The folks over at Sports Review Magazine caught a great uni snafu with a misspelling of the MINNESOTA Twins uni.
It reminded me of one of the early mistakes we at Team Sports Planet made.
Apparently there's a town near Sacramento, California named FULSOM, not at all related to “FOLSOM” AS IN THE PRISON (of Johnny Cash fame).
Well...we were new to the uni game and not as detail oriented as this biz requires and we failed to pick up on this —ONE STINKING VOWEL— difference.
As you might expect — and they had every right to be so — the fine folks of FULSOM were not at all thrilled when we delivered, ostensibly, PRISON GARB, for their little leaguers to play in!
Fortunately, we've gotteen beeter and grown to sucha degree that this is a humorous anecdote now and not "the final straw" in our biz history.
Sports Uniform Guy
TeamSportsPlanet.com
A place to discuss anything involving team sports uniforms - styles and trends, regulations, what's hot, and more!
8.25.2008
Nike Allegations
While the root of this story involves one Chinese track team member, it also involves the Internet and, well, NIKE, so it's "in our wheelhouse" here @ SUS.
Seems as though the sportswear behemoth felt a little threatened by — I kid you not — the words written by ONE blogger. In China.
That reminds me of one of my favorite quips about China (I read it in Tom Friedman's "The World is Flat"). The saying goes, if you're "one in a million" —in China 2,500 people just like you.
Anyway, I saw this NIKE conspiracy theory at GAWKER.com
It's disturbing no matter how much of it is fabricated (or not) just from the company's reaction. Like...huh?
Sports Uniform Guy
TeamSportsPlanet.com
Seems as though the sportswear behemoth felt a little threatened by — I kid you not — the words written by ONE blogger. In China.
That reminds me of one of my favorite quips about China (I read it in Tom Friedman's "The World is Flat"). The saying goes, if you're "one in a million" —in China 2,500 people just like you.
Anyway, I saw this NIKE conspiracy theory at GAWKER.com
It's disturbing no matter how much of it is fabricated (or not) just from the company's reaction. Like...huh?
Sports Uniform Guy
TeamSportsPlanet.com
8.21.2008
Worst Uniforms Ever!
I can't take any credit for having stumbled across this — one of the crack team of team sports uniform people at TSP found it and sent it to me (Thanks, Adrian). Men's Vogue compiled a photographic listing of the worst team sports uniforms in history. It's hysterical!
Worst Uniforms Ever!
Sports Uniform Guy
TeamSportsPlanet.com
Worst Uniforms Ever!
Sports Uniform Guy
TeamSportsPlanet.com
8.19.2008
San Diego Padres — CAMO look
Looking for Camouflage Baseball Uniforms? Click Here!
This is probably old news to the folks out west, but I got a kick out of seeing the Padres (playing our hometown Phillies) on Sunday night sporting the "Camo" baseball jerseys.
ANY new development in baseball styling is a cause for cheer, (where every year almost every team wants to look more like the '27 Yankees) but to trot out a full blown camo look was almost shocking.
The announcers said that they'd been doing it every Sunday all year...though I missed the reason why. San Diego is a huge military town (a four hour stay at their airport once made me realize that) and well, it was probably a nod to our men & women in uniform in that hellhole of Iraq. To which I say, Kudos!"
Sports Uniform Guy
TeamSportsPlanet.com
8.16.2008
Kobe Qvells About USA Basketball Uniforms
I was watching NBC's coverage of the Olympics about 11PM EST on Friday night, when Kobe Bryant filled the screen for an interview. He said, approximately (I was a little bleary eyed) that the 1st time he saw his USA Men's Basketball uniform, he "laid it down across my bed" and just looked at it, "humbled" (A word many had previously believed was not in Kobe's vocabulary). "I had goosebumps", Kobe continued. This was frankly, positively startling. Kobe...arguably the best basketball player of our generation...was emotionally affected by a simple (albeit nice) basketball uniform. What up with that?
I'm a Philly guy. Lifelong hoops fan. And, for full-disclosure's sake, worked for the LA Lakers from 1991 to 1995 in corporate sales. During what was commonly referred to as the Randy "No Fun" Pfund & Del "Dull" Harris era. Interrupted, ever so briefly, by the 19 game Magic Johnson head coaching fiasco.
