Sports Design Blog

Old School vs. New School: Gumball Helmets

Everyone who grew up in the glorious Sears Catalog days of NFL collecting remember the old school NFL gumball helmets. I've written before about some of those glorious gumball helmet designs from the 1970's. The technology back then was not nearly what we have today, so those helmets were extremely limited in what kind of decoration could be done to them. Every helmet utilized a decal on each side to create the team graphic and any team that needed a stripe over the top had a stripe decal as well. For teams like the Rams and the 1980's Bengals, this presented some issues.

Fast forward to today. Manufacturing technology has advanced in so many ways that the gumball helmets you buy today are far different than those from the past. The gumball helmet of today is definitely not your father's gumball helmet. Modern gumball helmets have no problem at all displaying the intricate graphics on some of the NFL's most complicated helmet designs. Tampo printing technology allows the current gumball helmet to accurately display the team graphics, even if they wrap over the top of the helmet. No longer do you have those die-cut decals, but graphics that are permanently printed on the helmet.

The basic shape of the old school gumball helmet was also a bit different than a real NFL helmet. The old school gumball helmet was somewhat flat on the sides and on the top in order to allow the decals to be placed on a flat surface. The facemask of old was a simple white two-bar design that snapped into place on each side of the helmet. As the old school gumball helmet evolved, you even started to see facemasks in colors. I used to keep a drawer full of helmets with the decals removed and various colored facemasks so I could customize them at any time.

Fast forward to today's new school gumball helmet. Today's helmet is shaped in a manner that is much more like that of a real helmet. Since the graphics are now pad printed, there is no need for the flat surfaces for decals, allowing for a much more realistic shape. Today's facemask is also much more detailed, with a realistic full-face design.

Today's helmets provide collector's with a much more realistic piece of memorabilia to collect, but there is something about an old school gumball helmet that just feels right. Despite their decoration and shape limitations, the old school gumball helmet was one of the most cherished of all sports collectibles for young NFL fans from the past.

Super Bowl uniforms: Colts Edition

Today's column comes from SDB regular and guest columnist Marc Swanson. Marc is best known for his witty comments, love of all things Cleveland and a true love and appreciation of sports design. Marc thought it would be good to take a look at the other side of the ball today and give his thoughts on the Super Bowl uniform match-up from the Colts' perspective.

By Marc Swanson

 
The Colts are back in the Super Bowl. Big surprise (wink). This will mark the fourth time the franchise has appeared in the Super Bowl, their second as the Indianapolis Colts (it only hurts a little less now, eh Ravens fans?)

The team has had one constant through their Super Bowl appearances -- from 1969’s Super Bowl III to next Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIV -- and that is their uniform. A simple two-color scheme, the Colts’ blue and white goes back to the very beginning of the franchise when they rose from the ashes of the last NFL team to go out of business, the Dallas Texans (not to be confused with Lamar Hunt’s Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs of the AFL) in 1953.

The Colts’ logo has it’s origins in Baltimore. Home of the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel in the Triple Crown, Baltimore has deep roots in horse racing and breeding. Displayed prominently on their helmet, the Colts’ horseshoe is an excellent representation of this tradition… and now they’re in Indianapolis. C’est la vie.

The Colts have managed to maintain their style over the years and have made only minor alterations since the 1950s. Changing the facemask color from grey to white (and back again) and varying the arrangement of the sock stripes are about the only adjustments the Colts have made to their timeless uniforms. The Colts have definitely learned that you don’t fix what ain’t broke.

There is one thing that I do think they broke. The Colts -- like most NFL teams –- have had to make adjustments for the cut of today’s jersey style. Unfortunately, sometimes these changes are not for the better, for instance the shoulder striping that appears on most NFL jerseys. Players today prefer a tighter cut around the shoulder and uniform designers have altered the cut of the jersey while trying to maintain the team’s identity. Compare Unitas’ shoulder stripe to Manning’s. The older style, though it doesn’t wrap completely around the arm, looks much better, IMHO, than the new style. The current jersey looks as though the stripes were an after-thought and were just kinda plopped onto the shoulders at the last minute. I don’t know why the designers had to abbreviate the stripes, but judging from the shot of Manning, it appears they could have gone the same route as the designers of Unitas’ jersey without much difficulty. Every time I see that half-stripe it irks me. I dunno… what do you think? Is it a concession to the constraints of the cut or a dumb oversight? Personally, I miss the days of the longer sleeve jersey. I like that it gave the opponent something to grab onto making it somehow feel more tangible for the fan. Maybe it’s just me…

As an aside, I have to say that as a fan of a smaller market team (Go Browns!), I absolutely LOVE the fact that Super Bowl XLIV will be a matchup/parity-fest of the two top seeds in the NFL… from the 14th and 59th largest cities in America. In your face, MLB!

The New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl!

Today's column is written by SDB regular Dan Leonard. Dan is a passionate student of sports design and always provides us with great insight. Enjoy his take on the Saints and their trip to the big game:

By Dan Leonard

Many probably still can't believe it. As a native Pittsburgher, I can.

