There are very few things that get college football purists more fired up than a brand new slate of Nike Pro Combat uniforms — and by fired up I mean like how “28-27” makes heads explode in Tuscaloosa and “Updyke” makes blood pressures rise on The Plains.
We’re used to seeing things like this when Nike rolls out their new unis in late August each year:
…or this:
…heck, even Under Armour followed Nike’s lead and tried to pull this off with a straight face once:
That might be all well and good for teams that emerge from the tunnel to compete in a 60 minute track meet on a blue astroturf field in a stadium the size of a decent 4A high school…
…but this is Alabama, where even grandma complains about passing on first down and thinks targeting penalties were created by sissies.
So needless to say there was a lot of handwringing in Dixie when word started spreading in 2010 that Alabama uniforms would be getting the Pro Combat treatment.
The folks at RollBamaRoll.com explained it best:
Nike reps approached us and told us that they knew our fans wanted a jersey as traditional as possible and that they worked hard with the school to maintain the traditional look (which is obvious when compared with the radical departures other schools went with.) I told one of them, “It’s not that we as Alabama fans don’t like a lot of the more radical things y’all come up with for other teams, it’s just that we wouldn’t like them for us. They’re great, they’re just not great for Alabama.”
In the end we escaped relatively unscathed:
Then the internet melted yesterday when this appeared on Alabama’s official online store:
…along with this description:
The Crimson Tide are built for hard-hitting, fast-paced gridiron action, and we know that’s exactly why you love them. Promote your Alabama gear to a level that’ll proudly flaunt your team’s skills and your own team dedication with this special Blackout Nike Limited jersey. Designed in the same styling as the gear your favorite players will wear on the field in the 2013 Blackout Game, it features strategic mesh ventilation, embroidered graphics and a tackle twill player number. Congratulations, you just upped your status to Ultimate Alabama Fan!
Speculation is running wild that the number 4 on the jersey signifies the fourth game of the season in which Alabama will play Ole Miss at home on Sept. 28. But in reality it’s far more likely the number 4 is just a random jersey number they — oh it’s T.J. Yeldon’s number? The star running back? Well, that’s a total coincidence because the NCAA doesn’t seek to profit off of any specific student-athletes.
Some astute observers have pointed out that it is highly unlikely these jerseys will see the field because the NCAA requires contrasting colors between the jersey and the number.
But would the purists’ backlash halt the possibility of a Bryant-Denny blackout game anyway?
What do you think?
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
