# What's With the "GU" Patch on NFL Uniforms? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 8, 2008, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595 "2008-09-08T12:42:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/1 "2008-09-08T12:42:50Z")
[What does this mean?](http://images.sportsline.com/u/photos/fantasy/football/img10966146.jpg) (The black patch with “GU” on the player’s left shoulder). I’m pretty sure everyone in the NFL had one yesterday. By the way, I picked Matt Cassel in my fantasy draft! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/2 "2008-09-08T12:47:47Z")
Gene Upshaw, the head of the NFL Player’s Assocation, passed away recently. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/3 "2008-09-08T12:48:16Z")
It’s in memory of Gene Upshaw, Hall of Fame player for the Raiders and later unmitigated pain in the butt for the owners as the executive vice president of the Players Union. He died last week of pancreatic cancer which had not been diagnosed until the week before that. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/4 "2008-09-08T15:25:37Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > It’s in memory of Gene Upshaw, Hall of Fame player for the Raiders and later unmitigated pain in the butt for the owners as the executive vice president of the Players Union. He died last week of pancreatic cancer which had not been diagnosed until the week before that. Gene Upshaw, may he RIP. As for being a PITA for the owners, actually he was the best thing that ever happened to them. Consider that the NFL generates more revenue than any other professional sport in the U.S. yet the players have the worst collective bargaining agreement. Football players are still just meat on a hook to the owners. NHL players have a better deal than NFL players. Marvin Miller got the MLB players the deal that is the envy of all of sports. In the last year or so there had been a serious movement among the players to oust Gene Upshaw. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/5 "2008-09-08T16:39:35Z")
There was/is a giant version of the same patch at the 50-yard line for all the Week 1 games, too. That will be removed after tonight’s games, but the jersey patches will remain for the season. ---
**Author:** ![J\_Cubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@J\_Cubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_Cubed)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/6 "2008-09-08T17:41:25Z")
When I started watching the Bears game last night, I guessed that it was a tribute to G-Unit. ---
**Author:** ![Anachronism](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Anachronism](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anachronism)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/7 "2008-09-08T21:36:09Z")
2nd Hit on google - [http://www.guenergy.com/](http://www.guenergy.com/) I thought for sure it was some sort of ad. Go Pats ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/8 "2008-09-08T23:00:47Z")
> [@Spartydog](#): > > Gene Upshaw, may he RIP. > > As for being a PITA for the owners, actually he was the best thing that ever happened to them. Consider that the NFL generates more revenue than any other professional sport in the U.S. yet the players have the worst collective bargaining agreement. Football players are still just meat on a hook to the owners. NHL players have a better deal than NFL players. Marvin Miller got the MLB players the deal that is the envy of all of sports. In the last year or so there had been a serious movement among the players to oust Gene Upshaw. Which is as it should be, but that’s a debate for another place and time. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/9 "2008-09-08T23:56:21Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > What does this mean? I’m curious, do you watch football? I watched one game in its entirety and parts of three others yesterday, and I was given this information approximately 70,000 times. Maybe it just seemed like that since I already knew about the patch. ---
**Author:** ![Anachronism](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Anachronism](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anachronism)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/10 "2008-09-09T00:19:36Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > I’m curious, do you watch football? I watched one game in its entirety and parts of three others yesterday, and I was given this information approximately 70,000 times. > > Maybe it just seemed like that since I already knew about the patch. I watched the Patriots game and did not hear it mentioned once. I do tend to tune out the commentators at times though. I did hear about ‘Patriots Place’ (a shopping center attached to Gillette stadium) about 64,000 times. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/11 "2008-09-09T00:33:24Z")
I’m willing to admit that one or two mentions of the patch just seemed like a lot to me based on my prior knowledge. I’d try to watch the Monday night with a critical ear towards it, but the would involve the stupid Vikings play the even stupider Packers. By the way. Go Bears. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/12 "2008-09-09T00:53:57Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > By the way. Go Bears. Go Thread. (to the game room) **samclem** GQ moderator ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/13 "2008-09-09T00:53:57Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > I’m curious, do you watch football? I watched one game in its entirety and parts of three others yesterday, and I was given this information approximately 70,000 times. I watched about two hours of the Red Zone Channel. They didn’t mention it. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/14 "2008-09-09T01:34:41Z")
Let me be the first one to bitch about it. Wearing it for a game would’ve been cool. A whole season? It’s so ugly and obtrusive and up front. Wasn’t the guy kind of a dick that constantly screws over retired players and isn’t that great for the current ones? Americans are growing fond of our memorials. We like to build monuments to what victims we are. I’m in for months of being annoyed by those stupid things. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/15 "2008-09-09T02:20:22Z")
> [@Anachronism](#): > > I watched the Patriots game and did not hear it mentioned once. I do tend to tune out the commentators at times though. I did hear about ‘Patriots Place’ (a shopping center attached to Gillette stadium) about 64,000 times. I saw the same game, and didn’t miss a play. They didn’t mention it once that I heard. I was listening for them to bring it up, too. They did indeed mention the new restaurant and bar at Patriot Place called the “CBS Scene” a few thousand times, though. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/16 "2008-09-09T02:27:32Z")
With 3:13 left in Packers Vikes and a player down on the field injured, they talked about Gene Upshaw for about three minutes straight. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/17 "2008-09-09T02:58:05Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Wasn’t the guy kind of a dick that constantly screws over retired players and isn’t that great for the current ones? Not to hijack or anything, but player salaries have increased by approximately 1000% on average since Upshaw took over the players’ union. League revenues have of course increased, but not by _that_ much. And, sure, he didn’t do much for retired players, but he didn’t work for the retired players. Only active players have a voice within the players’ union. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/18 "2008-09-09T18:52:24Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Wearing it for a game would’ve been cool. A whole season? It’s so ugly and obtrusive and up front. Compared to the uniform designations for GSH, Sweetness and others, it _is_ huge and gaudy. This raises the possibility the end result will be more one of annoyance than memory and respect. ---
**Author:** ![TheBoltEater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheBoltEater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoltEater)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/19 "2008-09-09T21:47:22Z")
Count me among those already annoyed after just one week. The patch is enormous, and if you caught any of the Colts game you would have seen Peyton Manning wearing the gigantic GU on his left shoulder, and both a Lucas Oil Stadium patch _and_ a Captain’s “C” on his right shoulder. He looked like a re-tread from NFL Europa. One game was fine. A whole season is ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595/20 "2008-09-09T23:44:13Z")
Um… why is it annoying? Does a jersey patch somehow detract from the purity of the game? Does it reduce your odds of catching a lineman’s nipple slip? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-gu-patch-on-nfl-uniforms/462595.md?page=2)