New Uniforms Coming

[Zip_ME87]

THANKS Matt Kaulig for donating the money to make new uniforms possible. I also appreciate the Tank on the back of the uniforms. However, none of that changes the fact that these uniforms make the Zips look like other teams, specifically Baylor in mind. Why can't the Zips have a unique, invented here look? Why copy what others have already done? In the end, the results on the field are what matter, not what the Zips are wearing as long as it's respectable, which these are.

[akzipper]

THANKS Matt Kaulig for donating the money to make new uniforms possible. I also appreciate the Tank on the back of the uniforms. However, none of that changes the fact that these uniforms make the Zips look like other teams, specifically Baylor in mind. Why can't the Zips have a unique, invented here look? Why copy what others have already done? In the end, the results on the field are what matter, not what the Zips are wearing as long as it's respectable, which these are.

Well I think the problem was that the uniforms were designed by the football staff. Bigger schools have designers or pay manufacturers to design uniforms for them. UA doesn't have the money or people in place to do that type of work. In the end, the football minds used another school as inspiration.

[Balsy]

^^It doesn't? You have a college of Art on campus...what an interesting class project/department competition/grad project. The thing I hate about universities is they're constant outsourcing to groups outside of their university to do work. Why not use your best assets which already exist on campus?

[K92]

I think a student contest should be used to determine the next generation of football uni.

The last time we had a contest, everyone loved it.

[zippy_ua_00]

THANKS Matt Kaulig for donating the money to make new uniforms possible. I also appreciate the Tank on the back of the uniforms. However, none of that changes the fact that these uniforms make the Zips look like other teams, specifically Baylor in mind. Why can't the Zips have a unique, invented here look? Why copy what others have already done? In the end, the results on the field are what matter, not what the Zips are wearing as long as it's respectable, which these are.

I know matt and his family personally, they aee members at my country club. Amazing people. I love being able to talk zips football will an ex player that is still so close with the team.

[zippy_ua_00]

Shameless plug for Matt's company. He has one of the top and fastest growing leaf gutter guard companies in the US. Like I said great family, amazing people

[zippy_ua_00]

Shameless plug for Matt's company. He has one of the top and fastest growing leaf gutter guard companies in the US. Like I said great family, amazing people

[GP1]

THANKS Matt Kaulig for donating the money to make new uniforms possible. I also appreciate the Tank on the back of the uniforms. However, none of that changes the fact that these uniforms make the Zips look like other teams, specifically Baylor in mind. Why can't the Zips have a unique, invented here look? Why copy what others have already done? In the end, the results on the field are what matter, not what the Zips are wearing as long as it's respectable, which these are.

Good post ME87!

I like the link Hilltopper up. Went equipment manager from Arizona was asked about the NFL banning the alternative helmet, he said that sanity was prevailing.

Why copy what everyone else is doing? Hard to keep your resume up to date if you can't copy at least what everyone else has done.

Why can't it be unique? Being unique means not doing what everyone else is doing. Alternative uniforms are an effort, for all the wrong reasons, to keep up with the Jones. That's the complete opposite of being unique. Believe me, if anyone appreciates doing the opposite, it is me. We aren't doing the opposite here.

I totally agree that what matters most is what matters on the field. I've never been able to connect the dots between alternative uniforms being a huge benefit in attracting players who want to win. I believe a school should attract players who want to win first and foremost. Somehow I think I have missed the Alabama alternative uniform, yet somehow they continue to attract kids who want to win AND they win. Attracting kids who want to wear alternative uniforms is much different than attracting kids who want to win. I want a kid who wants to play great in his uniform and really doesn't care what he looks like while he is playing. It's all about priorities.

I don't know how long in the future it is going to be, but one day society will look back at the state of college athletics we are living in and between the "building process", alternative uniforms, lawsuits and all of the other stuff that doesn't really benefit anyone other than people who work in college athletics they will think our society had gone completely insane. They might in fact be correct. It's all a complete obscenity.

[LZIp]

unfortunately Akron doesn't have the natural edge that freaking Alabama has in recruiting.

[Zipmeister]

unfortunately Akron doesn't have the natural edge that freaking Alabama has in recruiting.

No natural edge, are you freaking kidding me.

Many high school student athletes considering which college to attend may conduct their search alphabetically, and those that do are going to run across the University of Akron way before they run across the University of Alabama, and when they learn of our cool alternative uniforms - well Alabama doesn't stand much of a chance.

[GP1]

No natural edge, are you freaking kidding me.

Many high school student athletes considering which college to attend may conduct their search alphabetically

My wife got her MBA at UofA. She had a required marketing class and the professor always said the reason there were so many foreigners at UofA was because it was one of the first schools in the list of American universities. He was kidding of course, but every good joke has some truth to it.

[UAZip0510]

Watching middle-aged men complain about uniforms players surely love is priceless. Reminds me of people complaining about the black basketball jerseys.

