It's a new era a new dawn of Hokie football of you will. Tell me we wouldn't look absolute fire 🔥 if we cut ties with Nike and did an under armour deal. These cinci units are sick along w the ones they are wearing today.
https://twitter.com/thenatiking/status/1476921148885680133?s=21
Good morning bearcat fans. Cherish every moment of today. Not because it won't happen again, but because this is the start of something special. In Desmond we trust. #Cincinnati pic.twitter.com/dN4TLvXVkd— The Nati King (@thenatiking) December 31, 2021
[mod edit: tweet embed and title adjustment]
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I'm down to switch to under armour.
I don't think those Cincy Unis are all that great though. Shoulders look odd
The ones in game or from that tweet? I think their unis are awesome.
Both. It's a subjective preference.
I prefer the simpler looking uniforms. The throwbacks were fucking dope.
I'm game for a UA contract
Alabama wears traditional uniforms. I prefer that.
Not a fan although if we could find a way to remake our old old school unis I'd be all for it.
Fuck Alabama.
Our old unis are cool tho
Whatever apparel deal pays the most while treating their workers ethically is good with me.
Nike has not been good at paying and allegedly the second thing is lacking too.*
*Not trying to go down a rabbit hole with this. Just wanted to preface that it's not money over everything
I personally prefer UA over Nike, but (1) croots love Nike, and (2) UA is not in the best financial place. I'd be wary of signing a UA deal given the UCLA debacle.
I had forgotten about the UCLA debacle.
Russell athletic!!!? >ducks<
Worked for Sean Glennon.
If a kid doesn't want to come to a school because they're not a Nike school, that's not a kid I want on my roster.
I don't think we should dictate multi-million dollar deals on whether or not a 16-year-old kid thinks they're cool or not.
Obviously I'm not saying we should go with Nike just because they tend to be favorited by recruits, but it should factor into the equation.
I personally enjoyed watching Malcolm Delaney, and was happy he came to VT
(Can't embed b/c because Malcolm's twitter is private, but here's the link)
Now, I recognize that football is different than basketball, where shoe brands do a lot of recruiting for the coaches, but the point stands: 16 year olds are attracted to schools for (in part) dumb things - shoe brands, how attractive the girls are, how cool they think the school's brand is, how nice the locker rooms are, if there's a barbershop/waterslide/ on campus, etc - this is recruiting in 2020 🤷♂️
That was also posted in 2013 before NIL existed
Priorities are a bit different now
For sure - but I think the point stands; there are plenty of recruits making business decisions, but also plenty who are just picking the school they think is 'coolest'
No thanks. I would much rather stay with Nike over UA and Adidas. UA is trying to break out of contracts with its partners and Adidas makes some of the ugliest uniforms that have ever been conceived.
UA is responsible for Maryland's uniforms, which in my estimation are the most God Awful creations in college football history.
I actually love those uniforms. It helps that Md has the best flag in the union though.
South Carolina on line 1
We have the phrase "death be to tyrants" with someone standing over a body with a spear, they have a bunch of red and yellow with a cross. We kill the game in the flag department
Virginia's flag says "thus unto tyrants". Maryland's flag is a tribute to some rich, connected dudes.
Virginia's flag is also the only state/country flag in the world with nudity on it.
This state fucks.
It's a Cummonwealth.
I'm going to get in trouble for this but most all the state flags with people drawn on them (Virginia's included) look like they were drawn by a talented middle schooler. It just doesn't translate well to flags, IMO.
but boobies
Seconded (though I acknowledge Soup's very valid point).
I remember a pretty good video (a TED talk, maybe?) about flag design. If I remember and find it, I'll add the link here. But yeah, simple and clean is the way to go.
Thus always to tyrants
Yes, while standing on the guy's throat.
But you're right, so I've updated the comment.
The Maryland flag is gutter trash.
I love it. The symmetry, the color scheme, the boldness; it's so creative.
... but... it's not symmetrical...
It's rotationally symmetrical. As well as rotationally ugly.
Actually, it's not.
