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With Green Bay Packers training camp almost a month away, now is the perfect time for us to take a time out and give you this the Definitive NFL Uniform Rankings Spectacular, from yours truly, E. Wolf! In these rankings, we will learn the secrets of what makes a uniform ugly, and what makes it a timeless classic that endures with the passing of time.
The most important factors of consideration in these deliberations are:
Continuity. The truly great uniforms — both those in the NFL, as revealed below, as well the likes of The New York Yankees or the Boston Celtics — withstand the test of time. This is a tell-tale sign of their universal appeal. They do not waiver or falter, so much like a flaccid weather vane that goes whichever way the wind blows, with each passing fad that comes almost as soon as it goes.
Color scheme. Much like the colors brandished by nations in times of peace and war, a team and its fans, like a quasi-nation, are identified by the colors they bear. Some color schemes work better than others.
Uniform design. As we will soon see, a team can have a decent enough color scheme or logo, but fall apart in uniform design. Uniform design includes striping, solid color pattern or new “edgy” designs (almost never a good thing), and lettering style and emblem display.
Helmet logo and other insignia. Perhaps greater than any other factor, a team is signified by its logo, much like great powers through the ages were signified by the symbols displayed on their banners and war ensigns. The truly great teams display symbols with this principle in mind. If it looks like it could be featured on a war ensign or other banner, or a fighter plane, tank or other weapon of war, it is a superior design. Overwrought, busy or gimmicky symbols are never a winner.