Sports uniforms, in case you haven’t noticed, are these days coloring outside the lines. I blame Nike and greed, not necessarily in that order.
What started with the iconic sports outfitter dressing the University of Oregon football team in a different look – from cleats to helmets – every single week of the season, now has Texas Tech incorporating a Texas flag onto its helmet and Baylor donning black jerseys. There were times the last couple of years I’d turn on a college game and have no idea who was playing.
In the NFL, the tweaking and sometimes re-cycling of colors and logos is out of pure profit. Lagging ticket sales? Change uniforms and, presto, a spark in souvenir sales. It’s a cheap trick, left to the teams that rarely sniff success and that fail to grasp tradition.
Think about the iconic emblems of sports. Yankees’ pinstripes. Cowboys’ star. Celtics’ green four-leaf clover.
They endear and endure. They inspire memories and spark emotion. They … are nothing like the Cleveland Browns.
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They are the NFL’s lousiest organization, from the troubles of Johnny Manziel, Josh Gordon and GM Ray Farmer, and a playoff-less streak at 12 seasons and counting. They also have the league’s lamest logo, despite this week’s alteration.
The only thing that can make orange look worse is exactly what the Browns have done – add a splash of brown. While Cleveland unveiled its new, very familiar, look, it prompted me to rank all 32 NFL helmets … from Jacksonville’s collage to the Raiders’ consistency.
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32. Browns – The Browns being orange remains uniquely and unequivocally embarrassing
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31. Jaguars – Two-tone job looks like they ran out of spray paint.
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30. Buccaneers – Swashbucklers don’t wear pewter or wave red flags.
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29. Steelers – Logo on just one side will always look cheap and forgetful.
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28. Titans – Flaming T looks more like an asteroid.
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27. Ravens – Obscure bird with cartoonish beak scares nobody.
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26. Broncos – The single, sharp stripe looks ridiculous.
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25. Bears – If they were black – instead of deep dark blue – they’d move way up this list.
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24. Jets – Even Joe Namath struggled to look cool in green and white.
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23. Texans – Sorry, but the Longhorn was already taken.
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22. Giants – So many options, so little creativity. Caps button broken?
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21. Panthers – Logo too complicated, looks like a black, blobby rectangle.
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20. Bills – Charging buffalo works, but what with the ribbon?
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19. Seahawks – Unique colors remind me of dreary rain.
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18. Lions – Their blue always looked like the JV compared to Cowboys’ blue.
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17. Patriots – Red, White and Blue! (And, um, silver?).
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16. Cardinals – Menacing bird, but then a total give-up.
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15. Eagles – Evil, sinister green never appealing.
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14. 49ers – The “SF” on red background somehow works on gold canvas.
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13. Bengals – Most unique look in the NFL.
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12. Vikings – Looked better in old, outdoor Metropolitan Stadium.
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11. Dolphins – Even the friendlier fish works.
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10. Colts – Iconic and consistent, from Unitas to Manning to Luck.
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9. Rams – The horns fit even if the weird gold doesn’t.
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8. Falcons – Nasty black bird would make cool gang symbol.
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7. Chiefs – Arrowheads in vibrant red..
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6. Saints – Fleur-De-Lis perfectly crafted for locale.
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5. Redskins – Politically incorrect, and awesome.
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4. Chargers – Lightning bolts never go out of style.
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3. Packers – Garish gold and cheese now a time-tested tradition.
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2. Cowboys – Most recognizable sports logo on the planet.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
