Team USA uniforms

[BillVol]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but could our uniforms be any uglier? And it seems like we've had them forever now. A uniform should be so attractive that it should make a kid (or adult) think, "I want to wear that uniform someday!" Just like I thought when I saw our basketball team in the '76 Olympics.

Since the "old school" craze is now in fashion, why not go back to the classic U.S.A. in red on a white shirt with blue shorts.

[Randy Treadway]

Re: Team USA uniforms

Over many years the classic was either a white or blue singlet, over white shorts- usually with red white & blue trim around the edges of the shorts
and simple large USA letters across the front of the singlet...

The red singlet came in in 1976 (remember Bruce Jenner?) But it was too confusing picking out the good guys from the Russkis.
And they couldn't even get USA straight on the front-
the S was dropped down half a line below the U and the A.

A few years- like '68- the men's singlet was a very very dark blue- more like Navy blue- almost black- I didn't care for that (see the famous picture of Bob Beamon's WR Long Jump in Mexico City)

The best blue is roughly the same vivid color as on the Brit Union Jack flag.

The CRAZIEST uniform was the U.S. women in '72.
They had wide horizontal red and white stripes!
No hip huggers either.
It's impossible to describe- you'd have to see a color photo- check out an old Sports Illustrated.
I've heard people call them clown costumes.

Re: Team USA uniforms

Anything better than Seoul '88, I'm with it!

I do love those big USA letters, though. Classic!

Re: Team USA uniforms

The uniforms will be changed next year. I believe the process is to change every 4 years and that will be nice to have new uniforms for the olympics. i agree though, i am getting tired of these uniforms as well.

Re: Team USA uniforms

How about the speed suits with hoods? I liked the 1972 men's uniforms with narrow shoulder straps and deep armpits, or Kappa from '84+.

[Randy Treadway]

Re: Team USA uniforms

>I liked the 1972 men's uniforms with narrow shoulder straps

the straps were so loose that both Frank Shorter and Jim Ryun had problems keeping them up on their shoulders (they were skinny body types).

[blacklily]

Re: Team USA uniforms

I thought I was the only one who thought our uniforms were bland. No pizzazz, you can barely identify our nation. However, it could be worse. Remember South Africa's uniform at the world championships two years ago?

[Randy Treadway]

Re: Team USA uniforms

I laughed when Reebok came out with that Starburst design in 1996 and supplied it to a zillion national teams (in each of their national colors) with very few of them knowing that any other nation was getting the same thing.
Then they all showed up in Atlanta and there were starburst singlets running around EVERYWHERE with only subtle color differences to distinguish who was who.

What a zoo!

The U.S. started (around three decades ago) hiring these hootsie-tootsie fashion designers to come up with a unique uniform, that would guarantee that NOBODY else in the world had anything like it...
....but I don't think those Gucci/Rucci/Pucci types understood anything about the sport---what was it- '92= where they put PORTHOLES in the side of the singlet, making it look like a 1950's Pontiac?
YA GOTTA BE KIDDIN' ME!

Re: Team USA uniforms

The U.S. Uniform is one of the best, when You look at the others Uniforms. I liked the 1996 to 1999 Uniforms better, but this one is okay, too.
Look at the boring German Uniform (hell it hasn´t changed for years) or the Brits (just as stupid as the German´s Uniform).

I think the Uniforms are changed for every Olympics.

[ndamix]

Re: Team USA uniforms

As long as they don't go back to that ugly design they had in 1988.

Re: Team USA uniforms

>>I liked the 1972 men's uniforms with narrow
>shoulder straps

the straps were so loose that
>both Frank Shorter and Jim Ryun had problems
>keeping them up on their shoulders (they were
>skinny body types).

Actually, I remember reading somewhere that the original team uniforms were some horrible cut and material for the distance runners, so Bowerman (US head coach) went out and bought what was the equivalent of "wife-beater" underwear tops (the type Stanley Kowalski and every other film domestic heavy wore) and had "USA" printed on them. Later, everyone else wanted one, too. If true, it was cool that a coach put comfort before fashion. Pre was on that team; guess it helps if your coach is in charge.

Re: Team USA uniforms

The worst thing about the current uniform is that the front is different from the back. You look at a runner coming at you, he/she has one color. Then the runner passes you and it's different, and you wonder whether you're looking at the same person. This sport is tough enough to follow. Let's have some consideration for the fans.

[tafnut]

Re: Team USA uniforms

I liked the two-color thing, but you're right, it is tough to pick out the good guys coming and going. The best EVER were the '68, because it was so classically simple. Can't we go retro?

[6 5.5hjsteve]

Re: Team USA uniforms

it should be mandated for all teams that 1) single color or color scheme front and back
2)get rid of vendor names, looks like a NASCAR race.

And I do not like names of countries being Anglicized. Looks artificial and hokie. It's not "Spain", its "Espana", with a tilde. Just an example.

Loved the old "CCCP" uniforms. Never figured out how the 3 C's and a P equated to USSR but then I'm no Cyrillic expert.

[ndamix]

Re: Team USA uniforms

Look...let's have the guys run with a fig leaf at the waist and the women run with fig leaves covering their most strategic parts. The would resolve that issue.