The Portland Trail Blazers have long been known for the classy, clean look of their uniforms. The familiar red, black, and white color scheme goes with every occasion. The minimal diagonal lines have accented
changing fonts which, over the years, have become the only real moving parts in the presentation. Basically—with few exceptions—you can count on the Trail Blazers uniforms like Old Faithful or your favorite roadside truck stop.
Nobody has defended the color and design of those unis more than the people here at Blazer’s Edge. For the most part, our site has been populated with traditionalists when it comes to jersey design. A few wrinkles are OK, but the mantra here has been, “Don’t mess with the best uniforms in the league.”
But are they really?
I think once upon a time, that was true. When companies started messing around with alternate uniforms we got some wacky designs. Portland’s jerseys looked elegant by comparison. It’s like other teams were scrambling, trying to become what the Blazers already were.
But as modern design has grown into its mature form, other teams’ uniforms are starting to look interesting, artistic, even. Logos are scaled nicely. Colors fit together and look elegant. Over the last few years, Minnesota has taken the league by storm with their “Prince” jerseys and Miami has made statements with their colorful City Editions.
Honestly, it feels like the rest of the league has started to pass Portland by. It’s like visiting your favorite restaurant and realizing the decor hasn’t changed much since the 1970’s. It’s been new. It’s been classic. Now it’s just…underdone? Old?
If we were asked to name the best jerseys in the NBA now, I suspect Portland would end up in the middle, not at the top. They’re never going to be bad. At this point, they just exist.
Mind you, I’m not saying that change is good for its own sake. I don’t think altering the uniforms will be easy. I respected, and accepted, the experiment, but when the Blazers donned their alternate uniforms this year, I found myself thinking that blue belongs NOWHERE near a Portland color scheme. Working with a color palette that’s two-thirds white and black may be challenging. But there’s got to be a way to embody the classic principles of sleek, intimidating uniforms in a more modern way…or at least in a way that gets people thinking, “Damn, it’s Portland!” instead of, “Yeah, yeah, there are the Blazers again, same as always.”
What do you think? Have Portland’s uniforms gotten a bit staid and stale? Is it time for a real new look? Share your thoughts in the comments section below and let’s see how this traditionally-conservative (when it comes to uniforms) site feels.
