Sports Design Blog

Tim Duncan's Shoes

OK, time to get back to business. The holidays have come and gone and its time to get our focus back on sports design. As you know by my previous posts, I'm a fan of the San Antonio Spurs. Even though I live nowhere near Texas, I watch every Spurs game via NBA League Pass on DirecTV.

As I've watched the games, I've noticed that Tim Duncan has been wearing an uncharacteristically stylish shoe this season. Duncan is definitely not known for his outlandish style or for setting fashion trends. Timmy is usually the poster child for consistency and calm. However, this season Duncan has been at the leading edge of shoe design.

Duncan wears the Adidas TS Commander LT shoe and has been sporting one of the craziest shoe designs I've ever seen. According to this article at Sole Collector, the shoes Duncan has been wearing this year were originally meant to be a Halloween promotion for Adidas.

The shoes feature a shiny black base with a pattern that looks like the bones in Tim's feet. From the top, you can definitely see the graphic and how it flows down the shoe. The bone pattern creates one of the most unusual shoe designs I've ever seen. The shoe also features a large version of the mandatory Adidas three stripe pattern, but the shoe is dominated by the bones graphic.

The design can even be seen from the bottom of the shoe. The translucent tread reveals the bottom of Tim's bone pattern. Whether you are a fan of this design or not, there is no denying that it is an unusual look, especially when being worn by one of the league's most conservative players.

Merry Christmas from SDB

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I am so thankful for the following that this blog has developed over the course of its first year. I have made many friends over the last 9 months, Marc, Dan, Paul, Erik D, Kirk, Hoolie, Johnny and so many more. It has been fun to share all of the sports design related madness I have stuck in my head with you. We have really added to a community that started with Paul at Uni-watch and have created another great gathering place for sports design minded fans.

I look forward to sharing more sports design wisdom with you in the new year. Merry Christmas to all of you!

Old School Design: Cincinnati Bengals Art Prints 1981

As I continue to try to go back in time to find some of those classic sports design items from my youth, I continue to surprise myself with what I come up with. As a lifelong Bengals fan, I have a good memory of some really classic Bengals stuff. Back in 1981, the Shell Oil Company put out a great set of illustrations of the Super Bowl Bengals team.

The set included six different hand illustrated prints featuring some of the Bengals biggest stars. Each week you were able to visit your local Shell gas station to try and get your hands on the next edition in the set. The art prints were one of the first pieces of memorabilia to collect featuring the new striped helmets and uniforms.

The set featured my favorite NFL player, quarterback Ken Anderson. Anderson was at the prime of his career at the time of the release of these prints. Another print featured NFL Hall of Famer and Bengals offensive lineman Anthony Munoz protecting his quarterback. The rest of the set included images of running back Archie Griffin, punter Pat McInally, defensive star Ross Browner and fan favorite, linebacker Reggie Williams.

These classic prints bring back some great memories of the quest each week to get your hands on the next piece of the set and the satisfaction that came with completing it. They are a great reminder of a special time for Bengals fans and commemorate some of the best players in team history. These little known prints also provide a really great look back at the early days of the famous striped uniforms and helmets.

Old School Design: Sears Catalog NFL Action Figures

As we approach the Christmas season, it is always good to remember all of those great presents you got as a kid. Being a crazy sports fan as a kid, I was always looking through the old Sears catalog to see what the newest sports gifts were for that Christmas. I've written before about the classic Sears catalog and all of the great stuff it had in it each season.

As I was searching through some old things I came across something that was one of my all-time favorite Christmas gifts. I got these classic NFL action figures for Christmas in probably 1979 or 1980. The figures were from my two favorite teams at the time, the Bengals and the Vikings. Each figure came with a set of stick-on numbers so you could personalize them with your favorite NFL player's number. The Vikings figure wears the number of my favorite Viking of all-time, Fran Tarkenton. The Bengals figure currently has the #80 on it. Originally I had decorated the figure with the number 14, of Ken Anderson fame. I remember switching the numbers over to 80 during the Bengals Super Bowl season to celebrate Cris Collinsworth. Obviously I wasn't a real uniform detail junkie back then, because Collinsworth never wore the Bengals' simple classic uniform and helmet set.

I also remember another great Sears catalog gift I got at the same time. That Christmas I also received a set of NFL player figures of the Vikings, Bears, Packers and Saints to go along with my Bengals/Browns set for my old electric football game. Ahhh, good times. There is nothing better than looking back on some of those great sports gifts from Christmases past!

Jon over at the Fleer Sticker Project passed along this image of these classic pieces of NFL childhood gold that shows them as they appeared in the Sears catalog. There is a great article over there about the Sears catalog and all of the great things that were available. Check it out here.

