Breaking down the best alternate uniforms of America’s “big four” sports.
Alternate jerseys were first introduced to the world of American sports in the 1990s after they had already become a mainstay in international soccer. Gradually, for financial and stylistic reasons alike, their use soon began to seep out into America’s “big four” sports; football, basketball, baseball and hockey. Ranging from the traditional “throwback” uniforms illustrating the rich history of a team often reserved for special occasions, to the intentional exceeding flamboyance of the NFL’s “color rush” collection there is certainly no lack of alternate jerseys to choose from in 2023.
Whether you are a curious fan of one or many sports, a kit connoisseur looking to make a purchasing decision, or simply bored, and in the mood for looking at pretty designs and colors then this article will certainly satisfy your interest as we look through some of the most fashionable alternate sports jerseys of 2023.
Baseball
Starting off with what was once widely dubbed “America’s sport,” the MLB has had no shortage of style to show off this season. The most stupendous of the “City Connect” selection would have to be the stripes of the Windy City’s very own Chicago White Sox. Upon first glance, it may merely seem to be an inverse of the team’s typical dominant white with small black stripes. However, its homage to the city’s culture with the “hip hop-esque” gothic font with the word “Southside” streaked across its front helped make it a smashing sensation both on-and-off the diamond.
Ironically, the neighboring Chicago Cubs also boast one of the most formidable alternate uniforms of the league. As another entry in the City Connect collection, the Cubs’ alternate uniform is similar to their away jersey in that it is also blue, but that’s where the similarities end. A similarly dark but more neutral solid blue navy blue coupled with baby blue undershirts give this a simple yet clean look.
Basketball
In the NBA, many of the best alternates had an emphasis on the city’s culture and heritage as was the case with the Mardi Gras inspiration for the New Orleans Pelicans. Their alternate boasted bold purple, green and yellow stripes. Despite the stripes being a far cry from the team’s traditional colors, they still hold great significance not only for the team but for its supporters in the area as well.
Staying on the “purple” side of things, the Miluawkee Bucks’ “classic edition” deep purple & forest green is impressionable as it hearkens back to a bygone era of the team. What’s special about this throwback jersey is the fact that it belonged to a far less successful version of the team. This was in stark contrast to how most throwback jerseys try and muster up a feeling of nostalgia for when a team was in its “glory days” in an effort to recapture that magic.
Football
When it comes to the NFL, such a heavy emphasis was placed on alternates that it was initially mandatory for every team to have a “color rush” alternate jersey. These color rush jerseys would some of a team’s traditional colors and then saturate or deepen them to a significant extent. A fine execution of this concept was with the Los Angeles Chargers unveiling their monochromatic navy uniforms topped off with the outlines of the lightning bolt logo spread across.
More controversially, the Detroit Lions in 2017 revealed their assertive “steel gray” alternate uniforms. Reminiscent of the city’s dark gray skies this uniform has inflicted depression on both fans of the team and its opposition depending on the outcome. As the Lions under Dan Campbell continue to establish themselves as a formidable force in the league, this dark stormy uniform may soon become permanently associated with happiness for fans of the Motown team.
Hockey
Finally, the NHL did not stray from style with a couple of aesthetic jerseys of their own. The best of the lot would have to be the alternate jersey for the Toronto Maple Leaves. Designed by Canada’s biggest pop star (sorry Drake) in collaboration with Adidas, this sleekly patterned look had Toronto fans “Beliebing” again heading into their next season. Traveling 2000 miles south and the LA Kings’ “reverse retro” uniforms had us bowing to their increased emphasis on royalty with giant crowns adorning the center of the sweaters.
The fact that alternate uniforms make our favorite sports teams millions of dollars a year means that this phenomenon is not likely to leave any time soon. As a matter of fact, based on recent trends, it will likely lead to your favorite team getting even more alternate uniforms, emptying pockets and confusing casuals in the process. The most we, as fans, can do is hope that the creative teams in the designing process are on their A-game and don’t result in us having to behold mustard men on the field.