Uniformz: Michigan Elects NOT to Wear Basketball Sleeves for Tournament

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February 27th, 2013 at 10:59 AM
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MillerTime
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Joined: 06/30/2008
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Uniformz: Michigan Elects NOT to Wear Basketball Sleeves for Tournament

Via twitter, @, who hosts a University of Kentucky sports television show, reported earlier this morning that adidas schools will be wearing basketball uniforms with sleeves for the NCAA tournament.  He followed up that report with the caveat that Michigan (and early-season foe NC State) will NOT wear these jerseys.  The full release is from Sports Business Journal Daily article which is, unfortunately, behind a paywall. 

Link here for the financially-inclined: https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Morning-Buzz/2013/02/27/adidas.aspx

This could have been a disaster.  Is it possible that the AD is getting the message that the fan base isn't too stoked about the Uniformz trend? Tweets pasted below:

NCAA teams sponsored by adidas will wear short-sleeve uniforms in the NCAA Tournament.

According to , Michigan and NC State will not wear them. IU says they haven't heard and Louisville says they don't know specifics.

"The Strength of the Wolf is the Pack, and the Strength of the Pack is the Wolf."

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February 27th, 2013 at 11:03 AM | Don't worry, (Score:-1 Overrated)
February 27th, 2013 at 12:43 PM | I only downvoted the OP because of the DB reference... (Score:5 Normal)
Mr. Yost
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Joined: 07/25/2011
MGoPoints: 5706

...you guys REALLY have to stop thinking that Dave Brandon is the one who decides this stuff.

Trust me, I'm going on 9 full years in athletics administration. 5 of that at the BCS level. Dave Brandon is fundraising...he's not sitting in some box Gladiator style giving a thumbs up/thumbs down to jerseys.

I GUARANTEE we've worn jerseys in MULTIPLE sports that Brandon doesn't like. Guarantee it.

This has a lot more to do with the TEAM than anything else.

If Coach B, the captians and the team wanted to wear these...we'd be wearing them. Period.

My guess is that we have shooters who don't want anything on their shoulders. We don't even have guys who wear the tight under armour/pro combat like undershirts like many other teams do. When I played, I HATED sleeves. It was just distracting to me.

This is absolutely something the coaches and Director of Basketball Ops discussed and decided they didn't want to do.

Even if Brandon wanted them, he's not going to MAKE any team wear something they're uncomfortable with. Football, Basketball, or any sport. He may press one way or another, but ultimately it's a team decision.

Dave Brandon is 100% more likely to say "ABSOLUTELY NOT!" to a jersey than "YOU MUST DO THIS" to a jersey. And the only time I can see him saying no is if he thought it hurt our brand. Like if we rolled out in metallic gold helmets with a blue block M in the middle.

“True loyalty is that quality of service that grows under adversity and expands in defeat. Any street urchin can shout applause in victory, but it takes character to stand fast in defeat. One is noise — the other, loyalty.”

February 27th, 2013 at 3:45 PM | This is an interesting and (Score:0 Normal)
February 27th, 2013 at 4:55 PM | Exactly. Brandon can always (Score:1 Normal)
maineandblue
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Joined: 06/30/2008
MGoPoints: 1254

Exactly. Brandon can always say, "no, we're not messing with our Jerseys" and I'm sure the players would be just fine with that. I bet some of the Alabama or USC or Penn State players would dig clowniformz if given the choice, but I bet it's their ADs who send the message to Nike that they're not gonna mess with a great thing, so don't waste your time designing crap for us. 

February 27th, 2013 at 5:08 PM | Is it the AD or the head (Score:2)
snarling wolverine
Joined: 12/14/2011
MGoPoints: 4843

Is it the AD or the head coach who makes that decision?  Brandon seems to be a softer target here so people go after him, but it could be that Hoke (gasp) is okay with the alternate uniforms, and so it goes.  I think it's likely that he - like most coaches nowadays - probably doesn't lose a lot of sleep over what uniforms his team wears.

The few schools that don't wear alternate uniforms (or at least not often) are generally those who either currently have, or recently had, control-freak head coaches, like Bob Knight, Joe Paterno and Nick Saban, who wouldn't tolerate change.  Their ADs probably were afraid to go against their wishes.