Kobe, as the son of former Sixer Joe "jellyBean" Bryant, claims "Philly-roots" when in actuality the guy grew up in Italy for most of his formative years. JB moved back to Philly with a sweet-heart asst. coaching deal @ St. Joe's Univ. when they thought they might have a chance of signing wunderkind that was Kobe.
As we all know that didn't quite work out. Jerry West, B-ball talent evaluator extraordinaire, took one look at the HS Kobe and deemed that giving up chain-smoking Seribian Vlade Divac was expendable (along with cash, future considerations, and the equivalent GNP of several Eastern European nations...or something like that).
So Kobe was a laker. And with Shaq...all was very good.
But Shaq...in Kobe's mind...was too, well, Shaq-a-licious. (In other words, "he ain't no [fill-in the name of any center on the Michael Jordan lead Bulls]")
Oh, and I didn't have sex with that woman in Colorado either...Or...IF I did she wanted it, too. (Survey says: Wife Gets 5 Carat Diamond!)
So...as you can tell...my feelings about Kobe are...conflicted.
But I agree that he is the best NBA player of our time.
(With LeBron a-knocking)
I was just astounded that such an "anointed one" could be so --seemingly & heart-feltedly-- taken aback by the very sight of...a basketball uniform.
Sports Uniform Guy
TeamSportsPlanet.com
I'm a Philly guy. Lifelong hoops fan. And, for full-disclosure's sake, worked for the LA Lakers from 1991 to 1995 in corporate sales. During what was commonly referred to as the Randy "No Fun" Pfund & Del "Dull" Harris era. Interrupted, ever so briefly, by the 19 game Magic Johnson head coaching fiasco.
Kobe, as the son of former Sixer Joe "jellyBean" Bryant, claims "Philly-roots" when in actuality the guy grew up in Italy for most of his formative years. JB moved back to Philly with a sweet-heart asst. coaching deal @ St. Joe's Univ. when they thought they might have a chance of signing wunderkind that was Kobe.
As we all know that didn't quite work out. Jerry West, B-ball talent evaluator extraordinaire, took one look at the HS Kobe and deemed that giving up chain-smoking Seribian Vlade Divac was expendable (along with cash, future considerations, and the equivalent GNP of several Eastern European nations...or something like that).
So Kobe was a laker. And with Shaq...all was very good.
But Shaq...in Kobe's mind...was too, well, Shaq-a-licious. (In other words, "he ain't no [fill-in the name of any center on the Michael Jordan lead Bulls]")
Oh, and I didn't have sex with that woman in Colorado either...Or...IF I did she wanted it, too. (Survey says: Wife Gets 5 Carat Diamond!)
So...as you can tell...my feelings about Kobe are...conflicted.
But I agree that he is the best NBA player of our time.
(With LeBron a-knocking)
I was just astounded that such an "anointed one" could be so --seemingly & heart-feltedly-- taken aback by the very sight of...a basketball uniform.
Sports Uniform Guy
TeamSportsPlanet.com
8.13.2008
8.09.2008
Volleyball Uniforms - Mizuno Vs. Mizuno
Or should I say - US vs. Japan in round one action in Beijing. Both teams are wearing Mizuno unis...albeit slightly different versions thereof. Here's what I'm thinking...
I wasn't sure if Japan or the US was going full sublimation (where the player numbers , names and team emblem are sublimated, as opposed to just the other design elements of the unis. Frankly, they just switched over to fencing so I'm not sure even as I type.
I prefer the US squad's version as the Japanese take is a little clunky around the neckline for my taste. The fit on both is incredible.
(Go figure!)
Both shoulder cuts seem to be stylish and very functional (what more could you ask for?)
I actully like the Japanese team's "fade" look vs. the pure solids of the US though. There's a reason why sublimated design is rapidly growing in popularity. In short, you can do some really cool stuff with it.
Sports Uniform Guy
TeamSportsPlanet.com
I wasn't sure if Japan or the US was going full sublimation (where the player numbers , names and team emblem are sublimated, as opposed to just the other design elements of the unis. Frankly, they just switched over to fencing so I'm not sure even as I type.
I prefer the US squad's version as the Japanese take is a little clunky around the neckline for my taste. The fit on both is incredible.
(Go figure!)
Both shoulder cuts seem to be stylish and very functional (what more could you ask for?)
I actully like the Japanese team's "fade" look vs. the pure solids of the US though. There's a reason why sublimated design is rapidly growing in popularity. In short, you can do some really cool stuff with it.
