New Uni Story From P-S

[Sudano]

Maybe I'm a dinosaur, but when the uniforms don't reflect SU tradition I feel disrespected. And when I feel disrespected I don't invest as much in the program (tickets, donations, etc.). Sorry, kids.

This is a great post. There are 2 main 'customers' of uniforms. 85 players who get them for free and as a significant branding to the hundreds of thousands of fans who have to pay for their jersey's and memorabilia. To ignore what fans want and like is a huge mistake that hits SU in the pocket book. Proceed with caution. There is a way to embrace the future without ignoring tradition. Just do it the right way for both parties involved players AND fans.

 

[money3189]

The fact that its been 3 long threads regarding uniforms tells me how relevant they are.

 

[OrangePA]

Complaining about the new uniforms and complaining about the lack of Orange is completely different. I am okay with new uniforms, but the freaking lack of Orange in the football jerseys last year is a legitimate complaint.

We had 3 games in white jerseys/blue numerals/orange pants/orange helmets-Penn State, Northwestern, NC State
We had 2 games in blue jerseys/white numerals/orange pants/orange helmets- Pittsburgh,Boston College
We had 3 games in blue jerseys/white numerals/blue pants/blue helmets- Tulane, Clemson, Georgia Tech
We had 2 games in blue jerseys/white numerals/blue pants/orange helmets- Wagner, Wake Forest
We had 2 games in white jerseys/blue numerals/blue pants/ orange helmets- Maryland, Florida State
We played our bowl game against in Minnesota in a white jersey/blue numerals/blue pants/blue helmet

Look at that crap we had 5 games with Orange pants and 8 games with Blue pants. We never wore an Orange helmet in 9 games and Blue helmet for 4 games. We had 0 games with an Orange jersey or Orange numerals. Just WEAR MORE ORANGE.

We had 6 combinations last year.
30.8%(4 games) where their was no Orange except the bottom of the helmets/Orange S.
30.8%(4 games) where the only Orange was from the helmets.
38.5%(5 games) where the only Orange was in the helmets and pants.

Give me more Orange in the uniforms and I will .

I am proud of the name Orange but uniforms with a lot of orange are ugly.

When SU went to the orange jerseys under Maloney they were ugly.

When SU went to the orange jerseys under Pasqualoni, they were ugly.

When SU went to the orange jerseys under Robinson they were ugly.

The amount of orange with our traditional uniforms is appropriate.

 

[texascpa]

What could possibly go wrong?

DISLIKE...DISLIKE...DISLIKE...Where the hell is that DISLIKE button?!?

 

[KaiserUEO]

This is a great post. There are 2 main 'customers' of uniforms. 85 players who get them for free and as a significant branding to the hundreds of thousands of fans who have to pay for their jersey's and memorabilia. To ignore what fans want and like is a huge mistake that hits SU in the pocket book. Proceed with caution. There is a way to embrace the future without ignoring tradition. Just do it the right way for both parties involved players AND fans.
Ask any true football fan and they will admit the uniform played a role in why they starting liking that team as a child.

you lost me with your last sentence.

i consider myself a true fan of the Giants, Yankees, Knicks, Rangers and all things Orange.

and not once did the uniform come into play.

 

[Sudano]

you lost me with your last sentence.

i consider myself a true fan of the Giants, Yankees, Knicks, Rangers and all things Orange.

and not once did the uniform come into play.

They could wear Ninja turtle pajamas out there and you wouldn't care.

 

[VirginiaOrange]

I am now old so what I and my 40+ year old peers think no longer matters. I hate all the modern uniforms but I understand that means sounding like my grandfather when it came to modern things he hated.

All I ask is no black and no more gray. Make them as ugly as you want, just make them orange, blue and white. Sadly I doubt this happens.

Why is it that it seems all of the SU women programs have classy uniforms using the school colors?

Finally - people are overestimating the amount of money SU makes off of uniform sales. They are not selling a ton of jerseys every year. Have a hot basketball player and maybe his jersey sells well, but the rest are not bringing in a ton of cash. I would not be surprised if a #22 lax jersey sells more with the young hip lax crowd than any SU football jersey. I bet SU makes more cash from letting Nike do what it wants than from actual jersey sales. There are only some many 44 football jerseys to be sold to the over 50 crowd still believing that number is relevant in today's world.