[GP1]

Watching middle-aged men complain about uniforms players surely love is priceless.

I'm not complaining about the uniforms. I don't care what they wear as long as they win. My beef is with the misguided mentality at the administrative level across the country that makes this nonsense a reality.

[Balsy]

I'm not middle-aged nor complaining. I like the new uniforms, and I agree with you GP1 about the misguided mentality at the administrative level (as well as the marketing people that to a good job of marketing this non-sense). In this particular situation, we have an Alumni giving a gift to the football program for new uniforms. Kudos to him, and if that's what he wants to donate money for than go for it. I don't think the administration at this university would have gone in that direction had the money not been given explicitly for that purpose.

It's sad that college athletics has gotten to this state where it is. But rabble of sheeple who have no actual affinity to the vast majority of these programs, are a powerful economic force.

[Roo]

GP1 wants to attract players that want to win, if that is the case, why would any player want to come to Akron?

Akrron needs to do whatever it can to attract players. The uniforms, facilities, coach are all part of a package. It isn't just the uniform that attracts players. Alabama wore an alternate uniform, just like Ohio State did with their Nike deal. It is a big reason why Notre Dame switched to Under Armor. Athletes do not like Adidas. Is it the sole focus? No. But it is part of the package. At the end of the day, it is a big deal to the athlete. They want to look good on the field, and after losing every single game for the most part for the better part of four years, do you know how much impact just having a new uniform on would mean to a fourth/fifth year player? And if it helps sway one player away from another school, it is a good thing.

[Dr Z]

Akron needs to do whatever it can to attract players. The uniforms, facilities, coach are all part of a package. It isn't just the uniform that attracts players. Alabama wore an alternate uniform, just like Ohio State did with their Nike deal. It is a big reason why Notre Dame switched to Under Armor. Athletes do not like Adidas. Is it the sole focus? No. But it is part of the package. At the end of the day, it is a big deal to the athlete. They want to look good on the field, and after losing every single game for the most part for the better part of four years, do you know how much impact just having a new uniform on would mean to a fourth/fifth year player? And if it helps sway one player away from another school, it is a good thing.

With the new all you can eat rule being passed by the NCAA, we need to up our food budget to move among the top of our conference.

[GP1]

GP1 wants to attract players that want to win, if that is the case, why would any player want to come to Akron?

Because they want to be part of an upcoming MAC program with a great coach and a chance to win week in and week out. In addition, the winning will give them an opportunity to win the league championship with the added benefit of an opportunity to win a bowl game.

As you can see from the structure of my sentence above, winning leads to more winning. More winning attracts the type of players who want to win more than they want to look good in their uniform. I want the players who want to win. Many of you can have the guys who want to look good in a uniform....I'd like to take my team up against yours every week.

[Balsy]

GP1 it's not that easy. Players have OU, State Ohio, Toledo and BGSU to look at (for starters) and Akron. All marketing relatively the same thing. Excluding State Ohio University, OU has a "tradition of success"...Toledo ad BGSU ARE up and coming programs THAT make cool changes to their uniform. And then you have Akron...which doesn't do anything new.

It is possible to be a player who wants to win, and win big, but also have other interests. Winning can still be that "number one factor" and you still have three schools to choose from.

[K92]

I would say Toledo and BG have traditions of football success. OU does not. None of the three have made any "cool" changes to their uniforms.

Oh shit. I forgot. We old farts are supposed to keep our opinions on this subject to ourselves.

My bad.

[Dave in Green]

If new uniforms make the players feel better about themselves, and if that positive attitude translates into more swagger and more effort into winning, then it would also be a win for fans regardless of how they may feel about the uniforms. Proving the effect the new uniforms have on the players is no more possible than proving the effect LeBron James has on Zips basketball recruiting. Both subjects generate long-running discussions without ever reaching a definitive conclusion.

[zippy5]

I would say Toledo and BG have traditions of football success. OU does not. None of the three have made any "cool" changes to their uniforms.

Oh shit. I forgot. We old farts are supposed to keep our opinions on this subject to ourselves.

My bad.

[GP1]

It is possible to be a player who wants to win, and win big, but also have other interests. Winning can still be that "number one factor" and you still have three schools to choose from.

I don't disagree. I want winning to be his primary motivation.

Again, I don't care if we have new uniforms or not as long as we win. My complaints stem mostly from my not believing these uniforms bring any substance to college football and are primarily silly.

[K92]

Zippy5,

I didn't say those 3 schools hadn't made any changes to their unis. The key word was "cool". Oh, maybe you are trying to suggest those 3 pictures of god-awful designs are proof of "cool". If so, we will have to agree to disagree.

I am breaking the rules again. Sorry.

[zippy5]

Ahh my apologies

[Dave in Green]

The 18-22 demographic obviously has a different concept of what's cool to wear than the demographic of the typical fan posting here. So what's more important -- that the players think what they're wearing is cool or that older fans think what the players are wearing is cool?