I had to look it up again (which implies bad flag design) and you're technically correct, since the colors in the two yellow-and-black quadrants are inverse of each other. Other than that, it's perfectly rotationally symmetrical.
"Other than that" means it's not. And no, you having to look it up again doesn't imply it's a bad design. Your recollection of it has nothing to do with that. I lived in MD for nearly all my life and have utilized the flag in several golf designs. It's a huge pet peeve of mine when the flag is wrong, which I see way too often on stickers, logos, flown in front of one's house, or even on an UA shirt.
I think you're being needlessly pedantic, but I can tell I've struck a nerve and will refrain from going any further.
Bold? Creative? They took two existing wealthy family flags (Lord Baltimore, and whomever) and pasted them as quarters.
It was the 18th-century MS Paint mash-up of flag design.
The Maryland flag is some euro-trash bullshit and my mind can't be changed.
Yes a tribute to two rich lords.
How feudal.
The only thing left is to pay big taxes. Oh, wait, they've got that covered.
Virginia and Maryland have the same income tax cap, except you don't pay property tax on your car.
Yeah, but in Virginia I can buy beer and wine at the grocery store. VA wins again.
But in MD you can buy liquor at midnight from the liquor store.
Laughs while drinking 4AM 711 Jack Daniels
I can't think of a reasonable excuse one would need to buy hard liquor after midnight...
But your brother...your brother can... /s
Uh... it's after midnight and you're out of hard liquor?
I'm in my 40s. If it's after midnight and I finished all the liquor, it's time to go to bed.
I'm a Hokie that lives in Maryland.
It's Meh
They get you on the registration fee to make up for it.
You sure on that? I've done the math before when comparing jobs, and I was always taking home less with a MD job at the same pay as a VA job.
Plus, MD sucks. I grew up there, it's got a special place in my heart, but once I started venturing out and seeing the world, it's certainly far lower on the totem pole than my days as a youth.
A few years ago, but here's a good outline which also includes DC.
https://www.lipseyandassociates.com/resources/articles/the-differences-between-va-md-and-dc-taxation
There are also local piggy-back taxes to consider based on the county/city you live in as well.
This is true, I do pay extra property tax because I live inside the town limits of Leesburg. It's pretty negligible compared to what I pay Loudoun County, and I feel like I see tangible benefits from it as I take my kids to the local parks all the time. But I do pay taxes twice on my house and on my cars.
Ours has a tit. #Checkmate
Nike, underarmour, FUBU... idgaf. They can wear tutu's for all I care as long as they win games.
I was with you all the way until "tutu's"
How about Kappa?
Simply classic like Juventus:
Classic with nuance like AC Milan:
Unique like Napoli:
Never thought I'd see a pic of early 80s/late 70s Juve kits on this site but here we are
What about Admiral?
This Wales kit does not disappoint.
Alter it to Chicago Maroon and Burnt Orange and you may get the contract.
Umbro baby!
Nike is just objectively the best, regardless of how they've treated VT. The other brands (these Cincinnati uniforms included) are all complete second-rate and are widely perceived as such, and it shows.
Hopefully Whit doesn't have the same pettiness most of our fanbase has for Nike and can strike a fair deal with them before we have to resort to ruining our image with someone else.
Nike will be more than fair to us if we actually just win games and make it worth their time to invest in us. They LOVED VT until we fell off a cliff in the early 2010's.
Too bad they never paid us like it.
That's why they loved us so much, got to showcase their awesome designs in lots of showcase games only to get 2nd rate pay from them.
cash is king.
Isn't UA in financial trouble?
I buy Adidas over Nike every time, for as good as their street wear looks, their uniforms have been awful. That said, get the best monetary deal possible and push the simple throwback as the primary uniform with the brand's ideas as alternates.
I'm sorry, but no way.
I don't see UA making a significant offer and if they did, I don't think it's worth pursuing due to UA's financial issues and them finding ways to get out of contracts they had no business signing in the first place.
Kevin Plank is a jerk, simple as that.
I'm a Nike guy through and through and I've always thought of VT being Nike for as long as I can remember.
