Sign the Petition: Join The Coalition for the Permanent Restoration of The New England Patriots' Real Logo and Uniforms
We Are All Patrtiots - So Let's Look Like It! Small minded, bandwagon fans believe that the identity or success of an NFL franchise is defined by how many Super Bowls it has participated in and won. While victory can be gratifying, a team's pride and tradition are in fact found within the people of the community it represents; their faith, support, enthusiasm and interest through hardships as well as good times. Through this team's first 32 years of existence, there have been countless individuals among staff, players, coaches and supporters whose unselfish and often heroic efforts have gone unrecognized. In 1993, for reasons unknown, prospective new owner Robert Kraft cooperated with James Orthwein, a person not from New England who was assigned by the league to manage the Patriots temporarily, in commissioning NFL Properties to completely replace the Patriots' logo and basic uniform color scheme, which had been consistent since 1961. People with no interest, awareness or connection to the team were understandably not offended or insulted by this, and in fact welcomed the change. However, the necessity in Orthwein's mind for a new image never existed. The Patriots' fan base already reached around the globe. By comparison with another local sports franchise, when another in a list of less than beneficial owners after the passing of Walter Brown was bought out in 1979, and the Boston Celtics had the worst team in the NBA, several major upgrades to personnel were made but the franchise's original logo and uniform were unchanged, honoring its rich history and the people who sacrificed for it. Fans were thereby able to see star forward Larry Bird play his entire distinguished career in the true Celtic uniform, along with his teammates. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for quarterback Tom Brady, the transcendent player of his generation. For 23 years, the team still identified as the Patriots has worn a nondescript, bland, vapid and unattractive replacement logo (commonly referred to as "flying elvis") with uniform colors similar to numerous other franchises, unlike the unique original team uniform. There remains the opportunity for Tom and his team to at least play his last seasons dressed as The Patriots, and the team that represented all six states with distinction and class amid largely incomparable struggles and adversity that its fans, today, have only seen in one Super Bowl in 1986, in a losing effort. I personally prefer the 1976/1983 uniforms, but will gladly accept permanently adopting the "throwback" version, last seen in 2012, as the New England Patriots' uniforms with "Pat Patriot" on their white helmets, to wear for every preseason, regular season and playoff game. How tremendous will it be to see the real New England Patriots representing us in Minneapolis on February 4th, both playing - and looking - like champions!
Dear Mr. Kraft,
We, the people, including but not limited to fans of the New England Patriots, football fans, New Englanders, and people with respect and taste, hereby respectfully request that you permanently restore Phil Bissel's original "Pat Patriot" to our team's helmets, along with the original uniform colors: red primary jerseys at home, and white jerseys and pants as visitors. This may be accomplished by simply adopting the "throwback" uniforms from 2012 as our permanent attire. The retired "flying elvis" logo which appeared from 1993-2015 can now remain in the Patriots Hall of Fame. We appreciate all the effort and sacrifice you have made for our team over the years, and we understand that you meant no harm in accepting and promoting the replacement logo. We are eternally grateful to you for allowing us to see our real New England Patriots compete on the field now, for every preseason, regular season and playoff game. God Bless You!
