I didn’t actually watch last night’s Duke-Wake Forest game but check out what Duke was wearing (above). They’ll wear the whites again against Florida State and break out the blues for the second North Carolina game. Apparently they’re supposed to be a lot lighter fabrics and some kind of breathable mesh that’s supposed to improve performance. It’s all part of the Nike scheme of course and is sort of based on the USA basketball unis worn in the 2008 Olympics. The design is a depiction of the gothic look that is pervasive on Duke’s campus.
This is a trend that I really hope does not spread, whether through Nike or otherwise. And honestly, it’s not because Duke did it first. I actually don’t mind what Duke did because it’s kind of a vertically based scheme that isn’t overwhelmingly obvious or annoying. But I can just picture what other schools or NBA teams would do with this kind of a concept, even if it’s just for an alternate. I’m afraid it would turn into slightly backgrounded versions of those ridiculous baseball turn-ahead-the-clock unis from the late 90s. Not the futuristic part but just the huge logos.
[...] what is this year’s new, big thing? A few weeks ago I brought up Duke’s uniforms with the background image of the Duke gothic on their uniforms. I guess technically they were [...]
I’m sorry, but this is the ugliest uni trend since NC State tried those Godawful spandex body suits late in the Valvano era. Groan..
I think these are worse because they were used by multiple teams in multiple games. I think those States unitards only lasted like two games.