Should the Vikes Change their Uniforms? Yes. Just Not in the way you may think
Joe Johnson
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Despite the fact that I still get carded for Mega Millions tickets periodically, I am 35 years old. That’s old enough to get “OK. Boomer” comments (from people who only have 15 minutes of internet time left that night) in the comments section of this site or it’s sister, VikingsTerritory.com (despite the fact that by all age/date ranges, I am very much a Millennial (and if I wasn’t, I’d be a Generation X-er, not a Baby Boomer born post-WWII. Sigh. The internet.))
I bring that up because I realize that this article might make me seem older than I am (or elicit the above referenced snarky comments below), as it’s a response to an article written on the TheVikingsAge.com, that in and of itself was based on a conversation had on the recently relaunched (former part of purpleTERRITORY Radio) podcast, Bleeding Purple.
That conversation was whether or not the Vikings should change their jerseys. My take on it might make me seem like a “Good Old Days” proponent, but in reality, it’s much, much deeper and more bitter than that. This also sounds like the calling card of an older gentleman who drinks bottom shelf vodka because of his alimony and child support payments.
The argument was that teams like the Atlanta Falcons have recently changed their jerseys and it’s been, gasp, seven whole years since the Vikings have made a uniform switch. In the defense of the piece, the author seemed to want the Vikings to perhaps make a few tweaks and not a complete overhaul of the aesthetic the Vikings have had since their god awful mid-to-late aughts designs.
I went out to buy two of those jerseys when they were announced and still have them, as I’ve never worn them. The white version is a snazzy Brad Johnson jersey whereas the purple one? Chester Taylor. What an amazing time to be a Vikings fan!
I mean, look at this monstrosity, or mainly, the thick monochrome stripe up on the shoulder pad a la Arena Football.
Then them in all of their mediocre glory:
Luckily, the Vikings made some great changes to their jerseys around seven years ago, and they included the purple pants that many fans (that are actually ‘Boomers) remember from back in the Purple People Eater days. Let’s take a look at how they stack up vs. the above-linked image of what was inside the Ark of the Covenant in Indiana Jones (wait, maybe I’m NOT 35):
Now, I really like the current aesthetic of the Vikings and am not even advocating for a change, however, for the sake of argument (because it’s the off-season), if the Vikings HAD to make a change they should go back to the style that they had in the 1990s.
Especially in terms of their helmets.
The matte version of their helmets currently just don’t shine the way that the one’s that Vikings greats like Cris Carter, Randy Moss, John Randle, and/or Robert Smith rocked at the Metrodome back during the good old days of my youth (or I guess, according to some of you, my 40’s?).
Sure, some of that had to do with the lighting in the Metrodump as well as our sub 100p resolution televisions, but I’ll take this:
Over this:
I mean, even going further back, look at how great their jerseys looked in the 1980’s
So, if they’re going to make a change it’d be cool to see them perhaps rock their older school jerseys as the alternative jersey (even though I’m a sucker for that purple on purple). Sure, the NFL does throwback games from time to time, but in this off-season scenario of having to make a change, I’d say that my vote goes for seeing the 2020 Vikings in their more simple, and much more badass jerseys and helmets from my youth.
I’ve never been a big fan of change when it comes to jerseys or helmets for sports teams. I hate when teams leave and become something else (the Las Vegas Raiders? Really? Speaking of Arena Football), and I hate when teams constantly change their aesthetic. Think about it, outside of some minor tweaks here and there, teams like the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers (especially) haven’t made many changes to their jerseys in our lifetime (outside of, as the Bears Wikipedia page says “slight color changes”).
That’s because teams that are successful don’t typically have to change the look of their uniforms. Or teams like the Bears find value in the history of their team, and they realize that that history is worth more than a once per decade(ish) complete aesthetic change for the sake of selling a few more jerseys.
I know that may sound odd, as the Vikings are one of the most successful REGULAR season teams in NFL history, but at least to this super old bastard, it always seems like teams that need to boost their jersey sales because they don’t have any superstars and their team hasn’t accomplished much in recent seasons.
That might explain why the only two jerseys available when I bought the “new look” Vikings jerseys in the ’00’s were Brad Johnson and Chester Taylor. Come to think of it, considering the number of openings that the Vikings currently have on defense and the offensive line… Perhaps a jersey change is in order? Although, all of those former Diggs fans will need a new jersey for 2020, so, that might be enough to stop the Vikings from considering this change for at least another year.
For fun, check out some of these rejected ideas so we can all maybe realize what could happen if we tinker.
Again, there’s a decent amount of other designs and looks that the team (rightfully) rejected. So, be careful what you wish for!
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