I make my opinions known on uniforms quite often on the site, and so I thought I’d take a moment and mention my favorite uniforms (non-Cleveland of course). It is hard nearly impossible to completely take emotion out of the equation when ranking uniforms, at least for myself. So even though teams like the Yankees may have the most classic look out there, there is just no way I’m putting them in my top three. Sorry New York. Can’t get past the gag reflex when looking at the NY.
So without further adieu, and with one more brief reminder that these are just my opinions on uniforms, I present my top three looks for the NFL, MLB and NBA. (Remember, Cleveland uniforms were ineligible.)
NFL
This one may have been the easiest to decide. There is much more room for creativity with a football uniform I think. More flexibility to mix and match team colors as well between the pants, jersey and helmet.
1. San Diego Chargers- Great uniforms. I’ve always liked them, but when they went to the white helmet I was hooked. The light blue accent surrounding the lighting and numerals is fantastic. Just enough to really make them pop. White tops with blue pants, blue tops with white pants or even the alternate light blue uniforms are all great. Plenty of contrast, but with colors that work well together. You have to love the lighting as a logo. It is very versatile. Use it as an accent or the main image. Well done.
2. Buffalo Bills- What an improvement. The Bills have had some serious uniform disasters over the years, but the new look for this season is tremendous. Maybe I’m a sucker for the white helmet look, but the new Bills’ lid is excellent. Classic stripes and football font for the numbers complete the look.
3. Chicago Bears- Classic. These uniforms are as simple as you can get, and yet just scream football. The white jerseys are nice, but the dark home look is the one that puts Chicago in my top three. Great color combination, and classic helmets.
NBA
I have to admit, basketball uniforms in general don’t really excite me. Cleveland’s home uniforms during the LeBron era were the best basketball jerseys I’ve seen. Loved the original font for the script Cavaliers. Awesome colors. Then they had to go with the ketchup and mustard look. Sigh.
1. Portland Trailblazers- Love the all-black uniforms. The white and red stripes are so uniquely Portland too. Nobody else has been able to pull off such a radical stripe. Not in love with the slanting font, but it is at least readable, which is not always the case.
2. Philadelphia 76ers- Particularly the red uniforms. Going back to the classic arch block lettering and red, white and blue was such a smart move. Those Iverson era black uniforms with the crazy looking sixers logo was just too much. They get the nod over other classic uniforms like the Celtics and Bulls because, well they are the Celtics and Bulls.
3. Golden State Warriors- This one is my dark-horse favorite. It kind of goes against the grain of what I love about uniforms, but it just works. Perhaps part of the reason is because they ditched that hideous old look. It is really hard to see the numerals on the front, but incorporating them into the logo is just fun. It makes each player both part of the team and unique at the same time. Plus, the bridge design is a nod to the past and the city. Gotta respect representing the city you play in.
MLB
This was the hardest one to do for me. There are so many similarities between uniforms it was hard to really find any that stood out without being garish. And since the sight of Yankees or Red Sox uniforms make me gag, here you go.
1. San Francisco Giants- It’s a great look. I love orange and black as a color combination. These are just clean and classic looking. Love the serif font as well. Love the lack of nameplates on the back too. Then they change up on the away uniforms. I’m not a huge fan of changing the brim color on the cap for home and road unis, but if that is the only change I can live with it.
2. Chicago Cubs- What’s not to love about the Cubs home white unis? They are just classic Americana. Love ‘em. The road uniforms are pretty blah though. That’s probably the reason the Giants beat them out. I do think they may have the best alternate uniform in the game. Love the classic bear logo.
3. Minnesota Twins- Again, a uniform that was recently tweaked for the better. The road uniforms remind me of the Indians’ newest style. Which is a good thing of course. Like the Cubs, they look completely different on the road than they do at home. I also like the slightly more subdued Twins word-mark over the previous version.
So that’s the list. Perhaps I’ll do college football and basketball another day. Go ahead and tell me where I messed up in the comments.