It will be interesting to see what ND does going forward now that is has taken Under Armour's $9M. One of the most traditional schools around - but I have to believe once you take UA's cash they are getting to develop new uniforms that the old guard will hate. And I bet ND does make money selling jerseys with its global fan base.

 

[Jake]

I don't get it. I'd rather go 8-4 in pink and green than go 4-8 in the coolest uniforms one could design.

 

[GoSU96]

I've stopped worrying about uniform changes. It's pretty clear they're not going back to the McNabb era unis, so it's time to move on.

A lot of teams have great new uniforms, but the way Nike has handled our uni changes in the past, I don't expect anything good to come of this.

Maybe I'll be surprised. But I doubt it.

Too many combos. Too many colors.

Penn State will still out recruit us every year in their traditional unis.

Serenity Now.

Give up, give in, move on.

 

[Scooch]

Has SU ever kept the "same" uniform for more than a few years at a time?

What McPherson wore in '87 was not entirely the same as what Graves wore in '92, which was not entirely the same as what McNabb wore in '98.

Yeah, the were similar, but not the same. The Strict Traditional Uniformists make it seem like Ben Schwartzwalder descended upon Syracuse in 1949, put a uniform on that team, and it remained the same for the next 60 years.

Why isn't THIS considered our "traditional" uniform?...

Or this?...

A lot of this just feels like people are saying that they want the uniform they like best. Well, no kidding. But let's not pretend the reasoning is anything more than that.

 

[orange79]

Ugh. That game brings back awful memories.

 

[Alsacs]

I am proud of the name Orange but uniforms with a lot of orange are ugly.
http://syracusefan.com/threads/new-uni-story-from-p-s.67029/page-3#post-908628
When SU went to the orange jerseys under Maloney they were ugly.

When SU went to the orange jerseys under Pasqualoni, they were ugly.

When SU went to the orange jerseys under Robinson they were ugly.

The amount of orange with our traditional uniforms is appropriate.

Again we could make the numeral Orange on the white jerseys, and have an Orange top that isn't ugly.

You can't convince me you think these Orange jerseys are ugly. I agree the GRob ones were fugly and Coach P ones weren't that much better. Even though I own an Orange Damien Rhodes football #1 jersey.

 

[Full_Rebar]

Finally - people are overestimating the amount of money SU makes off of uniform sales. They are not selling a ton of jerseys every year. Have a hot basketball player and maybe his jersey sells well, but the rest are not bringing in a ton of cash. I would not be surprised if a #22 lax jersey sells more with the young hip lax crowd than any SU football jersey. I bet SU makes more cash from letting Nike do what it wants than from actual jersey sales. There are only some many 44 football jerseys to be sold to the over 50 crowd still believing that number is relevant in today's world.

To me, selling jerseys to the public, not to recruits, is the reason for the additional combinations. This way it gives more product to market for different audiences. You get a traditional uniform and then some alternate colors kind of how New Era will sell you a Red Sox, or Yankees hat in 35 different colors.

You are right that SU probably doesn't sell a lot of football jerseys, but I think the basketball jerseys do pretty well. If you look at the student section, I think you see a lot more who would wear a hoops jersey over a football one.

 

[orangeinjersey]

You are right that SU probably doesn't sell a lot of football jerseys, but I think the basketball jerseys do pretty well. If you look at the student section, I think you see a lot more who would wear a hoops jersey over a football one.

The reason basketball jerseys sell better or you see more basketball jerseys has nothing to do with the basketball team. It has to do with the fact that one can't wear a football jersey around casually without looking like a douche. A basketball jersey can be worn around in the summer. Football jerseys really can't. They are oversized on purpose etc

 

[Millhouse]

I don't get it. I'd rather go 8-4 in pink and green than go 4-8 in the coolest uniforms one could design.

Well of course but when you look back at good years and see the red mad cow or the banana slug in the case of the Sabres, it sucks.

I don't think the uniforms matter that much in recruiting. Issue of magnitude.

 

[DoubleDee]

Has SU ever kept the "same" uniform for more than a few years at a time? What McPherson wore in '87 was not entirely the same as what Graves wore in '92, which was not entirely the same as what McNabb wore in '98. Yeah, the were similar, but not the same. The Strict Traditional Uniformists make it seem like Ben Schwartzwalder descended upon Syracuse in 1949, put a uniform on that team, and it remained the same for the next 60 years. Why isn't THIS considered our "traditional" uniform?... Or this?... A lot of this just feels like people are saying that they want the uniform they like best. Well, no kidding. But let's not pretend the reasoning is anything more than that.