 

 

 

February 27th, 2013 at 6:31 PM | I'm not sure who makes those (Score:2 Normal)
maineandblue
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I'm not sure who makes those decisions at UM or elewehere, but I am pretty sure that both the AD and Hoke could have veto power over clowniformz. My educated guess based on limited character judgment is that Hoke doesn't mind either way (he's probably fine with whatever the players want or whatever Brandon wants) and Brandon might lean towards them because of the revenue (and what he's said about a mascot, etc.). Similarly, I bet Brandon could easily say "enough of this Special K crap, let's bring the focus back to the band" if he was so inclined.  

It's not like he picks every song or jersey, but it certainly seems like he gives the green light to his marketing/pr/branding people (who he played a role in selecting) to do whatever they want within certain limits. This whole kerfuffle is about the differences in where Brandon vs. each of us fans draws that line re: encroaching on our tradition vs. making profit. 

February 27th, 2013 at 6:01 PM | I'm not a big fan of all the (Score:3 Normal)
GoBlueInNYC
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Joined: 03/23/2010
MGoPoints: 5926

I'm not a big fan of all the uniform changes, but a lot people seem to be operating under the assumption that someone is forcing someone else to wear them. Either Brandon is forcing the teams to wear uniforms they don't want or Adidas is forcing Brandon to use uniforms he doesn't like. Maybe no one is forcing anyone to do anything. Maybe Adidas presented the athletic department with a new uniform and it was actually well received. Just because you (and most of the posters here) don't like all the uniforms, doesn't mean there's some coersion going on behind the scenes.

Like I said, I don't really care for them either. But I don't think there's some heavy hand forcing all this stuff on people who don't want it. And certainly Michigan is not in some contractual obligation that they can't get out of.

EDIT: And just for good measure, because it bears repeating: Stop acting like Adidas is alone is designing dumb alternative uniforms. Nike has put out more than their share of stupid looking special retro-tech unis.

I am this close to going all Dark Blue in here.

February 27th, 2013 at 11:05 AM | Apparently Adidas unveiled (Score:3 Normal)
Wisconsin Wolverine
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Apparently Adidas unveiled short sleeved jerseys for the Golden State Warriors earlier this month.  This is what they look like:

... kind of like a soccer uniform?

February 27th, 2013 at 11:09 AM | Nasty (Score:1)
boliver46
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MGoPoints: 232

Those are appalling uniformz.

February 27th, 2013 at 12:22 PM | Sleeves not the jerseys.... (Score:4 Normal)
akearney50
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Joined: 09/26/2008
MGoPoints: 147

It is not the jerseys that are appalling, it is the sleeves.  Without the sleeves those jerseys would be fine.

I'm hungry.  Time to eat.

February 27th, 2013 at 11:11 AM | They look like (Score:1 Flamebait)
lbpeley
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Joined: 01/29/2009
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>shudder< effing soccer jerseys. Nasty. Fuckin Adidas!

February 27th, 2013 at 12:00 PM | Why do people keep blaming (Score:5 Normal)
GoBlueInNYC
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Why do people keep blaming Adidas, specifically? Nike has been pumping out ugly, dumb, alt-uniforms just as readily.

I am this close to going all Dark Blue in here.

February 27th, 2013 at 12:03 PM | Only in the sense that every (Score:4 Normal)
swan flu
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Only in the sense that every short sleeve shirt ever created looks like a soccer jersey...

Tenim un nom el sap tothom. Barca, Barca, BAAARCA!

February 27th, 2013 at 12:04 PM | Here's a shot of them in (Score:3 Normal)
GoBlueInNYC
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Here's a shot of them in action. Short sleeve basketball uniforms look so weird. It's like the team forgot to take their warm-ups off when the game started.

I am this close to going all Dark Blue in here.

February 27th, 2013 at 12:11 PM | This just has the look and (Score:3 Insightful)
MaizeAndBlueWahoo
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This just has the look and feel of the White Sox and their shorts experiment.  Like we'll look back in 20 years and go "oh Lord what were they thinking."  I hope to hell I'm right.

