Nike Jersey fatigue

[The Servant]

If you think about 30 teams, 4x jerseys, on a 12 year contract thats 1400+ jerseys.

Who can keep up or even care? Who could tell a knock off from one season or the other? My head just spins. You buy one during a season and its irrelevant a few years later.

How can anything be special or unique in an ocean of junk?

TL:DR

A mosaic of Nikes Jersey released this past decade:



Bonus points: using child AND slave labor to add to profits

[JRoy]

Don’t buy one?

[Karate Diop]

It's made brand recognition harder for sure... Short term profits is the name of the game though.

[boomershadow]

Bring back white home jerseys and colored road jerseys

[Charlie Sollers]

Have you considered not buying a new jersey when it comes out?

[Jailblazers7]

Teams should get one alternate per year but they can repeat if they choose. For example, Miami should’ve stopped making new ones after the Miami Vice jerseys - no way to top those so why try.

[sp6r=underrated]

It's made brand recognition harder for sure... Short term profits is the name of the game though.

Nike and the NBA decided teams should change teams colors regularly for the reason you identified, short-term profits, rather than maintain the same basic color scheme for teams' jerseys with minor year-to-year alterations.

Jersey collectors are compulsive and feel the need to purchase any jersey their favorite player wears. By radically changing color schemes and branding they can induce these folks to buy new jerseys.

Most companies do not radically change their logos year-to-year. The norm for companies is something like MGM's Lion or the Chevy bowtie which changes rarely and slowly. Indeed the radical changing of color schemes in the NBA isn't that common in other sports leagues. Minor alterations to jerseys are common but the basic color scheme is fairly common.

The cost is that teams' brands are eroded which I suspect on the margins reduce long-term team identification. Team fans make up a relatively small percentage of the NBA fanbase in comparison to players fans. And on the margins changing team colors probably contributes.

But it does work to juice short-term profits. Look how excited some get here about the latest jerseys versions. I don't understand why anyone would care about a new jersey that will ditched shortly but a lot of people here really care probably because they buy them.

[kg01]

Which is the more insufferable money grab at this point, the nike 'need new(sic) jersey every year' thing or 2K with its 'gotta buy vc to have any fun with the game' thing?

Eta. Solution's the same for both atleast. Just don't buy.

[azcatz11]

Which is the more insufferable money grab at this point, the nike 'need new(sic) jersey every year' thing or 2K with its 'gotta buy vc to have any fun with the game' thing?

Eta. Solution's the same for both atleast. Just don't buy.

Maybe he is a compulsive buyer and can’t help himself from buying a new jersey every year

[magee]

Have you considered not buying a new jersey when it comes out?

It's not about one person not buying one. The issue is that they are making a ton of them, then getting rid of them in a year when they are no longer able to be sold.

It's a waste of resources and most of the materials won't break down ecologically in our lifetimes.

It's consumerism brought on by capitalism.

[The Servant]

Bring back white home jerseys and colored road jerseys

If they did this I think it would go a long way unless the home team traditionally had a solid color then let them do that.

[ryan in Maine]

Carhartt's turn. Home. Away. Alternate. Tactical. That's it.

[miamiheat319]

they need to at least just make some kind of system so teams aren't wearing random jerseys every single game. and you should easily be able to distinguish who is home and away. no more pistons wearing white and knicks wearing blue at msg

[floppymoose]

On the other hand, there are lots of choices. A lot of chances for you to like a particular design. My problem with the jerseys is the proliferation of ads. I collect various sports jerseys (to wear, not to “have”) and i find myself buying goalie jerseys (soccer) and pride jerseys, etc, simply to have less ads on them.

[dzumaal]

It was fun in the 90's when I was a kid (and in Northern Europe). We had like five choices max: Jordan, Rodman, Shaq and maybe couple other alternating.

Sometimes I think about picking up a jersey but the tons of options kinda water them all out

[kaansunman]

It was fun in the 90's when I was a kid (and in Northern Europe). We had like five choices max: Jordan, Rodman, Shaq and maybe couple other alternating.

Sometimes I think about picking up a jersey but the tons of options kinda water them all out

Fake red Jordan jerseys were everywhere, it was so rare to see original Champion NBA jerseys.

Not launching new jersyes and no ads on jerseys were the thing I used to love about NBA. It was a symbol of tradition. We are used to launch of at least 3 new jerseys in Europe with tons of ads. I hate to see that culture transfers to NBA as well.

And yes, home team should wear light and away team should wear dark, it's nonsense to toy with it.

[turnaroundJ]

seems like they brought back some good designs this time around. too little too late. no one gives a damn anymore. miami vice jerseys won't hit the same.

[thamadkant]

Used to be a Nike guy, but man, they are the worst virtue signallers out there. They push political agendas but are pro-child slavery and one of the biggest polluters via churning out hundreds if not thousands of cheap product lines yearly... most break down and needing replacement after just a year.
They're all bad really...

Buying good product that doesnt conform to trends and last 10+ years is the way to go. More expensive, but better value for usage length and much better for the environment.

[76ciology]

To help save the environment, I suggest they play without jerseys, then TV broadcasts can overlay digital jersey graphics, like how the NBA displays those virtual trophies during the Finals.

If that works out, the next step.. no baksetball shorts

[ItsDanger]