival in which 13th Street in front of the store is closed to traffic and it’s one giant block party throughout the area in which merchants set up out in front of the stores. We invite you stop by for the day-long event (noon-8pm), they’ll be all sorts of the special proceedings going on in and around the store.
++++++++++
Authentically Speaking Trivia Time: Who are the only two NFL teams to wear white jerseys at home for every game during their first season in the league? Answer coming on Tuesday.
Friday’s answer: The Los Angeles Kings did not have purple in their uniforms between 1988-98, not coincidentally the period in which Wayne Gretzky suited up for the team.
++++++++++
A Reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page.
As the first Sunday of the NFL season kicks off this weekend, and without the benefit of any official NFL style guide updates, let’s see come Monday how are predictions hold up as to which of the 12 day game hosts will wear white citing the potential for hot weather, and which will wear their team color jersey.
Colts at Bears (team color), Eagles at Browns (white), Cardinals at Lions (team color), Dolphins at Texans (white), Falcons at Chiefs (team color), Jaguars at Vikings (team color), Redskins at Saints (white), Bills at Jets (team color), Patriots at Titans (white), Seahawks at Cardinals (team color), 49ers at Packers (team color), and Panthers at Bucs (white).
We know the Browns are not going to wear white at home for each game as they did a season ago, but it’s the opener. A tough call on the Saints indoors, while it will be close to 90 degrees in Houston and the Texans did wear white in the opener last season against the Colts (pictured above). The Titans have worn white in home openers before, and the Bucs have a new coach, but we’ll still lean white.
Overall, we’ll say five teams will wear white at home Sunday.
++++++++++
Authentic Store Buzz: Join us for the official release party of Left Field Cards artist and founder Amelie Mancini’s latest series of work with a Presidential twist.
Please circle Thursday, October 4 from 6-8:00 pm at our Center City Philly location as Amelie will be showcasing the next series of her unique and stylish letterpress baseball cards, “Presidents of the United States of Baseball,” a series featuring ten baseball players who share a surname with a U.S. President.
The ten cards pay tribute to baseball greats Von Hayes, Bo Jackson, Mookie Wilson, Mudcat Grant and others, while celebrating America's history.
Come meet
Amalie and hear her presentation of this new series of cards on Oct. 4 at the
PLA store (137 S. 13th Street between Walnut/Samson) they’ll be on-location discounts, a raffle, and refreshments as well.
++++++++++
Authentically Speaking Trivia Time: There may be a delayed NHL season on tap and hopefully the season doesn’t vanish entirely, so we’ll throw out a hockey question. Between what years did the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings not have purple in their uniforms? Answer coming on Monday.
Thursday’s answer: Pro Bowl players began wearing their own team logo helmets with the AFC and NFC jersey and pants in the game played at the Los Angeles Coliseum at the end of the 1978 season (the game was played Jan. 29, 1979).
++++++++++
A Reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page.
For the past decade, one of the staples on the Chicago White Sox annual home promotional schedule is “Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day,” a celebration of Irish heritage and culture for Chicagoland residents coming to U.S. Cellular Field, and a reason for the uniform-inspired Sox to don the green as well.
The White Sox are off on the official St. Paddy’s Day halfway mark this month, so they’ll hold the promotion Friday night hosting Kansas City. The green-accented version of the home jersey is the third such color the Sox will wear this season, joining the standard, great looking circa 1991 addition, and this year’s Sunday home game red return to 1972.
NFL Opener = Two Classic Looks: The official Nike Elite authentic jersey debut Wednesday night at Met Life Stadium with Dallas getting out to a quick NFC Eastern division lead over the Giants.
We liked the way the Giants player’s names looked on the back of the jersey, and have always marveled about the unusual shade of metallic silver/blue pants the Cowboys wear with the white jersey, especially contrasted against the deep blue socks. They almost look blue with a tint of green.
++++++++++
Authentic Store Buzz: Anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Eagles green Nike Elite jerseys which will be Michael Vick’s number 7 (pictured above) and LeSean McCoy’s number 25. The Birds open Sunday in Cleveland.
More details tomorrow on our great upcoming event with Left Field Cards artist and founder Amelie Mancini. Mark down Thursday, October 4 from 6-8:00 pm at our Center City Philly location.
++++++++++
Authentically Speaking Trivia Time: What year did the Pro Bowl players begin wearing their own team’s logo on their helmets? Answer coming on Friday.
Wednesday’s answer: The last time the New York Giants wore white at home against any opponent was in the 2000 season opener against the Cardinals, as head coach Jim Fassel wanted to wear white in case it was a hot day.
Well, it was only 78 degrees for the late afternoon kickoff, but Big Blue’s new white jersey with red numbering looked nice, and the Giants won 21-16 (notice how the Giants were a Nike fitted team in 2000).
++++++++++
A Reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page.
The NFL is back on a rare Wednesday night as last spring the league decided to move the 2012 season opener, featuring the defending Super Bowl champions (the Giants), back one night in deference to the President of the United States delivering a speech on Thursday.
