What is the "uniform surprise"?

[ACamp1900]

More I see of the helmet the less I like it... def my least fav SS uni all around but again who cares!? It's one game, of all the stupid things to get worked up over....

 

[NDinL.A.]

Yeah, I get it, you want to bet me money that these sell as well or better than last year's. No, I'm not making that bet. 1) Because I can't imagine that's publicly available information, 2) sales will hinge much more on the team's performance than whether people actually like the uniform or not, 3) I don't really care if people like them better than last year's because that doesn't change my own opinion, and 4) I didn't especially like last year's either. I think they looked very good on the players over pads, but the ones available for sale weren't great with the all gold sleeves.

Your opinion is your opinion. Everyone has one, and I won't debate that, because our tastes are all different.

But you said that ND is abandoning its fan base and that merchandise sales will suffer because people will hate the uniforms. You went on and on about how people will hate them. Now all of sudden you don't care if people like them better bc it won't change your opinion lol.

If you had said #3 and #4 from the jump, I wouldn't have said a word. But you had quite a different over-the-top reaction than that when you first saw them, and that is what I was responding to.

 

[BobbyMac]

yep, hated these

Wow. I've never heard that said about that helmet before.

 

[woolybug25]

In today's game, not going the alt uni route degrades your brand as it's one less branding campaign you get to run. If you aren't keeping up with the Jones' you are falling behind them.

When you are "keeping up with the Jones'es" that means that they aren't trying to keep up with you.

Our gold helmet is a brand, once a year we poop on it.

 

[wizards8507]

In today's game, not going the alt uni route degrades your brand as it's one less branding campaign you get to run. If you aren't keeping up with the Jones' you are falling behind them.

That's not Wooly's point. There used to be something distinct about The University of Notre Dame brand. We never sought to keep up with the Joneses, we had no aspirations to be like the Joneses at all. We've gone from something distinct and unique to something that's just like everyone else, we just hope to be good at it. These fool uniforms are perfect for the brand of "generic college football team," but Notre Dame has never taken the path of "generic college football team" until recently.

 

[IrishLion]

Yeah, I get it, you want to bet me money that these sell as well or better than last year's. No, I'm not making that bet. 1) Because I can't imagine that's publicly available information, 2) sales will hinge much more on the team's performance than whether people actually like the uniform or not, 3) I don't really care if people like them better than last year's because that doesn't change my own opinion, and 4) I didn't especially like last year's either. I think they looked very good on the players over pads, but the ones available for sale weren't great with the all gold sleeves.

I took his "put your money where your mouth is" as consumer advice.

If you don't like these jerseys, then don't buy them. Buy them whenever you do like them. But plenty of people will buy this year's product, because plenty of people will like them.

 

[ACamp1900]

That's not Wooly's point. There used to be something distinct about The University of Notre Dame brand. We never sought to keep up with the Joneses, we had no aspirations to be like the Joneses at all, and then we started losing, a lot.

./

 

[wizards8507]

If you had said #3 and #4 from the jump, I wouldn't have said a word. But you had quite a different over-the-top reaction than that when you first saw them, and that is what I was responding to.

My over-the-top reaction is to the broader trend that is perpetuated by this ensemble. The "degradation of the brand" as Wooly said.

 

[pumpdog20]

First off, the players would have been excited with anything, because it's different.

Just my opinion, but major fail. The jerseys could have been nice, but for some reason the leprechaun on both sleeves makes it look Mighty Duck-ish. The same color pants makes me not like the jersey even more. And they got lazy on the helmets.

UA really isn't good at this alternative uniform scheme thing. But again just my opinion. My favorite alternative uniform was the one against Miami in Chicago.

 

[IrishLion]

Notre Dame is losing sight of the fact that their "base" is a bunch of 25 to 65 upper-middle-class CPAs and attorneys.

I'd bet that "base" makes up <1% of ND fans.

I disagree. I think our base is definitely somewhere in the 25-65 middle-upper class male. Who else would it be?

The age range is right; the "upper-middle-class CPA's and attorneys" is where I think Buster took issue.

Plus, being an upper-middle-class CPA/attorney should probably have no bearing on whether or not you like the jerseys lol.

 

[Cackalacky]

You know damn well that if we matted the gold paint on our helmets, you'd be in here bitching about how they look like FSU's or BC's.

 

[Cackalacky]

Very decent, but they would've been HOT FIRE with a darker shade of green.

Agree. I understand they were trying to go with the whole Green Monster Theme. I can't tell if they were trying to match the color but it seems it should be darker than Kelly Green. It would be much better with a darker green for sure.

