The Nikefication of the NFL continues.
The Detroit Lions will be the latest team to change uniforms in the aftermath of Nike taking over the league’s apparel contract in 2012. The new digs will be unveiled before the draft.
“We worked very closely with the league and Nike in designing the uniforms and had several different options presented to us before we finally settled on the one that we’ll unveil on April 13,” team president Rod Wood said Thursday, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “And I think you’ll be pleased. I think the fans will be pleased.”
The revised uniform will include new home, road, alternate, and Color Rush ensembles. The team already has revealed a revised logo (the black border is now gray), and it has announced that the color black has been removed completely “from our brand identity.” The Lions adopted their existing uniform in 2009.
The team has said that the colors Honolulu blue (because nothing says Hawaii like Detroit) and silver will be the emphasis of the new uniform. As long as the helmet isn’t half Honolulu blue and half silver, that should be a good thing.
With Nike, there’s no way of knowing how the never-ending desire to change uniforms will manifest itself. Chances are that the uniforms will be more like the Nike-designed rebranding of the Vikings uniforms (which combines classic look with futuristic numbers and stripes) than those worn by teams that have experienced dramatic changes once Nike got involved.
Since Nike arrived on the scene, teams to change their look include the Dolphins, Browns, Jaguars, Chargers, Vikings, Buccaneers, and Seahawks. Multiple other teams have revised their throwback jerseys. All teams have adopted a Color Rush uniform, although some haven’t actually worn them in a game.
All that’s known with certainty for now is that the Lions no longer will be wearing jerseys sold from 2009 until the present in games. Which means that any fans thinking about buying a Lions jersey should wait until April.