By Rob Carey
Team uniforms do a lot more than tell you who’s on your team and who’s on the other team. They also join team-mates together, promoting a sense that they are all a part of one unit. And in a team sport, that’s pretty true — every player has his role, and they need to be able to work together to win the game. A good uniform can lift everyone up and make them proud to be a team.
If you think a bad uniform can’t affect the possible outcomes of a game, think again. A well-designed jersey is more important than you might initially think. For example, an unappealing jersey could negatively affect players’ confidence or mood, which could affect their performance on the field, which could then affect your betting odds. After all, it is a popular belief that the Denver Broncos lost three Super Bowls because of some horrible orange jerseys.
Plus, fans don’t want to buy unappealing jerseys, either. And in the business of football, you want to be able to sell as much merchandise as possible. The jerseys that last — the ones that fans wear over and over — are the well-designed, iconic ones. Not the “bumblebee” ones (c’mon, Steelers, you can do better than that).
So what are some of the best jerseys in the history of the NFL? We’ll take a look at some of the most beloved ones below.
Green Bay Packers home
The Packers’ home uniform hasn’t changed much over the last several decades. It’s safe to say that they know not to mess with a good thing.
Their uniform is bright and powerful looking, with a green jersey, yellow pants, and green socks.
The numbers are white, there’s a green and white stripe up the pants, and the helmets are yellow with one green and white stripe down the center, from front to back.
The logo is also simple and classic — it’s not too fussy, just a simple white ‘G’ with a green outline.
The whole look gives off the sort of nostalgic retro vibes that we tend to crave, so it’s no wonder it’s lasted this long.
Dallas Cowboys 1980s away
This will be a controversial one, I feel!
The Cowboys are rare in that they favour wearing white at home, with the knock-on effect that the blue duds have come to be seen as unlucky.
In fact, that reputation has become so strong that mischievous opponents sometimes opt to wear white against them so that they have give the blues an airing.
In sheer visual terms though, this is a beaut. While the 1990s uniform, with the star on the sleeve, is also an iconic look, when it comes down to it, the 80s jersey just edges it terms of the classic luck.
Miami Dolphins teal throwback
There’s no doubt that the Dolphin’s teal throwback look is one of the most iconic and pleasing looks in the history of the league.
It achieves a nice balance of teal, white, and orange, and it doesn’t overdo any of the colors (unlike some of their more modern looks like full teal).
The uniform features a teal jersey with orange and white stripes on the sleeves and white numbers outlined in orange. The pants are white with an orange and teal stripe, and the socks are teal with orange and white stripes.
So, what makes this color combination so perfect? Even though it’s teal, teal is a shade of blue-green, and blue is a complementary color to orange.
By colour law, this makes it both more appealing and eye-catching.
New England Patriots red throwback
This look is, by far, the most beloved Patriots jersey of all-time.
It was dominantly used throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s before the Patriots switched to royal blue and then navy primary jerseys.
This look features a red jersey with white numbers and a vertical white and blue stripe on the shoulders. The pants are white with a blue and red stripe, and the socks are white but with a horizontal blue and red stripe. The helmet is white with a red and blue stripe in the center from the front to the back, with Pat Patriot coming in from the sides.
Since 2009, when the AFL/AFC celebrated its 50th anniversary, the Patriots have used this as a throwback. There are rumours — or maybe it’s just wishful thinking — that they might return to this classic look soon.
Pretty cliche. Could have read that list from a million people.
If you’re gonna include throwbacks, why not just go with the original versions, which looked better, had actual sleeves and socks, and weren’t covered in Nike logos?
I think Rob is younger and so is more familiar with the throwback versions. If Tom or Charles wish to submit their own lists, I’d be more than happy to illustrate those too!
I get it, only mentioned it since he did include a Cowboys uni from the 80s
No powder-blue chargers? Rubbish.
I’d agree with you Neil but obviously these things are always subjective. Happy to illustrate your top four if you wish!
correction – the Patriots used this set well after changing from ‘Boston’ to ‘New England’.