Baylor's 'Sic 'Em' jerseys out
Updated: March 12, 2014, 5:22 PM ET
By Paul Lukas | ESPN.com
When adidas unveiled its new March Madness uniforms last week, the two designs that generated the most chatter were Baylor's home and road uniforms, which had "Sic 'Em Bears" on the chest.
Apparently those designs caught the NCAA's attention, too.
Baylor announced via Twitter on Wednesday afternoon that the team will not be permitted to wear the "Sic 'Em" jerseys:
Baylor Basketball @BaylorMBB
Baylor will not wear "Sic 'Em Bears" uniforms in postseason. NCAA ruled only team name or mascot can be on front.
A Baylor spokesperson said the team will wear its regular-season uniforms during the postseason. The school has six designs to choose from: white, gold, green, black, neon yellow, and neon yellow with sleeves. The uniforms will be chosen on a game-by-game basis, with white being worn for Wednesday's Big 12 conference tournament game against TCU.
While the move has already generated some amusement on social media (several people have asked if the NCAA could also ban the jerseys' sleeves and highlighter-yellow color scheme), it also feels like a significant line in the sand.
Many observers have complained in recent years that sportswear companies like adidas, and the leagues they do business with, have been using high-profile sporting events as little more than excuses to create and sell ever more outrageous uniform designs. The Baylor news shows that there are some lines the NCAA isn't willing to cross, at least for now.
The NCAA has a long history of fairly conservative rulings relating to basketball uniforms. As noted in ESPN's new "30 for 30" film, "Untucked," Marquette's untucked jerseys from the late 1970s eventually led to an NCAA rule requiring that all jerseys be tucked.
Updated: March 12, 2014, 5:22 PM ET
By Paul Lukas | ESPN.com
When adidas unveiled its new March Madness uniforms last week, the two designs that generated the most chatter were Baylor's home and road uniforms, which had "Sic 'Em Bears" on the chest.
Apparently those designs caught the NCAA's attention, too.
Baylor announced via Twitter on Wednesday afternoon that the team will not be permitted to wear the "Sic 'Em" jerseys:
Baylor Basketball @BaylorMBB
Baylor will not wear "Sic 'Em Bears" uniforms in postseason. NCAA ruled only team name or mascot can be on front.
A Baylor spokesperson said the team will wear its regular-season uniforms during the postseason. The school has six designs to choose from: white, gold, green, black, neon yellow, and neon yellow with sleeves. The uniforms will be chosen on a game-by-game basis, with white being worn for Wednesday's Big 12 conference tournament game against TCU.
While the move has already generated some amusement on social media (several people have asked if the NCAA could also ban the jerseys' sleeves and highlighter-yellow color scheme), it also feels like a significant line in the sand.
Many observers have complained in recent years that sportswear companies like adidas, and the leagues they do business with, have been using high-profile sporting events as little more than excuses to create and sell ever more outrageous uniform designs. The Baylor news shows that there are some lines the NCAA isn't willing to cross, at least for now.
The NCAA has a long history of fairly conservative rulings relating to basketball uniforms. As noted in ESPN's new "30 for 30" film, "Untucked," Marquette's untucked jerseys from the late 1970s eventually led to an NCAA rule requiring that all jerseys be tucked.
