Tradition is Gone, Nike and Adidas Are In

Every athlete, and even non-athletes for that matter, can admit that at some point in time he or she has been a fanatic over the newest Nike or Adidas gear. Whether it be training gear, basketball gear, rugby gear, you name it and the world's powerhouse corporations have it and provide any color you could ever imagine. I myself even found my Christmas list loaded with new Adidas training gear and, quite frankly, I love the ClimaLite and ProCombat clothing lines.

Nike and Adidas have gained such an influence on sports today that you would be hard pressed to find a team that still has their traditional uniforms and that really bothers me. Traditional programs with absolutely classic uniforms such as UCLA and Indiana are among the few basketball programs that have not yet been taken over by Nike and Adidas' newest "fashions". There are few uniforms better than the classic baby blue and gold or the sharp-looking red and white. They look good, they're simple, and they have been around for generations. They represent programs that have history and have shaped college basketball into what it is today. UCLA and Indiana have not come out with ugly uniforms or ridiculous color schemes to try to make a statement, so why are other teams?

For instance, why does it seem that every team seems to be wearing either black uniforms or grey uniforms, regardless of whether or not it's an actual school color? In my mind, Georgetown and Ohio State are the only teams that should be wearing grey. Travel back to the 70's and 80's and you'll find the Hoyas and Buckeyes donning the grey uniforms. Now Nike wants to give teams like Arizona, Syracuse, Duke, and North Carolina grey uniforms? Why!!! Talk about four traditonal programs that should stick with the uniforms they have, especially Duke and UNC. It's not right that teams have to come out every other week with new uniforms.

That brings me to the newest campaign for Nike and Adidas which, for Nike, means putting the logo on the front above the number while putting the school nickname on the back where the players' names would go. On the other hand, Adidas has gone to either the bright fusha uniforms or the uniforms that are the same color all over (i.e. the NBA's Christmas Day uniforms). I will say this, Nike's idea made a much better impression than Adidas' but both are still stupid. Like Zach said in his blog about players wearing too many sleeves and accessories, the players are there to play ball, not see who can stand out the most. Take Gonzaga for instance, they show up to Hinkle Fieldhouse on the first day Butler has ever hosted College Gameday and break out the new Nike uniforms. The game ended with Butler hitting a buzzer-beater and the students storming the court. But don't worry, Gonzaga looked real good in those new uniforms!

I'm not a fan of all the unnecessary change going on in college basketball; it's pointless. Let the team's keep their uniforms for a few years or just leave the uniforms alone entirely. I think it's stupid that Nike and Adidas feel the need to take away from the game of basketball with all the new uniform schemes. I like the old school feel and that's because I was raised in an old school home. My grandpa is a Hall of Fame basketball coach that always told Zach and I the less fancy you look and play the better. Keep it simple. That is exactly how Nike and Adidas need to treat college basketball uniforms. Just keep them simple!