So it’s the Giants and Cowboys this evening at Met Life Stadium in North Jersey, and it’s doubtful the Giants will wear a one-game Super Bowl champion patch, that’s not their style, but they will wear the new Nike Elite blue jerseys at home against their longtime division rivals.
That wasn’t always the case for most of the Cowboys division rivals over the years, and you can throw out the trend that has almost every team now wearing white at home early in the season when it's hottest in all regions of the country.
Once teams like the Cowboys (1964), Rams (1964), Browns (1964), and eventually the Saints (1967) started wearing white at home regularly in the 1960s, when those clubs played on the road many hosts decided to wear white jerseys, forcing the visitors into unfamiliar team color jerseys.
The Cowboys were specifically targeted to wear their detested blue jerseys, especially after they lost Super Bowl V (1971) to the Colts in the final seconds wearing blue, convinced they brought bad luck.
From 1980-87, in every season but the strike shortened year of 1982 when they did not meet, the Giants wore white at home against the Cowboys going 4-3 .
But no team tops the Cardinals when it comes to making the Cowboys wear blue jerseys on the road.. From 1964-2001 the teams met in St. Louis or Arizona (1998-present) 38 times. Of those 38 games, the Cardinals wore white at home on 24 occasions.
++++++++++
Authentic Store Buzz: Thanks to the feedback from many of our local, loyal customers who live and/or work in Center City Philly or are a daily commuter, we have extended store hours from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm so folks can stop by and shop on the way home from work.
++++++++++
Authentically Speaking Trivia Time: When was the last time the New York Giants wore white at home against any opponent? Answer coming on Thursday.
Tuesday’s answer: MLB teams started wearing the Stars & Stripes caps during the 2008 season, and since then there have been five different models of the hat, including this year’s.
++++++++++
A Reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page.
(Photo Credit: exposay.com)
Oh, those crazy college students. They’ll do anything to make an impression on professors, administrators, and for athletes, the coaching and support staffs.
That’s why in both the major TV sports, college football and basketball, along with some of the non-revenue programs (baseball) at many of the top athletic budgeted schools, the trend the last five years or so has been to “please the kids” by mixing and matching the authentic uniforms.
Sometimes its perhaps adopting a black jersey to go with school colors, and in some cases, throw all that we’ve come to expect about uniforms out the window (that’s the Rutgers Silver Knights, no they didn’t change their name from Scarlet Knights, just their appearance in a win at Tulane Saturday night), and see what comes back from the laboratory.
On opening week of the 2012 college season, other than the Oregon Ducks going back to the old school green/gold look from the 1990s but with the wacky web footed helmets and other bells and whistles, there was a lot to like about the classic looks by the top-ranked teams, and we liked the font and letter size of the Penn State player’s names on the back of the jerseys for the first time.
One final partisan note, boy, don’t the Syracuse Orange uniforms look great?
++++++++++
Authentic Store Buzz: Thanks to the feedback from many of our local, loyal customers who live and/or work in Center City Philly or are a daily commuter, we have extended store hours from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm so folks can stop by and shop on the way home from work.
++++++++++
Authentically Speaking Trivia Time: What year did MLB teams begin wearing Stars & Stripes caps, and how many models of the hat have there been over that time frame? Answers coming on Wednesday.
Friday’s answer: The Alabama Crimson Tide started wearing their maroon helmet with white uniform numbers and gray facemask in the 1960 season.
++++++++++
A Reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page.
As the NFL ended its pre-season schedule Thursday night (continuing to force patrons to pay regular season prices for non-regular season action), the college football season kicked off with 15 games nationwide.
For many college programs, their uniforms change practically on a game-by-game basis these days, some say for recruiting, others for style and the genuine “Wow” factor it generates for the 18-22 year old players. But one change we could never understand is the trend away from jersey shoulder stripes to stop extending all the way through, under the arm and around the other side.
UCLA opened up last night at Rice. The Bruins classic uniform was a beauty and set the standard for the shoulder stripe look. Too bad the need for the tightest jersey possible today for many players on the field has sort of shrunk the entire area and manufacturers, it seems, have given up on connecting the stripe.
(Editor’s Note: Our thanks to Ben Horrow filling in as editor/writer of Authentically Speaking the last eight days.)
++++++++++
Authentic Store Buzz: 76ers fans will like some of the new men’s line of Junk Food apparel due in the store next week, and the 2013 designs for men and women are due in October.
On the heels of our great event with former Philadelphia Atoms goalie Bob Rigby in July, Atoms apparel is due next week, along with customized Phillies caps.
++++++++++
Authentically Speaking Trivia Time: Sticking with a college football theme, what year did defending national champion Alabama begin wearing its traditional maroon helmet with white numbers and gray facemasks? Answer coming on Tuesday.
Thursday’s answer: The Minneapolis Lakers had a basketball with the state of Minnesota inside of it as the logo on their original jerseys in 1947-48.
++++++++++
A Reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page.
This past week, Chris Creamer, the creator of www.sportslogos.net and a human encyclopedia when it comes to logos, uniforms and all other sports apparel, stopped by Pro League Authentics. He trekked down from Canada and made a stop in the store where he saw all of our merchandise, location in Philadelphia, and was able to meet with Ray Jannelli, John Rabik, and Henry Jaffe.