Would be pretty awkward if Whit signs with a different apparel provider -- whoever designed the Frank Beamer statue put the swoosh on his jacket. They would have to remove it if they signed elsewhere.
Unpopular opinion it seems: I rarely notice uniforms unless they're bad. Good uniform design is generally conservative. The ONE exception that comes to mind is the black uniforms from the '10 Boise State game.
Under Armour has ugly uniforms. Nike's are better.
I don't want to support a company that donates (or whose major stockholder donates) to Maryland.
Go Adidas or Jordan if you need to, but I prefer to entertain other options, and ultimately get a better deal from Nike.
No idea if UNC has any control or input into the Jordan brand but if they do there's no way the let an interconference/interdivisional opponent wear it. Seems like it's just one per conference.
Is it possible for us to design our own uniforms? I hear all the criticism of UA gear and I generally agree - same with my preferred company, Adidas - but can't we just tell them we want a particular uniform? I don't understand why the entire brand identity has to be decided by the uniform company.
I'd be down with that. Not sure when schools left the uniform designs completely to the major shoe/apparrel manufacturers. I've always thought the schools generally designed and the apparrel companies produced the end product, with a few tweaks to get their logo on the unis. If the schools aren't majorly involved in this, it seems like they should be. If you leave the design completely to the apparrel company, you might end up with Maryland unis.
That's how it worked for us until Weaver allowed them to do a "full rebrand" of the Athletic department in about 2010. Since then, they've had pretty much full control over all of our uniforms, and if we want to do something different (like I'm pretty sure the '99 throwbacks this year) we have to buy them ourselves.
Are you thinking of the 2016 rebrand?
All those wacky and cheap looking football uniforms we came up with between 2012-2015 were definitely done completely in-house by the university. Specifically the 2013 gray Alabama uniforms stick out where VT literally like ordered high school uniforms and sewed a Nike swoosh onto them to fulfill the contract. Nike had like zero input to our uniforms during that time period.
As I think about it again you're probably right. I had thought it was tied to the addition of the shoulder stripes, but it makes more sense that it was dictated by the new apparel contract prepared by Weaver and signed by Whit in 2014-ish, which also coincided with the new football uniforms that have a couple interesting design choices.
Nah, I'm good. I'd rather be with what is considered the best so we at least are with the pack. When we start winning we will get more focus and earn better jerseys. I just wish I could get my hands on the jersey we had for the Boise State game cus those will continue to be my favorite.
I metaphorically kick myself all the time for not having purchased that one back in 2010. My favorite one VT has ever worn.
Make me an offer that I can't refuse....
I'm not going to pay you now... but on your deathbed you will receive total consciousness.
Personally I like UA gear more than Nike most of the time. That being said go with whoever makes the best offer and who is the most stable. In situation 2 that's clearly Nike. To say we won't sign with a particular apparel company because they have Maryland under contract is stupid.
New Balance anyone? I'd rock those VT colors on my dad shoes. All jokes aside, NB has really made strides in the Baseball world. Best cleats hands down. Their apparel and uniforms for baseball are pretty nice as well. Son preferred them over UA or Nike all day long.
New Balance, King of the office softball league!
Apparently it's worth it for us to swallow a the worst P5 Nike deal for all it does for the "brand" and recruiting. Analyze that as you wish given the last 6 years.
jordan brand would be sick
We aren't big enough for the Jordan brand
We aren't big enough for the Jordan brand yet
Fla-3 Nattys
Michigan-11 Nattys
Oklahoma-7 Nattys
UNC-birthplace and alma mater of the logo
We have a long way to go to get to yet.
Well soooooorry for my youthful exuberance! /s
I appreciate it, I do. Just setting the level of the bar...and it's up there.
My fear with jumpman would be they would do something silly with the colorway and either have it stick out like a dirt splotch or blend it so it would be nearly invisible.
