Custom "World Champions" Plaques

This weekend, I received an amazing email from reader Trevor Whitlock, who created a project you'll have to see to believe.

Long time reader of your blog and figured I'd share one of my homemade packer creations during this packers down time.

I've got a small section of my basement dedicated to Packers stuff. Among the pieces, i have plaques for the 1996 team, the 2010 team and a team of the 60s plaque. For years I've been hoping the packers or the NFL would honor/acknowledge the first 6 championships so all of them could be represented on my wall. Earlier this year, i stopped waiting and took it upon myself.

I searched the internet to find the highest resolution photo I could of each team, identified the players and created a design for two plaques (3 teams on each). I tried to be as historically accurate as possible (ex. reconstructing the graphic of the 1945 media guide cover for the second plaque). I then had the images printed on metallic paper and adhered them to some basic black plaques that I had re-purposed. The result, I feel, is a great tribute to those teams and really blends in with the style of the Healey plaques of the 90s.

Here's the photos he sent me:

Absolutely stunning. Here they are in context, hung with the commercially-available plaques honoring the 1960s teams:

Nailed it. The effect is perfect.

A real labor of love; you can see how much work he put into them.

This is an amazing project. I share Trevor's frustration with the NFL's ongoing pre-Super Bowl myopia, and admire his determination to make these himself. They are indeed a fitting tribute to those teams. Bravo, sir.

Auction Gold: 1960s "Put On" Sweater

I don't usually cover eBay auctions, but Uni Watch tipped me on to a beauty, ending this afternoon:

The auction description is skimpy and boring:

Totally sweet sweater for a Great Wall hanger in man cave. Perfect Xmas gift. Free from any smells or holes. Looks like it was hardly worn Zipper works says size 34 chest and size 18. The put on shop is in label.

The pictures, on the other hand, are great. Always love the single-bar gray facemask, and the sweater's oversized O-ring pull is fun.

This sweater was sold at Sears. Here's a vintage ad from the famed catalogue:

So here you go. Packers fans. Bid early, bid often. Your kid could look like one of the sporty young gentlemen in that photo. Kennedy haircut not included.

NFLPA: Merchandising Highlights from Q2

The NFL Players Association has released its retail numbers through the second number of their fiscal year, and there's some good news for a few Green Bay Packers.

Aaron Rodgers was #4 on the list of best-selling jerseys. Four other Packers make the Top50 : Jordy Nelson at #16, Clay Matthews at #19, and Eddie Lacey at #34.

They didn't release all the data, but here are some of their Packers-related highlights:

Highlights from Q2 (June 1 – August 31, 2015):

• Peyton Manning leads all sales in name and number-branded t-shirts, while Rodgers is the leader among women’s tees.
• Wilson, Peyton Manning, Rodgers, Watt and Brady are most popular among kids in hardlines and apparel, which includes licensees Bleacher Creatures, Outerstuff and Oyo Sportstoys.
• In women’s apparel, Wilson, Peyton Manning, Rodgers, Watt and Bryant reign supreme in the top five.
• Defensive players are climbing the hardlines list each quarter, including a record eight ranked among the current top 50 including Watt, Sherman, Clay Matthews, Troy Polamalu (retired), Malcolm Butler, Khalil Mack, Sean Lee and Luke Kuechly.
• Green Bay Packers fans love their player-identified caps from New Era as four Packers rank among the top 10 best sellers, including Rodgers, Jordy Nelson, Matthews and Eddie Lacy.

Whoa.

Check out this McDonald's commercial featuring Mike Ditka:



That's just... wrong.

Lifelong Yankee fan Jack Nicholson famously refused to wear a Red Sox cap while portraying a Boston gangster in The Departed. But now the man who has made a second career out of personifying The City of Big Shoulders has folded?

Okay, McDonald's. I believe Iron Mike would turn Packer Backer for fantasy football or whatever the stupid promotion is. But to already have a vest in his closet? That's straining the limits of our willing suspension of disbelief.

"A Forties Classic Is Back in Fashion"

Got this email this morning:

That gold shirt is part of the coaches' sideline gear - they're going to stand out, especially if it turns out to be a sunny day.

