"What will Under Armour do next?"
That was the question that came to mind as I admired Northwestern's new Under Armour football jerseys at the first home game of the 2012-13 season.
The sportswear company built on their previous success when they unveiled the new men's basketball jerseys on Wednesday. They didn't disappoint.
Unlike last year, these uniforms are spiced up by more than simple purple stripes. There are three primary differences that separate these new jerseys from the past, with the first involving the new Northwestern emblems on the uniforms. On the bottom of each leg of the shorts is a large Northwestern style “N.” This logo can also be found on the center of the elastic waistband on the shorts, giving off the look of an awkward belt buckle. But since the players were able to pull off the uniforms of the past few years, they can surely work this new look.
The second new feature involves the jersey’s utilization of Northwestern’s gothic-style architecture and intricate stone work, by incorporating an intricate geometric pattern in the purple stripes, collar and number. The geometric pattern, which can be seen on the football uniforms, is intended to represent the architecture of the buildings of the Northwestern campus.
And while it can be argued that the geometric shapes are odd for a uniform, they add a distinctive touch to our jerseys that isn’t as extreme as the neon Baylor uniforms and resonates with Northwestern tradition.
The left shoulder of the uniform sports the third main difference by featuring a new addition with the BIG logo, which all the teams in the Big Ten will be donning this basketball season.
Don’t worry, the players will also look good on the road too with the new road jerseys, which are a sleek purple with similar ornamentation. Like the home jerseys, the geometric patterns can be found on the black stripes, collar, and white number.
Surprisingly though, the new game day jerseys lack the “Northwestern Stripe” across the chest, which is the predominant feature on the football jerseys as well as Ryan Field on game days. Instead Under Armour used the thick and bold striped design on the basketball team’s practice uniforms in efforts to unite the sports in a common thread. The traditional stripe is to be implemented in all the 19 sports teams on campus.
Setting looks aside, “Under Armour basketball uniforms are lighter than ever before with less drag so our team can play faster and stronger,” according to Under Armour’s Facebook page. “The Armour Light technology in these new uniforms is designed for pinnacle performance.”
Whether they enhance performance or not, the men of the Northwestern basketball team will look bold and original in this new basketball apparel. To see the uniforms for yourself head down to Welsh-Ryan Arena on Nov. 7 when the Wildcats take on Chicago for their season opener.