Sports

American Sports’ Top Beloved and Despised Uniforms

Darren - September 11, 2020

Sports

American Sports’ Top Beloved and Despised Uniforms

Darren - September 11, 2020

11. Great – Los Angeles Chargers

The Bills, Giants, Patriots, Texans, Colts, and Lions are just a few of the teams in the NFL who wear blue. But none of them pull it off as successfully as the Chargers. The LA franchise has one of the most striking uniforms in the league today. Blue, yellow, and white is simply a gorgeous combination.

Meanwhile, the lightning bolt detail is reminiscent of Roman centurions. It’s also a very flexible color scheme because they often alternate between different pants and jerseys for away games. Even when things aren’t going well on the playing field they still look great.

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10. Bad – Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars have a problem because they can’t make their minds up over whether teal or black is their primary color. In sum, their color schemes tend to be murky and uninspiring. You would think that a team that calls itself the Jaguars would want to make a statement but somehow their uniforms constantly underwhelm.

Although their helmet designs have improved – no more two-tone, thankfully – it still looks a bit weird. It might seem sacrilegious but a cleaner badge would make a difference to its effectiveness. Or they could follow the Bengals route and go full-spotted like the big cat? We’re not sure if the league is ready for that.

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9. Great – New York Yankees

New York has the biggest baseball fanbase but the Yankees also have the best uniforms. The Yankees’ cap transcends the confines of the sport. It represents the entire city, not just the franchise and many people around the sport don’t even associate the classic interlocking “NY” with the latter.

Meanwhile, the Yankees are synonymous with pinstripes. They weren’t even the first team to use this feature but they never changed anything after they introduced them. This makes it a classy, timeless design. You might not love the team, but you’ve got to give them credit for their appearance.

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8. Bad – Carolina Hurricanes

When it comes to hockey uniforms the badge can be a dealbreaker. The Hurricanes should take a look at themselves in the mirror. Or maybe they shouldn’t because their badge is so ugly that they would probably break it. Seriously, it’s just not a great design at all.

A hurricane is a great name for a franchise but it’s very difficult to encapsulate it in an image. Maybe an image of a cow stuck in a tree would be better than splodges of red and black. Either way, it’s a clunky and unappealing design that damages their uniforms’ aesthetic.

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7. Great – Los Angeles Lakers

When you look at a Lakers uniform, you know that it’s a Lakers uniform. Their bright yellow shirts and shorts with purple facings are resplendent and individual. This color scheme is bold and daring. While it’s definitely in-your-face, it doesn’t look cheap.

Sure, the superstars who’ve worn it over the decades like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James give it a heightened sense of worth. But if uniforms had voices, then this one would be a leader of men because it’s just so powerful.

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6. Bad – Cincinnati Bengals

Part of us respects the Bengals because they’re doing something different. But sometimes people avoid doing something for a reason. Shamelessly emblazoning your helmet with bright orange and black stripes is one of these things. It’s just too garish.

Orange can work but it’s all about how you use it. The shade is important too and the Bengals’ are just too bright. The black is a strong contrast and it’s all just too overpowering. In sum, it reeks of ’90s design and needs to be refreshed. There is a way to make the Bengals’ style work, but not this way.

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5. Great – Texas Longhorns

Another great college program on this list, the Longhorns have one of the best uniforms in football period. In fact, it’s almost a shame they’re an NCAA team and not an NFL franchise because this is truly one of the greatest out there. Firstly, the Longhorn badge is fantastic. An indigenous and cool animal, it looks great on their helmets.

We saw with the Bengals how atrocious orange can be if you do it wrong. But the Longhorns go a couple of shades paler and balance it with white instead of black. It’s clean, timeless, and distinctive. In sum, you can’t ask for more than that. An inspired color scheme.

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4. Bad – Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks are like marmite. Some people will love the Seattle franchise’s color schemes, while others loathe them. The notorious ‘color rush’ is one example of them going all-out with their self-described ‘action green.’ While they gain points for trying to be modern and different, they also lose them for coming up with some rubbish designs. Seattle’s uniforms lack the same legacy factor as the likes of Pittsburgh.

In fact, it often feels like they don’t know what they’re trying to achieve with them. They might have one of the league’s best quarterbacks in Russell Wilson, but they don’t know how to dress him properly. In recent times, they’ve worn navy, grey, green, and white. It’s as though they asked a fish to use every color that it knew. In sum, they really don’t have the nicest uniforms in sports.

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3. Great – Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Fighting Irish are on this list for their classic color block, not for any weird Adidas interpretations. When it comes to iconic uniforms, Notre Dame are up there with the best of them. Their iconic gold helmets immediately stand out, while their navy jerseys have a clean look to them. They possess a timeless look. While the technology and fit of the materials may change, the overall aesthetic is untouchable.

We’ve seen uniform manufacturers try to be original with pinstripes and bizarre helmet modifications. The simple thing to do is nothing. This is because it is pointless trying to fix something when it isn’t broken. The Fighting Irish know what they expect from a uniform because they have one of the very best. This represents tradition, legacy, and achievement in one stunning design.

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2. Bad – Anaheim Ducks

Our problem with the Ducks stems from their logo. They decided to modernize their uniforms and in doing so lost some of their soul. We miss their old badge because it was fun and distinctive. This is a franchise that emerged from a Disney movie, so there’s nothing wrong with keeping to that character.

Now they have a webbed foot on their uniforms. Yes, they’re trying to move the franchise into the twenty-first century, but you shouldn’t throw away what made you special and unique at the same time. It’s definitely the worst in the league and really damages their uniforms.

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1. Great – New Orleans Saints

For our money, the Saints have the best uniforms in US sports today. Their black and gold is quite simply regal in appearance. Add in the Fleur de Lis and you’ve got something truly special. The latter detail is one of the classiest logos in all of US sports. Just compare that to the Browns’ helmet.

Meanwhile, they use a paler shade of gold than the Steelers so it’s automatically recognizable. It is also a more metallic shade so the players look like they are wearing gold. Meanwhile, they get bonus points for their ‘color rush’ uniform which is a perfect contrast to the black.

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