"We've beaten Michigan the last four years.  So where's the threat?"

- Mark Dantonio

Blogging the Virginia Cavaliers at http://fromoldvirginia.blogspot.com/<

February 27th, 2013 at 12:12 PM | wow... adidas managed to make (Score:2)
LandonC
Joined: 07/24/2008
MGoPoints: 2008

wow... adidas managed to make the jerseys look worse by pairing them with those shorts.  

February 27th, 2013 at 4:21 PM | On TV (Score:1)
DY
Joined: 07/01/2008
MGoPoints: 152

The color difference between the jerseys and the shorts was really apparent. It looked dumb. I'd be surprised if the Warriors wore those jerseys on a regular basis.

February 27th, 2013 at 1:38 PM | The guy in the lower right-hand corner thinks he's all cool (Score:5 Normal)
Muttley
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wearing that authentic Spurs uniform in a pickup game.

February 27th, 2013 at 12:06 PM | He looks like he just won a Tour de France stage (Score:3 Normal)
Sopwith
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Either that, or they bodypainted that thing on him.

"You know, for a bartender/bookie, you're pretty judgmental."

February 27th, 2013 at 12:15 PM | Is there any chance that this (Score:3 Normal)
74polSKA
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Is there any chance that this is a PR move by the NBA through Adidas to cover up some of the ink that has permeated the league?  I know it isn't a new concern, but the league seems overly obsessed with their "thug" image and I would bet they view tattoos as part of that image.  I do not share this feeling and have a tattoo myself.  Just wondering if there could be some reasoning behind these hideous jerseys.

Edit:  Please understand I do not agree with this if it is the reasoning, I'm just making an observation.

February 27th, 2013 at 4:33 PM | /tin-foil hat time I honestly (Score:4 Normal)
buckeyejonross
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MGoPoints: 2110

/tin-foil hat time

I honestly think there is a reason but it has nothing to do with tattoos. The NBA has been heavily considering adding advertisements to jerseys, in my view this is just a way for the NBA to add extra ad-space to uniforms. Adidas has the NBA contract. The NBA says "Hey Adidas, start brainstorming ways to incorporate ads onto jerseys." Adidas adds sleeves. In reality, NBA/basketball jerseys offer little surface area for ads, but the addition of sleeves provides some nice ad patch real-estate.

/end tin-foil hat time

"So put 2 on, put 10 on, WHAT DO YOU CARE IT'S NOT LIKE YOU'RE PAYIN' FOR 'EM!!!!?"
-Doug Heffernan, in regards to Arthur and his stamp needs

February 27th, 2013 at 4:47 PM | Self censorship, ahoy! (Score:4 Normal)
GoBlueInNYC
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I have rethought my post and removed it. Instead, please enough this gif that I found when googling the phrase "cat basketball."

I am this close to going all Dark Blue in here.

February 27th, 2013 at 12:59 PM | I am a fan of most uniformz, (Score:3 Insightful)
raiderblue
Joined: 01/23/2011
MGoPoints: 584

I am a fan of most uniformz, but those Warriors uniformz were atrocious. It wasn't just the jerseys, it was the terrible pin stripe shorts in a different shade of yellow that went with them too.

February 27th, 2013 at 11:06 AM | How much say do the players (Score:1)
M.Go.FL
Joined: 11/07/2012
MGoPoints: 72

How much say do the players get over these Uniformz (compared to AD's say)?

February 27th, 2013 at 12:04 PM | If the change is purely (Score:3 Normal)
wolverinestuckinEL
Joined: 09/21/2010
MGoPoints: 184

If the change is purely cosmetic I would say the players have little to no input; but in this case where the jersey itself fits differently I bet if the players tried them and said they didn't like it, that would carry a lot of weight.

February 27th, 2013 at 12:08 PM | Different sport, but weren't (Score:3 Normal)
GoBlueInNYC
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Different sport, but weren't there some football games in which some players were wearing different (i.e., old version) jerseys because the special alt ones were somehow functionally worse? Like they were too stretchy and/or ripping too readily or something. I seem to remember players coming out after the half in different jerseys.