Florida - 3 Football Nattys, 2 Basketball Nattys, 5 Final Four Appearances
Michigan - 11 Football Nattys, 1 Basketball Natty, 8 Final Four Appearances
Oklahoma - 7 Football Nattys, 5 Final Four Appearances
UNC - 6 Basketball Nattys, 20 Final Four Appearances
UCLA - 1 Football Natty, 11 Basketball Nattys, 19 Final Four Appearances
Houston - 6 Final Four Appearances
Charlotte Hornets - Owned by Jordan
Paris Saint Germain - 9 Ligue 1 Championships, 14 Coupe de France wins, 9 Coupe de la Ligue wins, 10 Trophee des Champions wins
That's the Jordan brand lineup right now. With all due respect, we're not even close to being on their radar for the prestige needed to get the honor. Even the least decorated school in their lineup has half as many Final Four appearances as we have NCAA Tournament appearances. Whit would be laughed out of the room if he even suggested we could get that branding to them.
Marquette hoops? I think there is an HBCU that uses jordan brand as well
I want a Vick brand with the logo being a silhouette of him doing this:
There already was a Michael Vick Brand from Nike. Not sure they'd be willing to bring it back from the dead, but if they were, it would make sense to use it.
That brand died the second his legal troubles started
I used to be team Nike, but I'm at the point now where I don't care who our apparel contract is with, provided:
1) they give us a fair contract that pays us commensurate with our peers
2) they don't make us look like garbage
I don't really have a dog in this fight but your criteria are basically exactly the opposite of what Nike has done for VT. So, maybe Nike isn't the right choice?
Many of the Virginia Tech sports teams have had excellent uniforms under Nike. Even if you aren't a fan of the updated football uniforms you can't argue that other sports don't have excellent looks. Wrestling has some of the best singlets in the country and baseball has had some awesome uniforms over the years just to name some examples.
The apparel deal money conversation is mundane since everyone agrees. I think every conversation on uniform style preferences already understands that Tech will go for the best deal. It doesn't change that people prefer the style of certain companies over others.
*Edit to fix a typo*
I don't know about other sports but I know for football the colors are wrong. I imagine that Nike would use the same colors for every sport so I assume that the colors are wrong for all of our uniforms across every sport. The patterns and designs may not be ugly but if the colors are wrong then I'm not happy.
Our official colors changed in 2016/2017 to the colors used now. It was a part of the rebrand both athletically and academically
This is our current Officially Licensed Collegiate Products filing:
still wrong IMO
Agreed. When I was still very active in the alumni chapters and they showed the updated colors in the annual meet up. There were more than a few of us that expressed our disdaine about them.
Maybe I'm a sucker for original stuff but i haven't warmed up to the updated colors. Too barney shaded to me.
If they are willing to make it right on the next contract, then cool. If not, then see ya later.
The ND State Bison (Nike) are stomping the MT State Bobcats (Under Armour).
Bama and UGA wear Nike.
Nike is the outfitter of champions.
So then why do we wear Nike?
We won 4 ACC Titles in Nike
I don't consider anyone a "champion" until they've won it all...
Being a big Braves fan, winning and becoming NL East "Champions" every year meant diddly squat.
Winning the ACC is cool but in the grand scheme of things, means nothing.
Everyone's a "champion" now. Win the ACC Coastal? You're a "ACC Coastal Champions". Win the ACCCG? You're "ACC Champion", win the Orange Bowl, you're "Orange Bowl Champion".
What have you really won if you haven't won the title?
This is a tough mentality to have in college football given it's 130 teams, and 65 P5 teams. I think the playoff has exacerbated this mentality. I definitely used to view those ACC championships and the 2008 Orange bowl as big achievements. I still would with where we are at, but in broad terms to other teams and fanbases it means less than it used to back then.
Cause college football is regionally discombobulated, and winning the conference amounts to winning states in high school. It's a major achievement and should be treated as such.
At the FCS level and down, there happens to be a playoff with all the regions involved at the end of the season.
We're not Notre Dame where fighting for a playoff spot is all the team can play for.
There's entire conferences that don't participate in the national title chase, both in FCS and the G5 in FBS.
So no, I would never down play a conference title. Hell, can you fathom what winning a conference title would do for our fan base right now?
Low blow man