By Zack Olson
So, while guest starring on the April 12th episode ofThe Windup we got into a discussion on the MLB’s “City Connect” jerseys and associated merchandise. Now, alternate-style sportswear is not new in the least. In the NFL, it’s not so much a thing, but in the MLB, NBA, and NHL they are more prevalent. For the NFL, it is usually just a throwback uniform, such as the Green Bay Packers going with the 50’s era uniforms which are eerily similar to the Oregon Ducks uniforms. But when it comes to the other US major-league sports, they take alternate uniforms to a different level. In the NHL, they have done things like the “Reverse Retro” series, where they go back to old art styles or color sets or even scrapped designs like the Arizona Coyotes.
I personally have a 25th Anniversary “Plum and Teal” era Anaheim Ducks jersey that has the duck-faced mask with crossed sticks as the logo. The current Duck’s jersey is with a duck’s footprint as the logo just to explain differences. I grew up watching the old Disney Mighty Ducks movies as well as the animated show on Saturday mornings, so when I saw that alternate jersey, I had flashbacks to my childhood and got one. That right there is one of the biggest reasons why people like the alternate style jerseys – the nostalgia of the past and the memories brought up from them. I am in no way a die-hard Ducks fan, or NHL in general, but that did not matter when it came to that jersey.
The MLB’s “City Connect” series is the other side of the coin for this topic, where instead of nostalgia, it is pride, history, and just a fresh look (or old school look in some cases) compared to some rather bland and overused styles. The Washington Nationals are doing a “Washington Bloom” theme in connection to the city’s many cherry trees that bloom in the spring. For the Los Angeles Dodgers, they went with the same color scheme but changed it up to a clean looking, “Los Dodgers” in reference to the massive Hispanic population in the area and their impact on the team and city. The NBA is also doing something similar with the MLB.
The whole hidden appeal to these alternate-art jerseys though, and many will admit this after a while, is that it is just a breath of fresh air to what is the same old look most teams have had. Now, that is not to say that all these alternate styles really work or look good. To each their own I suppose. The Boston Red Sox alternate is a bright yellow jersey with light blue text, and I for one am not understanding it or liking it. Regardless, people like these different jerseys because they are DIFFERENT. It brings a sense of uniqueness and exclusivity when you have something that only was around for a season and is not likely to return for a long time, if at all. Sure, they might be a bit more expensive, but in the end, if you really like it and want it, you will get it. Now if only the Brewers would come out with some cool and unique alternate jersey, I would probably get one of those.