I am this close to going all Dark Blue in here.

February 27th, 2013 at 1:24 PM | I thought the o line changed (Score:2)
wolverinestuckinEL
Joined: 09/21/2010
MGoPoints: 184

I thought the o line changed their jerseys because they were getting held partly because of excess fabric below the arm pits. I don't know how those bball jerseys would feel to wear for 40 minutes. Maybe they feel the same as a regular tank top jersey, but probably not. But the style change isn't for improved function but purely cosmetic and man does that seem stupid as hell.

Why would any coach essentially say "I know this isn't what you are used to wearing but why don't we switch things up for our most important games of the year"

February 27th, 2013 at 11:09 AM | I liked it when some college (Score:1 Normal)
TexanGOBLUE
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I liked it when some college basketball players elected to wear shirts under their jerseys. I'm not too sure about mandatory jerseys built with sleeves already.

'Try growing up in Texas a Michigan WOLVERINE'. Follow me on Twitter: RudygoBLUE

February 27th, 2013 at 11:20 AM | Glen Rice did that quite (Score:3 Informative)
WolverineHistorian
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Glen Rice did that quite often.

Go Blue!  Always!

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February 27th, 2013 at 11:24 AM | But... (Score:5 Normal)
ypsituckyboy
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MGoPoints: 1467

look at how tired those sleeves made him. I bet that if he didn't have sleeves he wouldn't be sweating so much.

February 27th, 2013 at 12:13 PM | 30.7 ppg.  57% from the (Score:3 Normal)
CRISPed in the DIAG
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Joined: 11/08/2010
MGoPoints: 547

30.7 ppg.  57% from the floor.  Glen put in some work that spring.

February 27th, 2013 at 12:20 PM | He did what? Sleeves for (Score:5 Normal)
Soulfire21
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He did what? Sleeves for everyone in that case!

HAIL.

February 27th, 2013 at 11:47 AM | Sleeves under the jersey only (Score:2)
MaizeAndBlueWahoo
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MGoPoints: 11915

Sleeves under the jersey only look good, I think, if there's a border on the jersey.  (Which there seems to be less and less of these days.)  Otherwise it looks like....that.

"We've beaten Michigan the last four years.  So where's the threat?"

- Mark Dantonio

Blogging the Virginia Cavaliers at http://fromoldvirginia.blogspot.com/<

February 27th, 2013 at 11:25 AM | DB has opted for full sleeves (Score:5 Normal)
SAvoodoo
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DB has opted for full sleeves instead, more room for logos and advertisements

February 27th, 2013 at 11:27 AM | Adidas logic: let's impose a (Score:3 Normal)
State Street
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MGoPoints: 1163

Adidas logic: let's impose a totally new uniform style that none of these kids are used to for the most important games of their lives.

 

February 27th, 2013 at 11:43 AM | Adidas logic: Let's make new (Score:3 Normal)
GOLBOGM
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MGoPoints: 446

Adidas logic:

Let's make new uniforms for fans to buy.  If fans don't like them they aren't any less to buy a uniform entirely- so they still will buy our old uniforms.  If fans like them they may also buy a whole new uniform

I doubt Adidas cares too much about players performance or comfort in the jerseys- unless it becomes a big pushback that would push schools away from Adidas.  Even if they are universaly panned and players say they suck- it won't hurt Adidas financially unless school drop them.

Uniforms are going to keep changing because it makes money- and no one turns down money.  KU-MIZZOU split for money, A&M and Texas, MD and Duke, etc.... If there's money in it- it will happen- no matter the tradition, fan reaction, or anything else.

I don't like the uniforms fwiw- but I also don't feel inclined to vomit or feel any repulsion to them.  I'd like our retros all the time..

February 27th, 2013 at 11:27 AM | Two words (Score:5 Funny)
oriental andrew
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Joined: 06/30/2008
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Tube Tops

 

For my privacy, my new username is "non-Oriental non-Andrew"
 

February 27th, 2013 at 12:45 PM | Shit... (Score:1)
French West Indian
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Joined: 12/28/2011
MGoPoints: 958

...at this point, I'm ready to just let the kids show up in whatever they want and then let the teams go shirt vs. skins

This uniform business is just getting really fucking ridiculous.  It's literally the easiest part of the game and yet in the past couple years it has been relentlessly tinkered with & shit upon.

