PFT: People advised not to purchase NFL jerseys before April

[Keyser Söze]

Ahhh I want a Gronk SB jersey......

 

[oldskool138]

I still don't get why we shouldn't buy a jersey. My birthday's in March and I'm asking for a Gronk jersey (I'm retiring my Bruschi jersey after the Super Bowl ) and I don't care if it's the "old style" jersey. It'd be like having a throwback.

 

[Dragda]

Maybe the radical changes will be something like pro combat versions of the current unis, that wouldn't be bad because the jerseyes will be practically the same.

...unless they give the Patriots helmets like the Oregon ones from the Bowl game

Ridell still holds the contract for helmets. Nike won't touch those.

 

[rojo8401]

Again, we're talking about two distinct issues. So as not to get too technical:

The NFL and the individual teams control the look of the uniforms.
Reebok and now Nike control the feel of the uniforms.

Nike can suggest changes, but cannot make wholesale changes (at least ones not required by manufacturing adjustments) without the approval of the league/teams.

So the abomination in the post above this one isn't happening unless someone in the Pats organization goes on an all-night bender.

My experience as someone who works as a designer in the corporate world supports this statement. It's a give and take but he who controls the brand (trademark) has the last say. When I am designing a Coca Cola / Black Eyed Peas promotion both sides have a say as to the overall look and the feel but the logos, the branding has to conform to the established style guides. I cannot change the Coke logo one iota and it has to be used in a very specific way.

I am guessing that the team logo is off-limits as well as the primary / secondary colors. Too much existing collateral (websites, stadium, etc) to have to swap just to suit Nike's design whims.

 

[LivinLovin&Breathin_Brady]

I can't see Brady in that arena football looking jersey. Hopefully the jerseys stay the same and they just change the reebok logo to a nike one. I think changing the uniforms could affect the game business/rating wise. It just won't be the same.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

I I think changing the uniforms could affect the game business/rating wise.

Really? Affect ratings? The look of the jersey's could affect the sales of the jersey's. If they are ugly, people might not buy them.

But if on 1 pm on a Sunday you might be someone to say to yourself, "I would have watched the football game, but I don't like the new colors on the team uniform, I think I will watch the show 'what not to wear on' on TLC instead." Then turn in your man card right now!

 

[MSU]

I love the Patriots, but their Jerseys and gear is lame as hell. I refuse to buy any of the current gear or jerseys for that reason. I hope Nike makes some drastic changes.

 

[PatriotSeven]

This is a trap so collectors can sweep them all up before they disappear and they can sell new ones when they come out. Buy now or you'll be paying later.

 

[Big-T]

Patriots Adidas uniform in 01...exactly the same as the current Reebok ones from what I can see so the Nike ones are probably going to be the same too.

The only change I can see them making is a pro combat version of the current designs

 

[KDPPatsfan85]

Patriots Adidas uniform in 01...exactly the same as the current Reebok ones from what I can see so the Nike ones are probably going to be the same too.

The only change I can see them making is a pro combat version of the current designs

Forgot where I read it, but Nike NFL Jerseys will go for $100 just for replicas.

 

[IndianPat]

Here's the site where all (possible real or fake) uni's of all NFL teams are shown.
The Vikings and Bengals uniforms are quite impressive. It appears that no amount of creativity can upgrade the drab Browns colors.

New NFL Nike Uniforms for 2012, Real or Fake? [31 Team Pics] | JOCKpost

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

Forgot where I read it, but Nike NFL Jerseys will go for $100 just for replicas.

The price of Jerseys are going to go up. I am shocked. Shocked I tell ya. Who could have predicted this? Wow? An NFL product rising in price quicker than the CPI. Wow. I bet that has never happened before.

 

[VrabelJr]

This just in: Matte black is gay and overused like neon lights on the underbodies of cars back in the late 1990s/early 2000s.

 

[LivinLovin&Breathin_Brady]

Really? Affect ratings? The look of the jersey's could affect the sales of the jersey's. If they are ugly, people might not buy them.

But if on 1 pm on a Sunday you might be someone to say to yourself, "I would have watched the football game, but I don't like the new colors on the team uniform, I think I will watch the show 'what not to wear on' on TLC instead." Then turn in your man card right now!

I think it will affect the feel. It won't be the same anymore, it will feel like you're watching Arena Football instead of the NFL, especially combining that with the ongoing rule changes. I think the uniforms were part of the reason the XFL didn't work out. Too much black. Small changes can ruin a lot of things.

Example: WWE. The Rock was the greatest in sports entertainment. The Rock came back with a huge tattoo on his chest. He wasn't the same anymore.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it, that's all I'm saying.

 

[jarnhestur]

As been posted, Nike can change the material and possibly the fit of the uniform, but they won't be able to change the look or logos. It doesn't work that way.

 

[Wolfpack]

Maybe I am confused, but how can Nike just arbitrarily change the uniforms? Sure they supply the uniforms, but why can they just change them? Isn't that a decision made by each team's ownership?

Nike can't change the uniforms other than put their logo where the Reebok logo used to be. And believe you me, there are probably 25 pages of legalese describing exactly where Nike can place their logo, how big it can be, what color it can be, whether it is just the logo or the logo with "Nike" under it, etc, etc, etc.

All the rest of this is just from the people who saw those Nike images of "future uniforms" which were nothing ore than something some fan somewhere made up. The teams will tell Nike how the uniforms are going to be designed, not vice versa.

 

[Wolfpack]

Here's the site where all (possible real or fake) uni's of all NFL teams are shown.
The Vikings and Bengals uniforms are quite impressive. It appears that no amount of creativity can upgrade the drab Browns colors.

New NFL Nike Uniforms for 2012, Real or Fake? [31 Team Pics] | JOCKpost

I've seen that site. Some of the designs are cool and some are ugly, but please let's be clear about one thing: That site is not "possibly real or fake". It is absolutely, certifiably, 100% fake.

 

[Wolfpack]

Really? Affect ratings? The look of the jersey's could affect the sales of the jersey's. If they are ugly, people might not buy them.

But if on 1 pm on a Sunday you might be someone to say to yourself, "I would have watched the football game, but I don't like the new colors on the team uniform, I think I will watch the show 'what not to wear on' on TLC instead." Then turn in your man card right now!

The people on this forum would never do such a thing, but I'm sure there are plenty of casual NFL fans where such a thing could make a difference. The NFL has a well established brand identity. Radical changes to such a well established brand could certainly hurt things like ratings or overall interest in the league. None of us would care, but the casual, borderline fan could be swayed one way or the other.

 

[jarnhestur]

Not that there should have been any confusion, but the NFL clears it up a bit saying there aren't big changes coming. Any changes need to be approved by the league.

League says Nike deal won’t lead to dramatic jersey design changes | ProFootballTalk

 

[MSU]

The people on this forum would never do such a thing, but I'm sure there are plenty of casual NFL fans where such a thing could make a difference. The NFL has a well established brand identity. Radical changes to such a well established brand could certainly hurt things like ratings or overall interest in the league. None of us would care, but the casual, borderline fan could be swayed one way or the other.

Why would a casual fan be so uptight about a jersey? That makes absolutely no sense. No one is going to stop watching because they get different jerseys. Sure, maybe a casual fan decides they like some other team with new jerseys. But I can't imagine one person going, "they changed these old jerseys? **** football!"