The ride the city of New Orleans and the entire Gulf coast region's fans are on is fantastic. The Steelers weren't always Super, suffering nearly 40 years without sniffing an NFL championship. I know how those long-suffering fans feel as the clouds have been lifted and finally, they are on the big stage.

The NFL's biggest show, hosted nine times by this great city, has never included the Saints.

In 1967 the NFL expanded to New Orleans as a result of the increasing popularity of pro football. The upstart AFL had begun to get the attention of NFL execs and they felt pressure to have more franchises in areas that had been traditional college regions. 

As Jim had pointed out in an earlier SDB column, one of the Saints original owners John W Mecom, Jr, wanted their colors to be to be the 'old' gold we all associate with them today and a blue, somewhere between royal and Carolina! The colors were nixed by the NFL brass as too similar to that of the San Diego Chargers of the rival AFL.

Here's a little info on the symbol many only know as the logo on the helmet of the New Orleans Saints. The fleur-de-lis (pronounced, flu-oer de lee) is a stylized lily. In French, fleur means flower, and lis means lily.

In the 13th century, during the reign of King Louis IX (St. Louis) the three petals of the flower were said to represent faith, wisdom and chivalry, and to be a sign of divine favor bestowed on France.

In New Orleans, with all of it's rich French history and tradition, the fleur de lis, naturally became the insignia of it's NFL team. The Saints were named for the French Crusaders who conquered much of Europe in those previously mentioned centuries.

Is this?: 

a) Current Saint's owner, Tom Benson's home.

b) Drew Brees' ornate tribute to his team.

c) The gilded protector of Reggie Bush.

d) None of the above.

It's actually, 

d) None of the above.

This is a photo of the gate prominently featuring the fleur de lis, surrounding Buckingham Palace in England. Should the Saints 'Go marching in' to their first NFL title in Miami's Super Bowl XLIV, then I'd certainly expect to see a fleur de lis displayed on their championship ring!

Super uniform matchup: Saints vs. Colts

The matchup is set and the Super Bowl features two teams who will make fans of traditional NFL uniform design very happy. Both teams who will be participating two Sundays from now are great examples of how uniform simplicity stands the test of time. The Saints make their first appearance in the game against recent Super Bowl champ, the Colts.

This will be the first time we get a look at the Saints on the Super Bowl stage. A team that has had a mixed history of success, it is refreshing to see the Saints make the big game, despite the fact I had hopes that my childhood favorite Vikings could make their return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1977. When you see the Saints of today, you can still see the Saints of the past. The Saints uniform look has changed in small, subtle ways over the years, but the team continues to use the same basic look from the team's past in their current uniform set. The team's use of black and gold makes a very dynamic color combination that is fun to watch. The only thing about the current Saints uniforms that even remotely brings them down is the different shades of gold on the helmet, jersey and pants. Chalk that up to the difficulty in reproducing that gold color on such different mediums as a helmet, tackle twill and jersey materials.

On the other side of the field, you have another team that has kept their traditional look intact. The Colts of today have the same look as the Colts of the past. The team's current uniform set keeps the tradition of the old Baltimore Colts and players like Johnny Unitas alive. Modern uniform cuts have interrupted the integrity of the shoulder stripes a bit, but all in all, you get the same look today as the team had back in the 1960's.

Super Bowl XLIV should be a great game from a competition perspective, but it will be an even better game for fans of simple, traditional uniform design. We won't have any crazy color blocking, random piping or crazy pants stripes, just simple, easy on the eyes old school uniform designs.

Classic vs. Current-Cardinals/Packers

OK, since my hometown Bengals were, well, the Bengals this weekend, I must now shift my NFL enjoyment to another team. I guess I now fall in line in hoping that the Vikings can finally grab that elusive Super Bowl win. Its not a Brett Favre thing for me, but a Fran Tarkenton thing. Outside of my Bengals, the Vikings were my other favorite team growing up and Fran Tarkenton was my favorite quarterback next to Ken Anderson. On the AFC side, I'd like to see the Chargers, only because I enjoy their uniform looks over those of the other AFC contenders.

On to my point for today, the Cardinals and the Packers. What a great game, even though it ended under controversial circumstances. What caught my eye while watching this game was that you had a great example of classic NFL uniform design going up against an example of current NFL uniform design. Both teams continue to wear their classic helmet designs, but their uniform sets take a drastic turn in different design styles.

The Packers are one of the prototype teams for the classic NFL uni look. The team still uses simple sleeve and pant striping in a simple uniform style. When you see the Packers of today, you see the Packers of yesterday as well. For those who like the clean, classic look of the NFL past, you can't get a better example than Green Bay.

The Cardinals provided the game with a complete contrast in uniform design. The Cardinals uniform sets feature all of the bells and whistles of modern uniform design. The Cardinals' jersey and pants feature all of the random color blocking and piping that are found on modern design uniforms. They are a great example of the overuse of all of these elements on the modern NFL uniform.

This game definitely showcased the stark divide between NFL uniform design and provided a great visual for the fan, whether you fall on the classic or current side.

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.