NBA Ombudsman: Loyalty and Style

Changing outfits.

In a recent ESPN column, Len Pasquarelli correctly avers that fan loyalty in the NFL is eroded by rampant free agency. And while free agency is a problem in football, the NFL has taken steps to limit its effects and maintain continuity in other ways. The primary way the NFL does this is by keeping uniforms, colors and logos constant. NFL teams can only adjust their uniforms every 5 years, and typically uniform changes are minor. For example, among teams existing in the same city for each of the last 20 years, only the Patriots (before and after), Broncos (before and after), Falcons (before and after) and Buccaneers (before and after) instituted major changes to their uniforms and logos, and all except the Bucs maintained the same team colors. During that time period, 3 teams (ignoring the Cleveland-Baltimore situation) changed cities - the Raiders moved from Los Angeles to Oakland and kept their uniforms the same, the Rams moved from Los Angeles to St. Louis and maintained the same logo and essentially the same colors and the Houston Oilers becamse the Tennessee Titans, changing the logo but maintaing the same color scheme. Continuity of team colors and uniforms may seem minor, but I believe it explains a lot about fan loyalty in a time when players can move from team to team very quickly.

It is also interesting to juxtapose this against the fly-by-night circus act that has become the NBA. In addition to the much worse free agency problem the NBA has (just look at the number of top players that will likely change cities in the next 2 years), the teams change their outfits like an 19 year old sorority girl whose jeans don't fit before the PiKa - Delta Gamma Tailgate. Literally the only difference is that lip gloss is not as much of an issue to the NBA players...or is it?

In the last 20 years, the only teams to NOT have had major changes to their uniforms are the Knicks, Celtics, Bulls, Spurs, Clippers and Lakers. For the other teams, it has been a total free for all. The worst offenders?

The Cavs used to have perfectly normal uniforms in the late 80s and early 90s, with instantly recognizeable orange and blue colors. Then, in 1995, they suddenly started wearing this. One day, someone said - why not start wearing maroon and gold? So now they do! But also sometimes they'll wear blue. Whatever - no rules!

The Nuggets had my favorite logo and uniform design of any team in the NBA, and maybe in all of professional sports. But why stick with unique and well liked when you can have plain and uninspiring? Then, a few years later, a marketing person thought - Now lets confound everyone with a totally new logo and color scheme! In 2010, the Nuggets will be unveiling their new logo - a small, very small asian cat named Nugget. The colors will change daily, but the players will all be asked to have crazy hair.

The Rockets. Again, at one point the Rockets had a very recognizeable logo and colorscheme with red, white and yellow trim. In the mid 90s, the Rockets thought, why not just do blue? Notwithstanding the Pistons, Mavericks, Warriors, Timberwolves, Nuggets, Magic, Pacers, Knicks and Nets, there's just not enough teams with blue. Lets also throw in pinstripes. And boom....there it is... the first ever NBA uniform doubling as summertime pajamas. Drop the microphone and walk off the stage. But now come back on the stage, and throw out this logo, which could have easily originally been pushed as the logo for Raw, a now defunct MMA clothing line. Look, the new uniforms are an improvement, but how long will it last? How amazing would it be if the new mascot of the Rockets was Elton John and he designed different uniforms every night. He would play Rocketman before each game and then sit on the bench with the team, delivering water and towels to perspiring players while unnerving everyone in the process. Just an idea.

I could go on like this about the Hawks, Bucks, Warriors, Suns and a number of other teams as well. The bottom line is, when the players are all different, the colors change, and the logo keeps getting updated, what is it fans are rooting for? Their city? Themselves?

In conclusion, I was a dominant 8th grade basketball player.