Top Five: the sports fan’s wardrobe

Stylin’ and profilin’ with the finest sports jerseys/Haley Klassen

Sick unis, bro.

Author: john loeppky – contributor

In honour of all of the superstar wannabes who are currently dragging their personalized sports gear out of their closets, here is a semi-definitive list of the best sports jerseys around:

5. Most all-black combinations

First of all, they look intimidating. Even the LA Lakers, with self-proclaimed future MVP Nick Young as their primary scorer, made themselves look impressive last season with their black on black attire. Seeing a college football team like Georgia or Stanford take the field is a welcome sight and, thankfully, these editions are usually kept under wraps until big games; a refreshing alternative to the god-awful alternate jerseys that many teams employ regularly. Yes, they are cash grabs by each franchise, but at least they are attractive cash grabs.

4. Every Chicago Franchise not named the Fire or the Sky

One word: classic. Though not seen often come playoff time, the uniforms of the Cubs, White Sox, Bears, and Bulls are all worthy of praise. First, the Cubs, with their World Series drought ongoing, can at least still be proud of their attire. Their home jersey, a white number with pinstripes, fits well with the ivy-covered mystique of good ol’ Wrigley Field. The South Siders, the White Sox, come up to the plate with their own black and white clothing, and the Bears keep on soldiering on with the old tried and true. Lastly, the jersey that Michael Jordan helped popularize has undergone a few makeovers, but has kept the dominant red colour which has reigned supreme, save the few times a year that the team switches to a black alternate which is just as aesthetically pleasing.

3. Oregon Ducks

Somewhere there is an abstract painter that is taking inspiration from the eye-catching uniforms that Nike has designed for this Eugene, Oregon based squad. They are the Frankestein-ian concoctions of the uniform world and are likely to lead to the team having the most costume changes this season. The Ducks are the fashionistas of the college football world, but their showboating does not get them to the top of this entirely arbitrary list

2. San Diego Super Chargers

Since the days of Air Coryell, San Diego has been at the forefront of innovation (tortured as their fan base might be) and the same is true when it comes to what they dress in. The baby blue alternate uniforms displayed by the team routinely top NFL top ten lists and are so loved that many in the sports world wish they would just ditch their dark navy kits in favour of these beauties every Sunday. So far, no dice, but there’s always hope.

1. Army

Ok, maybe I’m a sucker for tradition, but when the United States Military Academy’s squad step foot on field of battle I can’t help but think that thought that is put into the uniforms is just as exemplary as the on-field product. For army, the names of the players are excluded. In their place are written the words: Duty. Honor. Country. This is a program that struggles to recruit — what, with the possibility of having to be shot at after graduation — and yet they still manage to produce wins, all while wearing sick unis.

With the most honourable of mentions: the Cleveland Browns! Just kidding.