There’s no sense in sugarcoating it: Wisconsin’s new football uniforms are an absolute dud.
After years of boring, drab football uniforms with Adidas, I had a glimmer of hope that UW’s new contract with Under Armour would bring a bit of excitement into the Badgers’ aesthetic. I was wrong.
The new uniforms are basically the exact same as they were under Adidas — solid cardinal red with small white stripes on the sleeves. The changes are what some might dub as subtle. I’d call them pointless.
When Wisconsin released pictures of the new threads via Twitter, they said the following: “Arrows on the jersey, pants, helmet reflect the idea of being 'Forever Forward' inspired by our state motto: Forward.”
These arrows are the one major change on these unis, most notably in the stripes on the sleeve. While I understand the symbolism behind it, the design just doesn’t work for Wisconsin. The arrows remind me of Florida State’s uniforms, which make perfect sense for them since, you know, they’re nicknamed the Seminoles. But the arrows are an odd choice for a major addition to a uniform. I like the small “Forever Forward” patch on the bottom of the jersey, but that won’t even be seen because it will be tucked into the pants.
Instead, the only noticeable arrows are the ones on the sleeve, giving a weird impression that Wisconsin’s nickname is the Redskins or the Indians or some other offensive mascot of the sort.
So UW signs a huge contract with Under Armour and the best design that the fans get is an arrow on the sleeve? For some bizarre reason, Barry Alvarez is obsessed with keeping Wisconsin uniforms “traditional.” Because of him, UW never had a chance at flashy new uniforms. They were destined for boring and simple.
But why does Alvarez insist on tradition? Who is he trying to make happy with these uniforms besides himself? Sure, there are a few traditionalists out there who like the “classic” look, but a quick glance through the comments on UW’s facebook posts of the new uniforms show that the majority of people are pretty disappointed.
The fact is that sports uniforms matter, more so in college athletics than in professional. Wisconsin always does a solid job with recruiting, especially within the state, but they often miss out on highly-touted talent. Wisconsin could have upped its appeal to high-level recruits with a set of exciting, edgy uniforms. It may sound silly, but 17-18 year-oldkids certainly care about a team’s apparel. If I’m a stud high-school player with multiple Division I schools after me, I’m much more intrigued by Oregon’s never-ending combination of uniforms than Wisconsin’s red and white set. Hell, one look through a Google search of Oregon’s uniforms makes me want to don the green and yellow and silver and pink and black and gold a lot more than cardinal and white. Even Ohio State has become innovative with its jerseys in recent years. The point is, Wisconsin’s classic look simply pales in comparison to what other universities have done. Flashy isn’t always a bad thing, especially when it can help attract talent.
What’s most disappointing, though, is that UW really could have done a lot of things with the new contract. Bucky Badger is a fantastic logo, yet isn’t featured anywhere. The motion W is iconic, but is small and insignificant on the jersey. The Under Armour logo is just as big as the W.
Wisconsin could have maintained a classic look while also mixing it up and providing a little variety. A helmet with Bucky on it would have been fantastic. An alternate look with a large motion W would have been sharp.
Notre Dame, also with Under Armour, has a hand-painted helmet for one of its games. Navy, another Under Armour university, had an entire set of hand-painted helmets for its game with Army. Think of all the options UW has. With all the traditions this place has — the Camp Randall arch, the terrace, the Capitol, Bascom Hill, the statue of Abe — any number or combination of these could have been incorporated into a futuristic “Wisconsin traditions” uniform.
Maybe this will come in a few years. But with Barry at the helm, I’m not optimistic.
For now, Badgers fans are stuck with arrows.
