Stars, Stripes, and Style

Thursday, April 29, 2010 | View Comments
Maybe it's because I'm from Philadelphia, but I always get a bitter taste in my mouth whenever I hear or read the words "New Jersey." Or maybe it's because kit manufacturers have a history of messing about in order to make jerseys look just different enough that they can get fans to buy them. Either way, there's some Pavlovian stuff going on in my noggin.


In closely related news, Nike had their "look at the shirt you all knew about months ago, isn't it awesome?" party today. In case you haven't seen it, here it is:


Yeah, I hate it too. When Nike said it was going to be 100% recycled, they weren't lying. At least the away looks better: (clicky) It's not that I don't like the sash. I mean, I don't, but it's not the sash itself that makes the shirt look stupid. It's the grey on white color scheme. It looks like the kind of curtains stuffy old rich people put in their summer homes. According the the press filler, they were doing it as an homage to the 1950 World Cup team, which is why they decided to wheel out Walter Bahr for the occasion.


Now, looking at that failed abortion up there and at the legendary 1950 shirt (here) that it's supposed to be paying tribute to, you can see the difference. The 1950 shirt is simple, yet classy. Red, white, blue. Stick a badge on it, and we're good to go. It has a sash, but it's not nearly as silly looking as later be-sashed efforts. It manages to not be boring, while not being needlessly busy. Somehow with the current top, Nike have managed to produce a shirt that is not only boring, but stupid looking, too. Is there a point to the red bits near the end of the sleeves? The extra white and grey piping around the sash? This shirt isn't as much tribute to the 1950 shirt as it is the bastard love child of that jersey and the last US home shirt, when it seemed Nike had finally reconciled their misconception that the US flag is white, grey, and blue with the public's need for a shirt that doesn't look like crap.


I didn't like our last World Cup jersey, either, although that might be because this is my abiding memory of that tournament. And maybe that's the problem with US jerseys. It's hard to get attached to one because it changes so often, and because it keeps changing, there's no time for a truly American look to cement itself. All of the true classics, like Argentina, Brazil, or Holland, have been largely unchanged for decades. Instead, we've got a motley crew of dated shirts like this one, the infamous "denim stars" look from the 1994 World Cup, or this uninspiring effort from 1990.


For once, I'd like the USSF to force Nike to pick a single look and stick with that theme for an extended period. It would help bolster the senses of tradition and identity in the US soccer community. And stay away from the sashes, please?
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