February 27th, 2013 at 11:33 AM | Unfortunately, this is much (Score:2 Normal)
andrewG
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Joined: 10/20/2010
MGoPoints: 992

Unfortunately, this is much more likely a result a Beilein and the team giving a strong HELL NO to the idea than DB suddenly caring about fan opinion.

February 27th, 2013 at 11:34 AM | considering the way adidas pumps out the elbow pads, (Score:4 Normal)
TrppWlbrnID
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Joined: 10/29/2009
MGoPoints: 7973

knee pads, socks, wrist bands, its surprising that there would be any skin left showing

 

2013 resolution - make it onto the 2014 favorite MGoPosters post, not ironically
February 27th, 2013 at 11:35 AM | Hell, let's just go all the way (Score:3 Normal)
Don
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MGoPoints: 19380

Turtlenecks, with long, ruffled sleeves.


February 27th, 2013 at 11:49 AM | You mean ... (Score:5 Normal)
Wisconsin Wolverine
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Joined: 05/18/2011
MGoPoints: 1581

You mean ...

February 27th, 2013 at 12:38 PM | I think this pretty much has (Score:3 Normal)
kevbow7
Joined: 07/03/2009
MGoPoints: 8

I think this pretty much has to happen now, blouses and whatnot...ha!

February 27th, 2013 at 12:51 PM | The blouses look... (Score:1)
French West Indian
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Joined: 12/28/2011
MGoPoints: 958

...would be hot, especially if they add some Jackie Moon eyeliner makeup.

February 27th, 2013 at 3:34 PM | Horse in the trailer, nowhere (Score:1)
exmtroj
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Joined: 10/24/2008
MGoPoints: 2275

Horse in the trailer, nowhere to go

 

 

"All I've had today is, like, six gummy bears and some scotch"

February 27th, 2013 at 11:37 AM | Love how this turns into a (Score:3 Normal)
Wolverine Devotee
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Joined: 06/29/2009
MGoPoints: 5601

Love how this turns into a Dave Brandon bashing thread when it should be an adidas bashing thread. 

He didn't make the designs. He rejected them. 

February 27th, 2013 at 11:46 AM | Any time $, uniforms, or (Score:5 Normal)
GOLBOGM
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Joined: 11/20/2012
MGoPoints: 446

Any time $, uniforms, or tradition comes up he will ultimately be called out in a thread....

I get why some people dislike him- but it gets old... Especially when the sports programs he oversees are all on the upswing and financially incredibly well off (and for many cases he deserves tons of credit for the upswings due to hires and facility changes)...

February 27th, 2013 at 12:18 PM | I wish I could upvote this (Score:3 Normal)
Soulfire21
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MGoPoints: 3191

I wish I could upvote this eleventy-billion times.  So many people bitch about Dave Brandon and how he's doing "anything to make a buck".  No shit: you want elite teams?  You need elite facilities.  How do you get elite facilities?  Money.  It's amazing how many people view that as so appalling or negative, when in reality, our athletics are on a huge upswing. 

HAIL.

February 27th, 2013 at 12:25 PM | By that logic he could slap a (Score:5 Normal)
MaizeAndBlueWahoo
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Joined: 07/02/2008
MGoPoints: 11915

By that logic he could slap a 2-foot advertisement for Burger King on the football jerseys and a State Farm ad on the helmets and you'd be OK with it because it's making money for the necessary facilities?

If that sounds appalling, then please realize that everyone has a line they don't want crossed, and that once you've got an enormous pile of money, you don't need to wreck everything that fans like in order to look for more.

"We've beaten Michigan the last four years.  So where's the threat?"

- Mark Dantonio

Blogging the Virginia Cavaliers at http://fromoldvirginia.blogspot.com/<

February 27th, 2013 at 12:28 PM | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ (Score:2 Normal)
GoBlueInNYC
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man

I am this close to going all Dark Blue in here.

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