What's In A Uniform? Tradition, Glory And Memories!

I'm now officially old. Pick any name you want: curmudgeon, old fart, status quo, square, geezer. Once upon a time I thought I was as hip as the next dude. I liked change. I liked flash. I liked sizzle. I like ultra-modern. Actually, I still like all of those things except when it comes to one item: my NFL team's logo and uniform.

Don't mess with my UNI!

When I think of any NFL team I almost always picture the team logo when I first became a fan. Growing up a Redskins fan I went through a ton of uniform and logo changes. But they all remained true to the history of the team. No radical changes whatsoever. The same can be said of my team of the past 15 years: The Buffalo Bills.

As you can see in the "Bills Helmet History Collection," except for the original helmet, there really hasn't been any drastic change in the team's logo. We've been Bison Believers. We've remained true to the Buffalo. The tradition and heritage has remained (even if the talent left almost 10 years ago).

I love watching the Oregon Ducks play at the collegiate level. Their uniforms are wild! I enjoy the radical uni changes as much as anybody. It's fun. It's silly. Sometimes it's actually cool. But it was always somebody else's team. Anyway, college is supposed to be wild and crazy (yes, there is my dated Steve Martin reference). If college teams want to wear goofy uniforms once and a while, God bless 'em.

But the NFL is a man's game. Full of tradition and glory. Team logos once stood for more than the latest marketing ploy. Twenty years ago nobody cared too much about officially licensed NFL products. Yes, team logo's were almost sacred.


I remember when the Patriots changed their logo from the "Colonial Center" to the current godawful logo. From tradition to stark commercialism overnight. It still remains my least favorite logo.


So new uniforms are on the horizon. Yes they will be hip, futuristic, ultramodern and reminiscent of a superhero costume. But it makes me sad. The change reeks of marketing, commercialism, licensing products, and a greedy attempt to promote jersey sales.

So long tradition - hello to fashion.

I want my NFL memories to be about football heroes, not superheroes. I want tradition that produces treasured moments in a franchise's history, not new wave logos that add to the NFL's treasure chest. Yes, I guess this does truly make me old.

One last question for the NFL marketeers. Will fans fork out huge wads of cash for these space age unis if there is no NFL season?

Hmmmm, suddenly I'm not feeling quite so old.