The Indianapolis Colts have one of the plainest and most simple uniforms in the NFL. It is also perhaps one of the best. A classic look. It is not too much. Just white helmets with a blue horseshoe and a stripe down the middle, and white pants. Plain blue jerseys with white lettering for their home jerseys, and white jerseys with straight blue lettering for their away jerseys. As simple a uniform as you could ask for.
And it works for them. Simple and plain as it may be, it is a good-looking uniform, a throwback to another era which still somehow fits in the modern NFL.
Now, there have been times when the Colts have struggled, even mightily. I remember them being among the very worst teams numerous times in both the eighties and the nineties. Right now, they are apparently going through another such phase. They were regarded as a legitimate playoff contender in recent seasons, but suffered through all sorts of turbulence and bad luck, including being on the wrong end of what proved to be, in the end, the greatest comeback in NFL history. Or, from the perspective of the Colts and their fans, the greatest single game collapse in NFL history. Now, most people assume that they will rank among the worst teams in the league this coming season.
So yeah, the Colts have some problems. But their uniforms are not part of the problem. Far from it.
Which is why the revelation of a new, alternative uniform kind of makes me scratch my head a little bit. The Colts recently released what they called their "Indiana Nights" uniform. It follows a very familiar theme in the NFL, and indeed in sports more generally, in recent years and decades. The Colts will incorporate black helmets for the first time in their history.
How boring.
Seriously, it seems to me that every team is unveiling "new" and "sleek" black uniforms. I remember feeling excited the first time that I saw an NFL team do this, back before the 1990 NFL season. The Atlanta Falcons had changed their uniforms from mostly red (red helmets and home jerseys) to black (helmets and home jerseys). At that time, only one team had outright black helmets: the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Chicago Bears also had nearly black uniforms, but still, it was only those two teams, really. So Atlanta joining their ranks seemed cool, to me. To my teenaged self, at the time.
Just a few years later, more teams joined those ranks. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens both incorporated black helmets. The Denver Broncos made replaced their traditional royal blue and orange with navy blue and orange. And it seemed like that was the beginning of an avalanche.
Now, it seems that teams that don't have "alternative" black uniforms are in the minority. Teams that never had much black in their uniforms - teams like the 49ers, Cardinals, Jets, Eagles, Lions, and now the Colts - now seem to incorporate much more black in their image, particularly with their so-called "alternative" uniforms. And that's not even talking about the teams that do have black or prominently in their uniforms. Add to that those teams that have very dark navy blue, and it does indeed to feel like it's the majority of teams out there. And that's just the NFL! Plenty of other teams are doing it in all of the other major North American sports, as well.
To me, this just feels unimaginative. The uniform that the Colts sport - and have sported now, with remarkably little variation for literally decades, since the 1950's - is appealing precisely because of it's simplicity. Two official colors, plain blue and white. A horseshoe logo that is simplicity itself, yet somehow also works as a real NFL logo, recalling a rich past, but feeling also quite modern. The look somehow works for them.
Again, the Colts have their fair share of problems. But their uniforms just aren't one of them. This is just a move to try and squeeze yet more money from fans, and to promote undesirable, cosmetic changes as somehow electrifying and cutting edge, when it really is neither. At some point, I suspect, fans will likely collectively tire of these "alternate" uniforms. Frankly, the sooner, the better.
Colts unveil 'Indiana Nights' alternate uniform by JJ Stankevitz, Colts.com Writer Jul 20, 2023:
The Colts will don black helmets for the first time in franchise history as part of the new alternate uniform, which will be worn in Week 7 against the Cleveland Browns at Lucas Oil Stadium. Jul 20, 2023 at 12:01 PM 2023_headshot_stankevitz_02 JJ Stankevitz Colts.com Writer
https://www.colts.com/news/alternate-jerseys-black-helmets-indiana-nights-blue-heather-browns-game?fbclid=IwAR1k80AqOIyhrX6yX5VRHFs-TOF8OlJ6IVU65v9VKaos9yA48JsT8LvSFIQ
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