Nice to see them emphasizing the Curly Lambeau era, even if in the context of selling us stuff. Our "Forties Classic" never went out of fashion in the first place.

Pinkwashing Redux

It's October, so the NFL's reprehensible pinkwashing scam is back. Time for the league to pretend that it cares ever-so-much about breast cancer research in the hopes that you'll buy stuff and not look to hard at the actual numbers.

On the whole, the Packers' game against the 49ers was very good-looking. Two of the best-dressed teams in the NFL head-to-head in the bright California sunshine. And although everyone was wearing pink towels, overall the pinkwashing accessories didn't seem as ubiquitous as years past.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) runs during the NFL regular season game against the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 4, 2015 in Santa Clara, Calif. (Ric Tapia/NFL)

Look at all those Braisher stripes! That's what an NFL matchup ought to look like.

There were some players, still taking it to the limit, though.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Bruce Ellington (10) is tackled during the NFL regular season game against the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 4, 2015 in Santa Clara, Calif. (Ric Tapia/NFL)

It wasn't just the defense; running back Eddie Lacy also went for the pink-spats look.

Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy (27) runs during the NFL regular season game against the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 4, 2015 in Santa Clara, Calif. (Ric Tapia/NFL)

The stadium itself was decked out in pink, with banners bordering the field. You can make them out in the background of this photo:

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) throws during the NFL regular season game against the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 4, 2015 in Santa Clara, Calif. (Ric Tapia/NFL)

Even the security guards got into the act with pink shirts.

(Uni Watch)

There is one difference this year - the standard shield-over-ribbon logo on the back of every helmet has been altered to include this year's golden-themed NFL shield.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, left, celebrates with tight end Richard Rodgers after connecting for a 9-yard touchdown pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

You can just make out the helmet decal on the back of Richard Rodgers's helmet. This is particularly creative double-event branding, promoting the cause as well as the 50th Super Bowl coming up.

But, of course, it's not really about the pink decal on the back of every helmet. It's not about the pink towels or the pink spats or the pink logo emblazoned on the field. It's about the pink-tinged merchandise they want you to buy.

You may have noticed Aaron Rodgers's pink-and-gray cap, shown prominently on the sidelines or after the game as he shook Colin Kaepernick's hand.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) shakes hands with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) during the NFL regular season game on Oct. 4, 2015 in Santa Clara, Calif. (Ric Tapia/NFL)

That cap wasn't necessarily Aaron's choice; sideline caps, like the rest of the team uniform, are carefully laid out for the players in their lockers. For this game, the equipment managers placed a gray-and-pink Packers cap in every locker.

And once you've seen it worn by your heroes on the field, the NFL made sure that you could buy that very same cap online.

This is all part of what they call "A Crucial Catch", their program of pink-emblazoned merchandise.

There are currently six hundred and twenty-nine "Crucial Catch" products available for sale. The most expensive is a field goal wrap from last year's Eagles/Rams game. That'll set you back a cool $499.95. But hey, free shipping.


The least expensive is a Chicago Bears "A Crucial Catch" bumper sticker. Perfect for your silver Corvette.

It's a depressing and cynical attempt to monetize good intentions. Sadly, our Packers aren't immune.

Not that they're no longer even making a pretense towards fundraising; the product descriptions are all about "raising awareness". Check out the product category for the Packers Pro Shop's pinky products:

"Cancer awareness".

It's particularly scummy and exploitative, and I'm sad that the Packers continue to be a part of it.

What the Heck is This Supposed to Be?!

This just appeared on the Packers Pro Shop site.

Green Bay Packers Classic Pump Fake Top

Item Number: 5102-298-019

$84.95
New!

Description:
Heavy-weight ringspun jersey top is 100% cotton. Has rib trim at collar, self-fabric shoulder yoke, quilted elbow patches, and side vents. Vintage garment-washed with embroidered jersey appliqued logo and embroidered felt patch. Mitchell & Ness woven jock tag at lower left hem.

What the hell is that supposed to be? Forget about "Pump", because "Fake" is the perfect description for this Frankenstein's Monster of a jersey.

