BEST Sports Uniforms

[RickJay]

Since we're ripping bad pro sports uniforms in the other thread, what are you favourite uniforms?

I like:

1. New York Yankees. Their uniforms exude a simple, dignified class. When you see them you think of championships and excellence.

2. Toronto Maple Leafs. A classic look, like the Yankees. Simple and classy.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers. Classic, wonderful uniforms. I like the red uniform number, too. Looks terrific.

4. San Francisco 49ers. I just love their uniforms. Unique color scheme.

5. Toronto Raptors. A terrific change from the crappy Barney duds. Simple, with unique colors and they look sharp. The road uniforms are especially good.

6. Detroit Red Wings. Thank God they've stuck with simple red and haven't gone to some horrible 90's black-and-red-and teal combo 'cause I think their uniforms are fantastic.

7. Green Bay Packers. When you see a Packers uniform, you think football. So much history and tradition. Hard to to see their logo and think of the NFL of the 40's, 50's, 60's.

[KneadToKnow]

Originally posted by RickJay
1. New York Yankees. Their uniforms exude a simple, dignified class. When you see them you think of championships and excellence.
It tears me up inside, but I've got to agree with you. Home pinstripes, away grays. Simplicity and elegance. Recognizable from the cheapest nosebleed seats too.

Sure would like to see those sorry bastids on the wrong end of a World Series just once in my miserable life.

[Coldfire]

So many come to mind. Various disciplines.

Football: the Juventus Torino (http://baggio10.multimania.com/photos1/juve/pages/003_jpg.htm) outfit, the Argentina National Team (http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Peaks/2858/nation/argteam990701.jpg) outfit, the AFC Ajax Amsterdam (http://www.ajax.nl/gfx/history/halloffame/specials/bergkamp.jpg) outfit, and of course, the Dutch National Team (http://members.tripod.com/~LauD/Wallpaper/holyug_800.jpg) outfit.

Furthermore, you can't get more heroic than a Ferrari Formula One overall (http://formel1.exit.mytoday.de/forzaf1/pictures/schu/36.jpg).

[Edited by Coldfire on 04-24-2001 at 09:03 AM]

[stuyguy]

Best uniform? In football there's only one: the St. Louis Rams. That horn spiral on the side of their helmets was the first helmet logo in the NFL and it's still the best.

I know you're all thinking: Oh he loves the uniform because he loves the team. Not true. In fact it's the other way around -- I love the team because I love the uniform. I saw them on TV as a kid (they were white & blue then) and I fell in love. Been a fan ever since.

[Zoff]

Originally posted by Coldfire
Football: the Juventus Torino outfit, the Argentina National Team outfit, the AFC Ajax Amsterdam outfit, and of course, the Dutch National Team outfit.

I'd add the classic Real Madrid white and the Italian National team's blue shirts and white shorts.

[Typo Negative]

The Yankees home pin-stripes.

Last year's Pittsburgh Pirates grey road and black home alternate.

The Dodgers home whites.

The White Sox black home alternate.

[Coldfire]

Zoff: agreed. Now I know where your name comes from. :)

[Wartime Consigliori]

I'm a big fan of the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Hurricanes uniforms.

But, then again, I'm a big fan of the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Hurricanes.

I'll hush now ::crawls away::

[RickJay]

Originally posted by Coldfire
So many come to mind. Various disciplines.

Football:


Those are soccer teams. :) Your links didn't work for me, either.

I disagree with Argentina, but Holland's colors are great and let's not forget the classic red-and-white of Man U.

I can't believe I forgot the Montreal Canadiens. Even as putrid as they are now, it's impossible to see their logo or uniforms and not reflect on the greatness of the franchise and the glory of hockey.

And, hey, another I forgot: the Harlem Globetrotters.

[tiny ham]

Boy, I really like the Kansas City Chiefs uniforms, for home and away. They just look very crisp and bold, the color combo is nice. They look like football.

