la tonique

View Original

The Top Ten Coolest Sports Jerseys to Date

A jersey is a way for a person to represent their team or school, to bring awareness to an event, cause or person, and a way to feel united with others. With so many professional teams across the world, there is such a variety of unique looks in sports. Teams constantly update their uniforms from year to year and fans often debate who around the league has the best look.

Here are some of the most unique jerseys and their stories:

10. Toronto Raptors’ “Dino” Away Jersey (1995-1988)

(Chris Young/The Canadian Press)

There is really no other reason that this jersey has made the list other than the fact that it just looks really cool. There really has not been any other jersey that has had a unique figure such as this one. The dinosaur look on the jersey has become an instant classic amongst NBA fans young and old. Although this jersey is from the ’90s, fans loved the jersey so much that it made its way back to Toronto's court for the 2019-2020 season. It was decided that the white version of this jersey would be worn as a way to celebrate the team’s 25 year anniversary. 

9. Los Angeles Clippers’ Sleeved Alternate Jersey (2013-2014)

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

The Clippers have not been known to have the most popular or best-looking jerseys, but this baby blue jersey really takes the lead. This Adidas-made jersey would mark the first time that the team had worn baby blue since 1985. Not too sure why it took so long for the color to return, but hopefully it will be here to stay.

8. Montreal Canadiens’ “Breakaway” Home Jersey (2017-Present)

(Jean-Yves Ahern/USA Today Sports)

Over the 100+ years that the Canadiens have been around they have created many different jerseys that all seem to look somewhat similar, but seeing this is their most recent product of work it seems that they have done a good job. With this jersey, each color seems to contrast the other. There are both light and dark blues and reds which really highlight some of the important features on the jersey, such as the logo and lines. It is unfortunate that the United States hasn't used a jersey similar to this one, seeing that all of the colors are the same as the American Flag. Hopefully down the road, the U.S will create a jersey as good-looking and unique as this one.

7. Milwaukee Brewers Away Alternate Jersey (2020-Present)

Most baseball jerseys have a tendency to look very similar to one another but with the all blue and yellow, Milwaukee managed to change that. Recently throwback jerseys have made a comeback to sports nowadays. This jersey has done exactly this, by implementing previous jerseys that were worn in the 1970s and ‘80s. Although the idea for the jerseys was thought of from what was used over forty years ago, these jerseys have a clean look to them.

6. North Carolina Tar Heels’ “1990’s Retros” Jersey (2020)

via North Carolina Football’s Twitter

Who doesn't love a good throwback jersey? That is exactly what this jersey is. The Tar Heels managed to create a jersey that is similar to the jerseys worn in the 1990s. North Carolina is known for their baby blue jerseys, made famous from one Michael Jordan decades ago. However, these football jerseys step it up a notch. From the use of stripes to the placements of icons, this jersey is one of the Tar Heels’ best.

5. Los Angeles Chargers’ Royal Blue Color Rush Jersey (2020-Present)

(Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Color rush jerseys are by far the best thing to happen for uniforms in the NFL in years. Los Angeles, and San Diego, has worn pretty basic jerseys over the years, but with the combination of lightning bolts and the new darker blue uniforms, they really managed to step up their game. What is really unique about these jerseys is that no other team in the NFL has something that looks quite like this. These jerseys managed to be unique and different from other Chargers uniforms from the past while still also being unique to the team’s history.

4. Oregons’ Breast Cancer Awareness Jersey (2014)

(Scott Olmos/USA TODAY Sports)

Some of the coolest jerseys are ones that are made to raise awareness or be in remembrance of a person or organization. But Oregon managed to go over the top with their Breast Cancer awareness jersey. The team managed to completely forget about their typical colors for this jersey, and instead wanted to wear something that really focused on bringing awareness to breast cancer. A cool aspect of this jersey is how the shoulder area shows what is supposed to be feathers of a duck in typical Oregon fashion. With a slew of different uniforms to choose from in Oregon, this one manages to stand out for various reasons. Overall, the jersey really excels in all aspects.

3. Miami Heat’s “Vice Wave” City Edition Jersey (2019)

via Miami Heat

There is no better way to describe the atmosphere of the Heat and Miami other than this jersey right here. From the pretty and bright colors to the font used, this jersey is inspired by the history of Miami and its city during the 1980s and ’90s. A better name for the jerseys could be ‘cotton candy” based on the bright blue and pink. While Miami tried to one-up these jerseys with the 2020-2021 City Edition jerseys Overall, the concept created is fun and one of a kind, which is why they belong in the top three for coolest jerseys.

2. Oregon Ducks’ “Ohana” Alternate Jerseys (2020)

via Oregon Football’s Twitter

Oregon manages to do it again, and create a killer jersey. The contrast between all of the colors is insane and breathtaking in their Ohana alternate uniforms. The coolest part about this jersey is not how it looks but rather the details that have gone in to create it.

The creation of the jersey and uniform was to celebrate the pan-Polynesian culture and its elements. These elements include family, unity and a voyager spirit. The base color for the line is described to be “a nod to the volcanic rock that formed the pacific islands” in addition the bright green is used to “represent the resilient vegetation that grows among the volcanic rock”.

This was created by Orgeon's former wide receiver Daryle Hawkins who is now an apparel graphic designer and the Hawaiin label Sig Zane Designs. Their overall goal was to create jerseys that represented the bond of the football team and this one definitely hits the mark.

1. Boston College Eagles’ “Red Bandana” Jersey (2020)

via Boston College Football’s Twitter

This jersey is by far the most unique and has the best story behind it. As seen in the numbers on the jersey and gloves, it shows a print similar to a red bandana. It all was worn for Boston College’s Red Bandana game in 2020. This game is a tradition for the college every year, but the team typically wears stripes on their helmet, shoes or gloves. Instead of this, Under Armour decided to create a jersey for the team to wear.

But why the red bandana? 

The red bandana is used as a way to honor the memory of former Eagles player Welles Crowther who lost his life on 9/11 while saving 18 people from the south tower of the World Trade Center. Crowther was remembered as wearing a red bandana to help him breathe in the smoke during 9/11, which is why this yearly game is called “the red bandana game”.

The jerseys beautifully capture the story behind the traditional bandana game and why the game is played in the first place.