White Helmets

When I wrote my article last week about team's that should keep their AFL looks over their current ones, I didn't realize one common theme. Regular SDB contributor Marc made a comment about the fact that my picks would leave one division with too many white helmets. Until Marc made this comment, I didn't realize how much I like white helmets.

Once I started to think about it, I looked at all of the NFL helmets and came to the conclusion that there is something about the teams that wear white helmets that is appealing to me. I am a huge fan of the current San Diego Chargers helmet. It is a great upgrade from their navy helmet and is a great tribute to their history.

As I thought about the Buffalo Bills in that article, I continued to see this theme. I really don't like the team's current red helmet, but I am a fan of this design when the team used to wear a white version. I am a fan of the team's old AFL standing buffalo and think the Bills would look great back in that look or the white version of their current helmet.

One of my favorite uniform sets growing up was the Houston Oilers. Again, a team wearing a white helmet. I love seeing the light blue AFL version the Titans are wearing this season, but the true Oilers look to me is the white helmet they wore in the 1970's and 80's. Definitely one of my all-time favorites.

To me, there is no question that the New England Patriots look better in their classic white helmet than their current silver "flying-Elvis" design. The classic Pat the Patriot helmet is one of the coolest classic designs around. The Patriots look infinitely better this season when wearing the classic white rather than the current silver.

Even though I had never really thought about it, my love of white helmets even stretches back to the days of the USFL. Without question, my favorite USFL helmet was that of the Boston Breakers. The Breakers helmet is not only my favorite USFL look, but one of my all-time favorite helmets ever. The blue and silver waves on the white background are outstanding.

Even the new Florida Gators white helmet is growing on me the more I see it. So, thanks to Marc, I've opened my eyes to a design trend I didn't even realize impacted me. I know that the NFL can't have too many teams wearing white helmets, but they sure do look good!

What's the deal with the 2009 NFL sideline gear?

OK, I've been on an NFL rant all week, I guess because I've been watching so much of it. After taking in the Steelers/Browns games last night, I couldn't keep from discussing this today. What is the deal with the sideline apparel from Reebok this year?

All year long I have seen these spotted spectacles roaming the sidelines. Last night, I guess the Steelers bright yellow stood out so much I just couldn't look away. Over the years, there have been all kinds of different styles that adorned the sidelines of the NFL. This year, it looks like Reebok was really reaching for a new idea and came up with this semi-halftone fading look called the "drift print". Not since the days of Apex One being on the sidelines at NFL games has a crazier design been on the official sideline gear roster. This particular style also takes its name from an old Apex One classic, the Avalanche jacket.

Not only are there jackets like these, but knit caps as well. The pattern even makes its way onto the trim of many other pieces of sideline apparel. Reebok does have a few pieces of traditional outerwear on the players, but this idea stands out from the rest in a very bizarre way.

I've been around the sports apparel business for a long time, and these things are right up there with the craziest things I've ever seen.

NFL Teams that should stick with their AFL looks

As I've watched the AFL 50th Anniversary unfold this season, it has become apparent that there are a couple of teams who need to make a return to their old school looks. The best example I can give of how it should work is the San Diego Chargers. Though there uniforms are not true throwbacks, they are a modern hybrid based on their old school elements. The switch to their classic white helmet and the addition of the powder blue jerseys has given the Chargers a great look and has created a great link to their past. The new Chargers look is a great improvement over their previous navy helmet and uniform set. There are two teams who need to follow the lead of the Chargers.

The first team is the New England Patriots. I have never been a fan of the "John Kerry in a bike helmet" look that the team currently wears. The uniform that the team wears tries to look modern, but is really just not that appealing. Seeing the Patriots take the field in their old school Pat Patriot helmet and those great, simple throwback jerseys begs the team to make a return to the past. Like the Chargers, the team needs to switch back to their AFL helmet and make a modern version of their AFL uniform set. The Patriots were trying to be cutting edge when they switched to their current logo and look, but a return to the classic set would greatly improve the visuals of the Patriots on the field.

The other AFL team that desperately needs a uniform change is the Buffalo Bills. The team's current uniform set is a visual mess. The jersey features way too much color blocking and random piping. The stripe under the arm on the jersey makes no connection at all to the stripe on the pants. I've never been a fan of their helmet since they switched it to red many years ago. During this season, it has been a pleasure to see the Bills take the field in their clean old school AFL uniforms. The team needs to take a good look at the simplicity and classic design of the old school uniform and make it, or something based on it, their official set. The white helmet is great and I love the old buffalo. A return to a white helmet would be a positive move, whether it is this version or their more modern white helmet they wore before the switch to red. The Bills definitely are in desperate need of a uniform simplification and the old AFL look should be the foundation for where the team should go.

Bengals-Did I really see that?