Hockey, I have to go with my Blackhawks, the most colors used in any major league sporting uniform. Classy, the black sweaters are amazing. I have a white one and I must say, it looks great on me. :)

jarbaby

[KneadToKnow]

Ooo, ooo, ooo! I forgot to mention Apollo Creed's trunks in the first Rocky. As soon as I saw those trunks, I knew Rocky's fate.

[bup]

The Negro League Ethiopian Clowns.

Or at least the hats. They're cool.

[Odieman]

I like the Yankees and Dodgers uniforms in baseball, they are both simple but elegant and have inspired copy cats in many leagues. The classic hockey uniform is the Montreal Canadians. Football I will go for the Raiders. Both their home and away uniforms are instantly identifiable and they have inspired imitators in other sports. I can't think of a single NBA uniform that I would call classic, they seem to love garish colours and colour combinations. For race car paint jobs I will second Ferrari...it just says speed.

Keith

[Dignan]

Carolina Hurricanes

Yeah those toilet bowls are real classy :rolleyes:.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Original Six from hockey. None have changed too much, and they all look great. Except their alternate jerseys, escpecially the Bruins jerseys with a big picture of Gentle Ben on the front, what the hell's the deal there?

[Dignan]

Oh yeah, the new Penguins third jersey looks real nice. I like the retro skatin' Penguin.

[Spoons]

I guess I look at sports from the really cheap seats (that is, TV) too often--I find I like the uniforms that are easy to identify at a glance and from distances.

The Denver Broncos have such a uniform--orange and blue, and easy to tell on TV. Similar colors are worn by the West Coast Eagles in Australian Rules Football. The Eagles' uniforms are gold and blue, and impossible to miss on the field.

I'll add my voice to those who like the Toronto Maple Leafs uniform, but I'll add that I'm not overly keen on the stylized "TML" that is on the players' shoulders. I preferred the old-style maple leaf that they had, because I found it to be a nice reminder of the team's logo in the years when they could win Stanley Cups.

[seawitch]

Hee hee. I had an ex I used to drive crazy by rooting for the Bengals (with those wild tiger striped pants), claiming it was because they had the best "costumes". Used to make steam shoot out his ears. "Uniforms, dammit!"

Apparently real men don't wear costumes.

[Spavined Gelding]

Even though they are the team that year after year destroys my alma mater, you have got to admire the University of Michigan's football helmets, with the "yellow" stripes that follow the seams on the old leather headgear. That helmet means knock-'em-down-and run-over-the body football.

[bordelond]

American pro sports

FOOTBALL: The New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills are my favorite uniforms. Honorable mention to the Cincinnati Bengals and the Seattle Seahawks.

BASEBALL: MLB unis change so much now. The New York Yankees and the L.A. Dodgers look crisp & classic, but IMO a little cliched. I prefer the Milawukee Brewers and the Minnesota Twins.

BASKETBALL: Odieman - don't you consider the Boston Celtics and L.A. Lakers uniforms to be "classic"?

Most NBA unis look terrible to me these days. I do like the Milwaukee Bucks clever use of purple & green, as well as the understated lettering style. The Indiana Pacers pinstripes are nifty, too.

HOCKEY: I like the New York Rangers' "Statue of Liberty" blue jerseys. I like the color scheme of the Florida Panthers more than I like their logo. The Philadelphia Flyers' orange jerseys (are they gone for good?) look great.

[Soup]

I have to agree that the Yankees have the best baseball uniform (although, I liked the away greys better before they added the trim on the sleeve and the white outline on the number. Take a look at "61*" on HBO this weekend to see the pre-trim away uniform).

Honorable mention to the Red Sox and Tigers. The only "alternate" (dark) jersey I like is the Orioles.

[Soup]

Football - the New York Giants restored the "NY" logo on the helmets, and put plain white numbers on the dark blue jersey. Classy.

[Katisha]

Originally posted by Spavined Gelding
Even though they are the team that year after year destroys my alma mater, you have got to admire the University of Michigan's football helmets, with the "yellow" stripes that follow the seams on the old leather headgear. That helmet means knock-'em-down-and run-over-the body football.

