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Post by unc31 on Mar 3, 2015 9:23:07 GMT -6
I completely get why some collegiate (and even a few HS) programs feel the need to wear so many different helmets throughout the season. It is because they are trying to appeal to the "excitement" factor for their players and fans.
I just read an article on football scoop about a D1 program debuting their new Spring Practice helmets. I am just shaking my head over that.
First of all why do you even need decals on helmets for Spring ball and secondly, why is it a big deal to "announce" it?
I think it is a sad commentary on programs who think that they cannot motivate their kids to play without some new decal or paint scheme every week, and even sadder if they feel that they have to give fans a new "look" each week to get them in the stands.
Some programs these days are way more interested in the "Flash and Dash" than they are in playing fundamentally sound, winning football. I am no old fogie that thinks everyone should wear Penn State bland uniforms. I am just saying PLEASE have an identity.
Programs like Oregon get away with it because they win big. No one can question them. But some of the programs across the country who underachieve year after year but are proud of their uniform originality and variability just look plain foolish. ( I am not referring to the program in the article by the way, just in general).
Seriously folks, if it takes new decals every week to motivate kids to play then our sport is in dire straits. |
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Post by fantom on Mar 3, 2015 9:35:36 GMT -6
When I was a freshman I was excited about spring ball. When I was a junior, not so much. If there's any little thing that will get the players jazzed for spring practice, good.
This isn't about players, though. This is about recruits and boosters. If you're a HS coach that might not be a big consideration. If you're in a D.1 program it is.
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Post by blb on Mar 3, 2015 9:48:06 GMT -6
Reading the article it's not clear whether this is the "new" helmet design (school has new HC-staff) or simply for Spring football (unlikely).
My alma mater, a MAC school, has three different helmets they use for games.
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Post by 42falcon on Mar 3, 2015 10:45:41 GMT -6
I completely get why some collegiate (and even a few HS) programs feel the need to wear so many different helmets throughout the season. It is because they are trying to appeal to the "excitement" factor for their players and fans.
I just read an article on football scoop about a D1 program debuting their new Spring Practice helmets. I am just shaking my head over that.
First of all why do you even need decals on helmets for Spring ball and secondly, why is it a big deal to "announce" it?
I think it is a sad commentary on programs who think that they cannot motivate their kids to play without some new decal or paint scheme every week, and even sadder if they feel that they have to give fans a new "look" each week to get them in the stands.
Some programs these days are way more interested in the "Flash and Dash" than they are in playing fundamentally sound, winning football. I am no old fogie that thinks everyone should wear Penn State bland uniforms. I am just saying PLEASE have an identity.
Programs like Oregon get away with it because they win big. No one can question them. But some of the programs across the country who underachieve year after year but are proud of their uniform originality and variability just look plain foolish. ( I am not referring to the program in the article by the way, just in general).
Seriously folks, if it takes new decals every week to motivate kids to play then our sport is in dire straits. Oregon gets away with it because the designs and the look are "good" and fits with their identity. Some of the ones I have seen don't have anything to do with the school or the "image". It is change for the sake of change... One thing for sure is that programs in some cases that are doing this are doing this to shed an old image. If you are great and have a strong and proud tradition ie: Alabama you don't change your look, or chrome the helmet or tweak the logo. You are Bama end of story. The Pen State one is interesting amid all of the scandal and media the look stays the same, as if to say the program is bigger than the scandal. Some of the other schools shedding the old for the new are trying to create a new image. Does this "get" kids with the recruiting piece. Sure it will to a degree. Is it a replacement for fundamentally sound football? No of course not. if you have a tradition of recruiting bad players and losing you try and change it. I am not saying go out and re-do everything but whatever you do own it and put your stamp on it. We are in the process of building a program (trying to anyway), we got rid of the old look and adopted a new look that has slowly evolved over time as our program has grown the look has. To the point where we are creating that identity. Are we piggybacking on some of the crap being done now in CFB? You bet we are, those schools pay big bucks for this stuff. As our AD I even went so far as to contact the same marketing group that worked with University of Oregon, it was 50K just for a visioning session (1 day...) let alone to develop a brand identity. We obviously did not go down that road but, when we see the helmets and the logo and uniforms. Sure there are schools who are grab bagging it and saying $hit quick chrome the helmets. But there are others that have a very dedicated and strategic approach to their marketing and branding. Is it sad we need to do that in this digital age? I think it is a by product of the digital age. Look at how much rich media is available on your devices, 10 years ago this site was cutting edge. Now we have guys embedding video, pictures into threads to explain ideas and generate new ones. This is small time (not a shot at the site but an example of what is happening). Kids are not different they have access to unlimited video's and ads and promotional stuff. It is easy to make these things look at cqmiller and his posters. Kids eat that up but that is not a bad thing it is generating interest. How many threads do you see on here each day that revolve around: -how do I keep kids interested in my program year round? Reality is 1 team brings home a championship each year and if you are relying on that to be the only way to do generate interest it's gonna be a long road. Once you have tradition and established culture you can get away with less of the razzle dazzle. |
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Post by silkyice on Mar 3, 2015 10:48:04 GMT -6
Oregon doesn't actually bother me with all their flash and new stuff. That is who they are. That is their identity.
All the other teams bug the heck out of me doing that stuff.
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Post by mariner42 on Mar 3, 2015 12:13:53 GMT -6
Oregon doesn't actually bother me with all their flash and new stuff. That is who they are. That is their identity. All the other teams bug the heck out of me doing that stuff. I never realized it, but I totally agree. Oregon's whackadoo outfits and whatnot are tolerable because they were the originals. Everyone else playing catch-up is pretty lame-o. |
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Post by veerman on Mar 3, 2015 12:48:42 GMT -6
Helps to have Nike wanting to help you out lol.
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Post by fantom on Mar 3, 2015 13:27:32 GMT -6
Helps to have Nike wanting to help you out lol. Was there something in the article that I missed? This was about Oregon State. Nike is Oregon. |
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Post by silkyice on Mar 3, 2015 13:44:58 GMT -6
Helps to have Nike wanting to help you out lol. Was there something in the article that I missed? This was about Oregon State. Nike is Oregon. The OP brought up Oregon. |
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Post by Coach.A on Mar 3, 2015 16:18:40 GMT -6
In the Ontario, Canada university league they just passed a preliminary motion that would restrict teams to 3 game day uniforms and 2 game day helmets. This was in response to a millionaire coach at one of the universities who is buying his team multiple new helmets and uniforms. This new 'rule' is stirring up quite a bit of debate and controversy at the moment.
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Post by Chris Clement on Mar 3, 2015 17:13:59 GMT -6
*billionaire
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Post by rsmith627 on Mar 3, 2015 18:10:49 GMT -6
You guys don't have like 5 different helmets for your kids? How do you compete with surrounding schools?
I'm being sarcastic here, but we do have a school about a mile away that gets some of our kids that has something like 35 possible uniform combinations and 4 different helmets.
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Post by racehorse on Mar 4, 2015 18:29:40 GMT -6
We have 1 Home and 1 Away uniform and 1 Helmet. Is that why we lose games? Dang! I've had it wrong all these years.
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Post by rsmith627 on Mar 4, 2015 18:47:03 GMT -6
We have 1 Home and 1 Away uniform and 1 Helmet. Is that why we lose games? Dang! I've had it wrong all these years. No, it's because your community members run your program LOL |
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Post by racehorse on Mar 5, 2015 5:08:45 GMT -6
We have 1 Home and 1 Away uniform and 1 Helmet. Is that why we lose games? Dang! I've had it wrong all these years. No, it's because your community members run your program LOL Touche! |
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