Sports Uniform Guy
TeamSportsPlanet.com
8.08.2008
Performance Wear - Be "Me, Too" Mania
It wasn't so long ago (think 5 years) when the words "performance wear" & Under Armour were almost synonymous. The wicked hot, Baltimore-based company (founded in 1996) had virtually invented the category and ruled the roost and justly so.
While they still rule (with good reason) the category they created has run amuck with contenders and pretenders, posers and...well, some nice additions.
What's a coach, AD or average "Joe-buyer" supposed to do...?
At this writing, every respectable sports team uniform manufacturer in the free world has some variation to promote in the "performance" category. If I never hear the word "anti-microbial" again, I will die a happy man, but I don't suspect that'll happen. Same goes for "moisture-wicking". Nonetheless, the "performance fabrics and processes" (yes, there are two separate things) are here to stay. And they definitely are worth paying attention to.
They feel very good. They DRY very quick. They have tremendous value for just those reasons.
For that reason and much more....I will continue to expound on this subject for weeks/months and perhaps years to come...Please feel free to join the conversation!
Sports Uniform Guy
TeamSportsPlanet.com
While they still rule (with good reason) the category they created has run amuck with contenders and pretenders, posers and...well, some nice additions.
What's a coach, AD or average "Joe-buyer" supposed to do...?
At this writing, every respectable sports team uniform manufacturer in the free world has some variation to promote in the "performance" category. If I never hear the word "anti-microbial" again, I will die a happy man, but I don't suspect that'll happen. Same goes for "moisture-wicking". Nonetheless, the "performance fabrics and processes" (yes, there are two separate things) are here to stay. And they definitely are worth paying attention to.
They feel very good. They DRY very quick. They have tremendous value for just those reasons.
For that reason and much more....I will continue to expound on this subject for weeks/months and perhaps years to come...Please feel free to join the conversation!
Sports Uniform Guy
TeamSportsPlanet.com
8.07.2008
The "Best" Uniform for My Team
You'd think that "What's the best uniform for my team?" would be a fairly straight-forward question. Maybe a few questions asked (How much can you spend, when do you need them, etc.) & answered would suffice. But that is not usually the case. Why?
As with so many things in team sports, the devil is in the detail. There really isn't a singular answer to a series of linear questions to determine what ultimately is the best team sports uniform for your team or school.
As disheartening as that may seem, it is true. The devil really is in the details.
First off, ususally is budget. But this simple metric is mitigated by the question: "How long do you want/need these uniforms to last? There's some really awesome unis that look fantastic -- cost accordingly -- and will NOT last more than 2 seasons for an intense elite/travel team. For some teams, (i.e., elite/travel U16-18 teams) that's the "best" option. When those SAME EXACT PLAYERS are playing for their school teams, ikt'd be frankly CRAZY for them to be wearing the same uniforms.
Yeah...same exact players, different circumstances...the "BEST" uniform solution is going to be DIFFERENT.
It ain't rocket science...but it sure helps to talk to some one that knows.
Sports Uniform Guy
TeamSportsPlanet.com
As with so many things in team sports, the devil is in the detail. There really isn't a singular answer to a series of linear questions to determine what ultimately is the best team sports uniform for your team or school.
As disheartening as that may seem, it is true. The devil really is in the details.
First off, ususally is budget. But this simple metric is mitigated by the question: "How long do you want/need these uniforms to last? There's some really awesome unis that look fantastic -- cost accordingly -- and will NOT last more than 2 seasons for an intense elite/travel team. For some teams, (i.e., elite/travel U16-18 teams) that's the "best" option. When those SAME EXACT PLAYERS are playing for their school teams, ikt'd be frankly CRAZY for them to be wearing the same uniforms.
Yeah...same exact players, different circumstances...the "BEST" uniform solution is going to be DIFFERENT.
It ain't rocket science...but it sure helps to talk to some one that knows.
Sports Uniform Guy
TeamSportsPlanet.com
8.04.2008
Olympic Uniforms
I'm gonna be keeping a keen eye turned toward trends and representations/manifestations of team sports uniforms the world over come THIS Friday night. Any one else gonna be taking this --admittedly unusual-- albeit profoundly valid perspective when 'the Games' start?
Keep an eye peeled for the ---guaranteed--- TOTALLY OFF THE HOOK team outfit from some previously under-appreciated country (think Senegal, Tajikistan, et al.). You watch!
Or just check back with moi.
Sports Uniform Guy
TeamSportsPlanet.com
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