Damn straight! :D (I'm graduating from Michigan this week.)

As has been pointed out, the Red Wings have great uniforms. So do the Tigers. And the Celtics. And I agree, most of the Original Six uniforms still look good. (It pains me to say it, but the Blackhawks do have especially cool uniforms -- though I still like the Wings' unis better.)

When the Hurricanes were still the Hartford Whalers, they wore navy uniforms that weren't too bad. And the St. Louis Blues have pretty good jerseys, too.

(Oh, and since Soup mentions it, the baseball portions of 61* were filmed at Tiger Stadium! I thought about going out to be an extra in that movie, but decided not to...)

[Bottle of Smoke]

My favorite is probably the Green Bay Packers, if for no other reason that is such a part of my childhood and growing up years. Like RickJay said, it just means football to me.

I also like the Chicago Bears uniforms. I like the color and the fact that the numbers look different than the numbers on other team jerseys.

There is just something basic and grounding about seeing the Packers and the Bears on the field together. Those two uniforms will always be real football to me. Although when they played each other wearing those throwback uniforms, ye gads...

[egkelly]

The best pro sports uniform is the Dallas cowgirls!

[Winnowill]

Originally posted by RickJay
1. New York Yankees. Their uniforms exude a simple, dignified class. When you see them you think of championships and excellence.

The Yankees, though, commit one unforgiveable crime on their unis which ruins the whole thing. They don't put the players' names on them! That's just plain arrogant. As though I, even though I'm not a Yankee fan, ought to know every player's name and number. Memorize them - "Let's see...3 is Ruth, 4 is Gehrig, and 55 is...Ramiro Mendoza." (With apologies to Reilly.) I don't even know every player number on teams I LIKE!

My favorite uniforms are the Cleveland Indians' away grays. Their home uni is pretty good, too.

[Soup]

No name on the Yankee uniform is one of it's GOOD features. And really, how necessary is it? If you're attending a game, you're too far away to read the name, and if you're watching on TV, the announcers and the graphics tell you all you need to know.

[Airbeck]

Hockey - Blackhawks, no other hockey sweater even comes close.

Football - Bears. Classic old-school NFL uniforms. If only they'd win a friggin game once in a while.

Baseball - White Sox. The black hat with the Sox logo on it is the best hat in baseball.


See if you can guess where I'm from.:)

[Snooooopy]

I love the New Orleans Saints' uniforms. I also thought the New England Patriots' old uniforms -- the ones with the hiking soldier on the side -- were pretty neato.

[Flymaster]

Originally posted by jadailey
The Yankees, though, commit one unforgiveable crime on their unis which ruins the whole thing. They don't put the players' names on them! That's just plain arrogant. As though I, even though I'm not a Yankee fan, ought to know every player's name and number. Memorize them - "Let's see...3 is Ruth, 4 is Gehrig, and 55 is...Ramiro Mendoza." (With apologies to Reilly.) I don't even know every player number on teams I LIKE!

See, that's the BEST part of the Yankees uniform. As much of a Yankee hater as I am (and, clearly, the Red Sox have the best uniform), not having names is the way it should be. If you can't identify players by their numbers, then you don't DESERVE to know who they are. The arrogance (and tradition) is beautiful.

[Winnowill]

Originally posted by Flymaster
See, that's the BEST part of the Yankees uniform. As much of a Yankee hater as I am (and, clearly, the Red Sox have the best uniform), not having names is the way it should be. If you can't identify players by their numbers, then you don't DESERVE to know who they are. The arrogance (and tradition) is beautiful.

Well, real tradition means that there shouldn't be any numbers, either.

If they're playing at home and you're their fan, you'll know who most of the starters are. But if they're playing in, say, Anaheim and you're an Angels fan, you're not going to know who the second-stringer is who just came out to relieve Bernie Williams in center. How many people know the names and numbers of every player - including AAA players who might be called up tomorrow? Or that guy from the Twins who might be traded there next week?

TV announcers tell you much less than you think about who's making the plays. It makes me crazy when I tune into a Yankees game and see a pitcher I don't recognize. If they've already introduced him, it could be an entire inning before they say his name again.