Boom! (Drop the mic)


Exactly what I've been thinking. Thank you thank you thank you. An old fan in 98, prob hated the current unis because they weren't the same as what Chuck Zimmerman wore back in the day. It evolves.

BTW, the pasqualoni era orange worked.

The Grob ones did not.

 

[TheCusian]

Boom! (Drop the mic) Exactly what I've been thinking. Thank you thank you thank you. An old fan in 98, prob hated the current unis because they weren't the same as what Chuck Zimmerman wore back in the day. It evolves. BTW, the pasqualoni era orange worked. The Grob ones did not.

Not sure they worked.

 

[cuseguy]

Not sure they worked.

They sure did.

 

[anomander]

so for the has to be Orange crowd, just how much orange is acceptable?

Do we need orange pants, jerseys, helmets, gloves, cleats, socks, and jocks?
Do we need to have 2 things orange out of pants, jersey, helmet,
Or is just 1 of the 3 acceptable?

I really don't understand? It sounds like some people just assume we dress up as a piece of fruit and looks like a bunch of clowns just because that's our nickname. pretty ridiculous

 

[midloviking]

not once did the uniform come into play.

I stopped liking the White Sox because of this...

 

[rrlbees]

so for the has to be Orange crowd, just how much orange is acceptable? Do we need orange pants, jerseys, helmets, gloves, cleats, socks, and jocks? Do we need to have 2 things orange out of pants, jersey, helmet, Or is just 1 of the 3 acceptable? I really don't understand? It sounds like some people just assume we dress up as a piece of fruit and looks like a bunch of clowns just because that's our nickname. pretty ridiculous

Orange pants and helmets. Otherwise clear off the store shelves and stop telling people to wear orange. The all blues were hideous. The brand is orange. But I think SU has figured that out maybe based on that article.

 

[TheCusian]

so for the has to be Orange crowd, just how much orange is acceptable? Do we need orange pants, jerseys, helmets, gloves, cleats, socks, and jocks? Do we need to have 2 things orange out of pants, jersey, helmet, Or is just 1 of the 3 acceptable? I really don't understand? It sounds like some people just assume we dress up as a piece of fruit and looks like a bunch of clowns just because that's our nickname. pretty ridiculous

This a 1,000 times. The truth is that uni preference is subjective (as is the case with most clothing). People gravitate towards what they remember, usually their best memory as a fan.

So what's the answer? My prediction:

1. More orange.
2. Logo prominently displayed on the helmet.
3. It won't look futuristic. The "S" logo dictates a more traditional look, hence the stripes.
4. It will hit it's target audience: the student athlete.
5. There will be unhappy fans.

 

[rrlbees]

This a 1,000 times. The truth is that uni preference is subjective (as is the case with most clothing). People gravitate towards what they remember, usually their best memory as a fan. So what's the answer? My prediction: 1. More orange. 2. Logo prominently displayed on the helmet. 3. It won't look futuristic. The "S" logo dictates a more traditional look, hence the stripes. 4. It will hit it's target audience: the student athlete. 5. There will be unhappy fans.

If 1-3 happens then 5 doesn't.

 

[jekelish]

Maybe I'm a dinosaur, but when the uniforms don't reflect SU tradition I feel disrespected. And when I feel disrespected I don't invest as much in the program (tickets, donations, etc.). Sorry, kids.

This is related to absolutely nothing but I was convinced you were about to do your own version of one of those Direct TV ads. "When the uniforms don't reflect SU tradition, I feel disrespected. When I feel disrespected, I don't invest as much in the program. When I don't invest as much in the program, we don't have the funds to buy protective cups for our placeholders. And when we don't have the funds to buy protective cups for our placeholders, an misstep by a kicker on a field goal attempt ends with a foot to the groin and will leave the placeholder holding a pound of Aunt Betty's Nutbutter. Don't leave the placeholder holding a pound of Aunt Betty's Nutbutter."

 

[TheCusian]

If 1-3 happens then 5 doesn't.

That's awfully positive given the scope and depth of complaints on unis over the past six months.