Chris is one of the best in the business when it comes to sports logos news. His site regularly updates its readers on an array of topics including every minor change to a uniform to letting you know which team is going with a retro look on any given night. His insight is great, and we at Pro League Authentics are glad to call him a friend and supporter of the store. Check out Chris' website at http://news.sportslogos.net/ and enjoy his commentary, I know we at PLA have.
Authentic Store Buzz: With the NFL season coming so soon, Pro League Authentics has all the gear you need to support your team. NIKE NFL jerseys and Eagles Junk Food t-shirts are in store now. Also, remember to check out any MLB jersey from PLA. Each one is 25% off if you use the promo code "MLB" when checking out.
Authentically Speaking Trivia: What was stamped in the center of the Minneapolis Lakers' original uniforms?
Answer to come tomorrow.
Wednesday's Answer: Russian goalie Vladislav Tretiak.
A Reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page.
In an interesting change of heart, the Philadelphia Eagles announced that they would forgo using the throwback look for their alternative uniforms, but will instead revert to black jerseys. The Eagles first introduced the black alternatives in 2003 when the common trend was to add black jerseys into a team’s repertoire.
A number of NFL and MLB teams stuck with alternative black jerseys for many years and only recently have begun to subvert them with different, sometimes retro, jerseys.
The Eagles will wear the new, but not so new, black jerseys on October 28th, just before Halloween, at home against the Atlanta Falcons.
Authentic Store Buzz: With the NFL season coming so soon, Pro League Authentics has all the gear you need to support your team. NIKE NFL jerseys and Eagles Junk Food t-shirts are in store now. Also, remember to check out any MLB jersey from PLA. Each one is 25% off if you use the promo code "MLB" when checking out.
Authentically Speaking Trivia: Which Russian goalie's career ending face injuries led to a change in standards and a switch from fiberglass molded goalie masks to helmet/cage type masks?
Answer to come tomorrow.
Tuesday's Answer: Mike Nolan of the San Francisco 49ers. He asked permission of the NFL to wear a suite in memory of his father, a former NFL coach. Nolan was allowed to wear the classy garb, but due to contracts with Reebok he was forced to wear a suit designed by the athletic apparel company.
A Reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page.
The Houston Astros are making moves. Next season the team will be the first MLB franchise since the 1997 Milwaukee Brewers to move from one league to the other. The Astros will make the move from the National League Central to the American League West. New owner, Jim Crane, understands that the team is in need of serious modifications in a number of areas. The team’s abysmal record this season and recent number one overall selection in the first year player draft demonstrate the need for a long-term rebuilding project.
In addition to moving from the senior circuit to the American League, the Astros will continue to rebrand by wearing new uniforms. The team is going with a slight retro look, harkening back to the Astros uniforms of 20 years ago. The uniforms will incorporate orange and blue, but in a minimalistic way even in comparison to the uniforms of the 1980’s. The Astros nixed the shooting star they have had on their most recent jerseys and for simplicity’s sake utilize an “H”.
Authentic Store Buzz: With the NFL season coming so soon, Pro League Authentics has all the gear you need to support your team. NIKE NFL jerseys and Eagles Junk Food t-shirts are in store now.
Authentically Speaking Trivia: Which NFL coach wore a suit while coaching on the sidelines in memory of his father?
Answer to come tomorrow.
Monday's Answer: In 2005 the Colorado Rockies began wearing black vests and originally wore purple under shirts with them.
A Reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page.
The Seattle Seahawks have cut wide receiver Terrell Owens. Owens, a lock to one day be inducted in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, used his Twitter account to inform fans that the Seahawks had formally released him from the team. Although this news does not come as a huge shock, it comes in the wake of the Seahawks unveiling new road uniforms.
In addition, the Seahawks announced today that rookie quarterback Russell Wilson will be the opening game starter. This announcement comes after a slew of pre-season games in which Wilson was given ample playing time with the first-team starters as well as the second-team backups. Despite signing former Packer's quarterback Matt Flynn to a multi-year contract worth about $20 million, Wilson, the team's second round selection in the 2012 draft will lead the Pete Carroll's Seahawk's offense on September 9th against the division rival Arizona Cardinals, in Arizona.
The Seahawks new road uniforms are simple, and easy on the eyes. The white jerseys have the prominent blue numbers in the center with a slight lime green outline that doesn’t draw the eye too much, but still adds a flare and reminder to the team’s overall color scheme. The road uniforms contrast with the new home uniforms that have a grey numbers situated within a blue background, and with the same lime green outline as the road jerseys.
Authentic Store Buzz: Pro League Authentics has announced a new sale. Currently, all MLB jerseys, including batting practice, on field, replica, and authentic jerseys are 25% off. This includes when you purchase the jersey in store or on the internet.
Authentically Speaking Trivia: In 2005, when the Colorado Rockies first introduced their black vests into their uniforms, what color undershirts did they wear with them?
Answer to come tomorrow.
Saturday's Answer: In Brooklyn through the 1937 season the Dodgers consistently wore uniforms with green outlines and green caps.
A Reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page.
_t607.jpg){kind=link}