It's a minor irritation, I grant you. But it still knocks the Yankees down a couple notches on the uniform appreciation scale.

[Soup]

jadailey - If memory serves correctly, the Yankees were the first team to put numbers on their uniforms, back in the 1920s. I guess this was considered a wild, untraditional move at the time!

But now you've got me wondering, which was the first team to put NAMES on the uniforms? Was it a product of the television era?

[Rich G7subs]

Originally posted by Soup
jadailey - If memory serves correctly, the Yankees were the first team to put numbers on their uniforms, back in the 1920s. I guess this was considered a wild, untraditional move at the time!

But now you've got me wondering, which was the first team to put NAMES on the uniforms? Was it a product of the television era?


Yup...the numbers on the back of the uniform were originally the batting order.(or so I've heard) Now batting ELEVENTH...number 11 Chuck Knoblauch!

Yankees Braves and Indians for traditional and simple elegance,but I'm pretty partial to the Mets home black jersey with black cap/blue brim.

[ElwoodCuse]

Yes, the Flyers orange jerseys are now gone.

Best Jerseys ever--everything the San Jose Sharks have worn.

[Kyla]

Originally posted by spooje
The White Sox black home alternate.

You're being sarcastic, right? Black home alternative jerseys were created by the devil! Completely tacky. I must say, though, they look better on the White Sox (who at least have black as a team color) than the Mets.

[kevja]

Baseball -- the home uniforms of the Yankees, Dodgers, Tigers, and Royals.

Football -- A lot of good ones. The 49ers current uniform is good, but the version they wore in the 80's was, IMHO, the best looking NFL uniform ever. The Lions, Bills, and Cowboys are good too. The Cowboys have that thing where they wear white jerseys at home. Again MHO, their dark jersey looks better. I also liked the "old" Giants uniform. It's similar to the one they have now, but but with white pants, and the Giants logo on the helmet.

[Dignan]

But now you've got me wondering, which was the first team to put NAMES on the uniforms?

I know that in the case of the NHL the league eventually forced the teams to put names along with numbers on the backs of jerseys. The Maple Leafs owner, King Clancy (I believe), was worried that it would hurt program sales so he had the names put on in blue lettering on the backs of the Leafs' blue jerseys.

[RealityChuck]

First team to put names on uniforms? AFAIK, the original AFL -- New York Titans, Boston Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Houston Oilers, Dallas Texans, Oakland Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, & Denver Broncos.

[Max Torque]

Cool, another place to promote my local hockey team, the Lubbock Cotton Kings (http://www.cottonkings.com/fanzone/images/cottonwallpaper.jpg), and their logo. Easily the meanest cotton ball you've ever seen. And they're in the finals this year! First game is tomorrow, woohoo!

[Spoons]

[slight hijack]

Originally posted by Dignan
The Maple Leafs owner, King Clancy (I believe), was worried that it would hurt program sales so he had the names put on in blue lettering on the backs of the Leafs' blue jerseys.

Wasn't Harold Ballard the owner at the time?

Anyway, your blue lettering/blue jersey/program sales story sounds like something Ballard would do. If he was alive today, I have no doubt he'd recast the phrase so as to tell the fans, "All your money are belong to me."

[/slight hijack]

[nineiron]

Best all-time baseball uniform has to go to...
The Turtles in the movie "My Blue Heaven." Sponsored by a sharp-dressing former mobster, their uniforms look like white sportcoats with red shirts and yellow ties (if I recall correctly). Very sharp indeed.

My real answer: Boston Red Sox. This is only coincidental to the fact that I am a Sox fan. They have kept their uniforms, well, uniform throughout the years (despite an ill-conceived change in caps once or twice). I agree that the Yankees and Tigers have to come in a close second place, for the same reason--they're classic, simple, and remain traditional. All of these "alternate" uniforms that some teams use which result in a differently-colored shirt and pants just make the players look like beer-league softball players rather than the major-leaguers they're supposed to be.