Color Rush has cut to black.
With FOX inheriting the full Thursday Night Football schedule, FOX says that Thursday Night Football no longer will consist of alternative, monochromatic uniforms.
Via Jason Barrett of Barrett Sports Media, FOX Sports Executive Vice President of Programming, Research and Content Strategy Bill Wanger said Tuesday at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas that Color Rush uniforms will no longer be used on Thursday nights. Wanger explained that hardcore fans don’t need gimmicks to watch.
Wanger also said that the game schedule for Thursday night will be stronger than it’s been in the past. That may be news to CBS and NBC, which could see their Sunday slates become less potent if the NFL pushes “better” games to Thursday nights.
Many have complained about and/or lampooned the Color Rush concept, which was subtly downplayed last year with the league quietly allowing teams like Washington (which had a garish yellow-on-yellow getup) to not go through with it.
This won’t stop teams from embracing the Color Rush concept on their own. Last week, the Titans unveiled an array of uniforms that includes the light-blue-on-light-blue Smurf look, specifically dubbed the team’s “Color Rush” uniforms.
So while Color Rush may be dead as a mandatory, across-the-board program, it possibly still exists as a voluntary, periodic, alternate uniform program. And if Thursday night is going to become even more special, maybe that’s when teams will choose on their own to wear them.