Some thoughts on the new jerseys
Waiting for the coupon codes to hit like :DALE-COOPER-WAITING-GIF:
In this newsletter, I’ve often been critical of adidas, KU’s apparel provider and financial patron. Despite the fact that we accused adidas representatives of defrauding the university, Jeff Long is so bad at being athletic director that he leapt at the chance to re-up with the company.
Looking at it from the most zoomed-out position, KU was lucky to sign a lucrative apparel deal before the pandemic hit. But at the end of the day, adidas and KU are in this boat together; it’s kind of like the prisoner’s dilemma even though everyone is making money just fine. Severing the tie would involve something very dramatic, but not necessarily unprecedented, and for the time being, KU and adidas are bound together.
As one does, I was cruising the adidas site to see if any new hoops gear had come online. As a worker who has spent far too much time in the back-end of content management systems, I’ve become a devout scourer of new release listings in my personal time—the only reliable way to cop the good general release stuff at say, Nike.com, is to find it right when it goes live, before a wider announcement or e-mail blast is dispatched. So that’s how I came across the 2020’s seasons batch of replica jerseys, which have been online for a week or so now.
And, as usual, they’re OK, even though I’m not quite sure what’s happening with the collar situation. (It looks like an NFL jersey modded onto a basketball tank top shape, which is something no one has ever asked for but I suppose is novel). I was kind of feeling last year’s straight-line KANSAS nameplate, but they went back to the arch path layout that they’ve employed in seasons past. I’ll live with it.
Here’s my hangup—why the #1? #1 is Jayhawk newcomer Tyon Grant-Foster’s number, and all signs point to him having a vital role on both ends of the floor. Last year’s blast of replicas featured the #1 also, but that made sense—Devon Dotson wore it, and after a great freshman season, KU fans had accepted he would be moving on after his second season in Lawrence. He was an established star.
This isn’t anything against Grant-Foster, who I am really excited to watch, as he has the length, bounce, and hard-nosed playing style that Bill Self’s systems covet. But this is Marcus Garrett’s spot.
Is he gonna stick with that headband? Cuz I’m LOVIN’ it like I was J. Balvin
I acknowledge that neither player I’m discussing—Tyon or Marcus Garrett—is likely to earn a dime off of their number being chosen for the adidas brand replica jerseys. But… c’mon. Where’s my corporate Marcus Garrett respect? He’s a senior coming off of a national DPOY season and will be the team’s emotional leader and the new lead guard. Even though I feel like brands are really “0”-averse, for whatever reason, Marcus Garrett’s #0 isn’t a mere number. It’s a lifestyle.
Moving on—that cream-colored alternate design. It’s fine, also. Maybe a tick below fine, but in concert with expectations. Once upon a time, the phrase “alternate jersey” signaled a universe of possibility. The NBA and Nike’s unveiling of these sorts of uniform concepts have lowered the bar drastically; as a result, I’m appreciate of anything that could be described as a “light flip” on a prevailing aesthetic. Weirdly, the off-white Jayhawk designs have become underrated in recent years. Going full Hawk on the chest plate works for me—I much prefer our famous, pretty weird and specific logo over the angular, stuck-in-2010 Trajan stuff.
I haven’t seen any official KU-based confirmation that the new adidas listings are indeed KU’s new unis—friend of the newsletter Rustin Dodd pointed out that the photo day uniforms were slightly updated editions of last year’s vibe—but I think there’s reason to believe that this is the case. adidas is doing cool things on the recycle/upcycle/#tech front, but naturally none of that energy has made it to KU’s new collection.
It seems that I am not alone on this island, for I am backed by the almighty MARKET—a brand new Boost selling for $60 under retail on consignment sites. That’s good right?