On Sunday, I was doing what I always do, settling in to watch my hometown Bengals take on their latest challenger. This season has been a great one for Bengals fans as the team has made a miraculous turnaround and the team is winning like crazy. This Sunday I made my way to the recliner, wearing my classic Ken Anderson throwback jersey and began to watch the game.

This week it seemed like I wasn't watching the game like I normally do. Most of the time I'm watching the action closely, hoping the Bengals make all of the right plays to win. I guess the fact that the Bengals were playing the Lions caused me to be more casual in my viewing. Rather than focusing in on every play, I found myself looking at uniform details and other design things I normally do when watching other teams. Early in the first quarter of the game, I saw something that shocked me. On a special teams play I thought for sure that I had seen something I never thought I would see. I don't know if I haven't been paying attention all year but this was the first time this detail had entered my mind. The Bengals had done something that is completely inexcusable on their uniforms.

 A few plays later as the Bengals were playing offense, my suspicions were confirmed, there was a player on the field in a Bengals uniform wearing the  number 14! At first I couldn't believe my eyes, could it really be true that the number 14 adorns the jersey of a Bengals player again? Sure enough, wide receiver Maurice Purify was lined up on offense wearing that number. Yes, the number of the greatest quarterback in Bengals history was being used in the game on Sunday. Mr. Purify could have been wearing this number all season, but yesterday was the first time I'd noticed it.

In my opinion, there is no circumstance that would justify the Bengals issuing the number 14 to any player, ever. There are two numbers that have no business ever seeing action again the Paul Brown Stadium field, the number 78 and the number 14. My issue is not with Maurice Purify. Though I really don't know much about him, I'm glad he's a Bengal and pull for him because he is a member of the home team. The number he is wearing, I have a huge problem with.

The Bengals have shown a great disrespect to their "should be in the Hall of Fame" quarterback. Though the number 14 was originally the number of Sam Wyche when he played for the Bengals from 1968-1970, Ken Anderson is the player who made the number famous with the Bengals. Anderson had a stellar career as the leader of the Bengals from 1971-1986 and led the team to their first Super Bowl appearance in 1981. According to the all-time numbers page on Bengals.com, no player since Ken Anderson has worn the #14 on the field. That tradition (or coincidence) should have continued on forever. Why in the world would the team give such a legendary number to a player I haven't even noticed until game 12 of the 2009 season?

So there's my rant for the day. I am glad the Bengals won again, but I spent the entire day bothered by what I had seen. I know I am probably making too much of this, but to me, the number 14 for the Bengals is sacred, and should not be seen on the field again in honor of the player who made it famous. What are the Bengals thinking on this one?

Cincinnati Cyclones/Cincinnati Reds Jerseys

My hometown Cincinnati Cyclones hockey team will take on the Florida Everblades on December 5th at U.S. Bank Arena wearing special Cincinnati Reds themed hockey jerseys for Redsfest Night. The Cyclones will be paying tribute to their neighbors in Great American Ballpark, the Cincinnati Reds, by wearing special Reds themed jerseys. The Cyclones play at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati which is located right next door to the Reds' ballpark on the Ohio River. The Reds will be holding their annual Redsfest on the same weekend.

The jerseys feature the Reds' famous C on the chest and also have Mr. Red on the upper right chest area. The regular Cyclones macot logo appears on each shoulder. The jerseys are a combination you don't see very often, a minor league hockey team and a Major League Baseball team. The jerseys will be auctioned off after the game.

 

The Cincinnati Cyclones are the ECHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators. You can find out more about the Cyclones here.

What If? New Orleans Saints

In this article from the New Orleans Times Picayune, the New Orleans Saints almost had a different color scheme than their familiar gold and black upon their founding in the late 1960's. Apparently an original owner, John W. Mecom Jr., had a fondness for a color other than those we now associate with the Saints. It looks like his companies all used a color of blue that was somewhere between royal and carolina blue. The NFL thought the colors looked too close to other NFL teams, particularly the San Diego Chargers and the Saints ended up adopting their familiar black and gold colors.

What if the NFL had allowed the Saints to adopt the colors of light blue and gold? What would the team's uniforms look like now? The team would certainly have a much different look and feel. The Saints' black and gold color scheme is one of the best and most forceful among all NFL teams. If the Saints had chosen blue instead of black, you can see from the image on the left that their image would be drastically different.

How about the Saints classic helmet? How would the use of blue instead of black impact the team's great helmet design? There could have been two ways the team may have used blue on the helmets. One direction would follow the helmet of today and sub-out blue where the black is now. The team may have also chosen a helmet that was predominantly blue with gold accents.

 

Ultimately I am very glad that the Saints chose gold and black as their primary colors. The result of blue replacing black would not have created the same classic look, but it is fun to take a look at "What If?".