 

[IrishLion]

 

[IrishLion]

I think they're growing on me. Still don't like the facemask, but the rest looks good enough.

 

[ulukinatme]

I don't dislike 'em, but honestly if the players like them and the recruits like them, they're okay by me.
I probably would have liked it more if the leprechaun was on the jersey and not the helmet, but it's not that big of a deal to me.
I probably like it more than last year's.

 

[wizards8507]

Plus, being an upper-middle-class CPA/attorney should probably have no bearing on whether or not you like the jerseys lol.

The profession had nothing to do with it, I was just making the rhetorical point that we're not talking about a bunch of teenagers from Inglewood and Shreveport. It's the "blue hairs" argument. On the demographic spectrum that ranges from blue hairs to five-star recruit, Notre Dame's decisions have skewed drastically towards the latter, while the bulk of the fan/alumni base is somewhere in between.

 

[GoldenDomer]

 

[Cackalacky]

I like them better than some other years. My favorite is still the 2013.

 

[ACamp1900]

The ones who matter sure seem to hate them (second post down)..

https://www.facebook.com/NDFootball?fref=nf

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

I think they'll look good if we are winning and they'll leave a sour taste in our mouths if we lose.

Just win and most of this stuff falls by the wayside.

FWIW, I like the jerseys. Once again, I really wish we kept our traditional helmet. Two-toned face mask looks f*&*ing ridiculous. It's like a crayon drawing.

 

[Wild Bill]

Our gold helmet is a brand, once a year we poop on it.

Agreed. I don't mind the alt jersey. It's fun for the players, etc. Just leave the damn helmet alone.

 

[BeauBenken]

Agree. I understand they were trying to go with the whole Green Monster Theme. I can't tell if they were trying to match the color but it seems it should be darker than Kelly Green. It would be much better with a darker green for sure.

I think it'll look darker on gameday. They probably couldn't make the green any darker for fear of masking the blue that runs through the jersey though.

Lion's last pic, I think the jerseys look fine. I don't care too much about this stuff though.

 

[BGIF]

They botched the shirt on the left. If you're going to phoneticize the Boston accent, you'd have to modify "after" as well as "park" and "dark".

Looks like somebody from L.A. made up the shirt.

 

[BobbyMac]

When you are "keeping up with the Jones'es" that means that they aren't trying to keep up with you.

Our gold helmet is a brand, once a year we poop on it.

That's not Wooly's point. There used to be something distinct about The University of Notre Dame brand. We never sought to keep up with the Joneses, we had no aspirations to be like the Joneses at all. We've gone from something distinct and unique to something that's just like everyone else, we just hope to be good at it. These fool uniforms are perfect for the brand of "generic college football team," but Notre Dame has never taken the path of "generic college football team" until recently.

I know Wolly's a banker and I'm not sure what you do at the Mothership Wiz but I've worked on brand development my entire professional career. ND Football is a brand, the helmet is an impressionable component of that brand. What ND is doing is essential in promoting their brand and keeping market share as measured by college football standards. ND football is the most iconic brand in college football but Phil Knight changed the rules and ND now must play by those rules.

 

[Huntr]

That's not Wooly's point. There used to be something distinct about The University of Notre Dame brand. We never sought to keep up with the Joneses, we had no aspirations to be like the Joneses at all. We've gone from something distinct and unique to something that's just like everyone else, we just hope to be good at it. These fool uniforms are perfect for the brand of "generic college football team," but Notre Dame has never taken the path of "generic college football team" until recently.

It's 1 uniform set per year.

Get a grip.

This shit is tedious. Every year. Some like it, some don't. Sharing those opinions is fine. Acting like the Notre Dame world is falling down around our shoulders over 1 uniform set per year is mind-numbing.

 

[SoIll]

they're alright. Like them, but don't love them. Much better then anything adidas did. Its 2015 fellas, some of you need to get out of the past. The players like them, that's all that matters.

 

[calvegas04]

2015 Shamrock Series Gear - Irishfanshop

 

[dublinirish]

interesting that ND is selling #9 jerseys. Lots of schools limiting their options to #1 #15 and maybe one other legacy number like Auburn with #34 for Bo

 

[wizards8507]

Acting like the Notre Dame world is falling down around our shoulders over 1 uniform set per year is mind-numbing.

It's not the uniform that's the problem. The uniform is a symptom.

 

[greyhammer90]

Ah that magical time of year when people bitch about uniforms for a longer period than any ND player will actually wear them.