It's more or less the template for the Packers' 1937-49 jerseys. But they've slapped the new "GREEN BAY PACKERS" wordmark across the front where the numbers should be.

This is especially disappointing considering the source. The last time Mitchell and Ness manufactured throwback Packers jerseys, in the early 2000s, they did a marvelous job recreating the classic construction.

In particular, note how the gold yoke sits high on the front of the jersey, revealing the gold collar ring. That's the way it was back in the 1940s.

That detail is one of the things the NFL got right with the reproductions for their "Evolution" commercial back in 2012.

Unfortunately, the Packers' 1994 and 2015 throwbacks drop the ball, lowering the yoke to the very bottom of the collar.

If they got the yoke right on this new "Classic Pump Fake Top", we could at least adapt it into a serviceable throwback jersey by replacing the wordmark with numbers. As it stands, it's neither terribly attractive nor useful.

"Ice Bowl II"?

Hmm. The Cowboys are really hyping their upcoming trip to Lambeau Field. They've started selling "Ice Bowl II" shirts on their website.

Seems a little odd to me. I know this is the first time the Cowboys have played a postseason game in Green Bay since Bart Starr's sneak cost them a trip to Super Bowl II, but it seems a pretty big stretch. Sunday's weather is expected to be in the mid-20s. That's January-in-Wisconsin-chilly, but hardly the stuff of legend we saw back on December 31, 1967.

Looks like they're intending to exorcise the ghosts of their past.

This isn't the first time somebody's been tempted to draw such a link to the glorious past. I remember another game christened "Ice Bowl II"; the 1996 NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field on January 12, 1997.

That was the time the then-impossibly-new Carolina Panthers came to town, and the temperature never went above single digits, with sub-zero wind chills. Carolina jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, but the Packers went on to dominate the game 30-13, earning a trip to New Orleans and their first Super Bowl berth in 29 years.

That game in 1997 had the benefit of being another championship and having been played in frigid conditions. This upcoming game that the Cowboys are so eager to market is just an intermediate step in the playoffs.

A spate of merchandise was soon produced around that 1997 NFC title game, but as I recall it was all unlicensed.

More recently, you may also remember that last year's balmy playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers also invited comparisons to that fabled day in 1967:

While the CBS affiliate in San Francisco danced around the name, the New York Post came right out with it.

No merch for that one, which given the result was good for Packers fans.

So this is at least the third game to be billed as "Ice Bowl II" (Ice Bowl IV?). It may, however, be the first to have generated licensed merchandise.

The Cowboys are invoking a powerful name in their build-up to the game. I can't wait to see the Packers make them eat those words.

The Acme of Mistakes

This really shouldn't bother me as much as it does. But I can't help it.

This is the new "Acme Packers" logo for 2014. You may infer that it's an old logo from 1921; they're certainly trying to imply it. But it's all balderdash. This logo was created sometime over the past year, possibly by NFL Properties or a private design firm. I guess the previous design didn't sell.

It's better-designed than last year's version. The layout is good, not overly-detailed. But the "AP" monogram doesn't make much sense. Worse yet, it compounds the "1921" problem with the flatly-inaccurate "FOUNDED 1921" slogan. No, they weren't, no matter how much the NFL wants to pretend that they were.

Of course, they're ready to slap this mess across any manner of merchandise:

If you really like the logo, you can buy a massive 3 foot by 3 foot version to slap across your wall.

And heck, they'll even through in last year's inaccurate fauxback logo as part of the package.

A clear case of subtraction by addition. Not even a bonus "Holstein Heisman" logo can redeem it.

If the Shirt Fits...

Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who will be in this year's draft, has generated some waves with an Instagram photo.

No, not a photo taken at a party. Or some other indiscretion. Rather, Clinton-Dix posted a selfie of him wearing... a Green Bay Packers t-shirt.

The shirt itself is from last year's Nike collection. It's still available online in gold, but I'm not seeing it left anywhere in white. Does this mean he already had it, or was this just what they had at the local Foot Locker in Tuscaloosa?

The Packers are in need of help at safety. If he's making a push to be drafted, it wouldn't be a bad fit. Much like that t-shirt.