All That Glitters...

Well, at least you can't accuse the NFL of underselling itself.

For those of us who've been wondering how the league would celebrate the 50th Super Bowl next February, today we learned the answer is two-fold:

1. all season long; and
2. with gold. Lots and lots of gold.

First off, we have the Super Bowl logo itself. We've known since last June that the NFL will be temporarily departing from recent practice of silver logos (not to mention its half-century history of Roman numerals) to bring us this subtle logo:

What we're learning today is that the logo was only the beginning of a new Gold Rush.

The NFL will be using a black-and-gold version of its shield logo throughout 2015.

Not just a gold shield, but also all 3D-ified, with gradients and everything.

That's not all; the various event logos used by the NFL, including Thanksgiving, Kickoff, Draft and playoff logos will also be decked out in the new color scheme.

The Pro Bowl uniforms will be black, white and gold.

(Okay, that one's actually an improvement.)

If that wasn't enough for you, the draftees will be walking down a "gold carpet" at the Draft next month.

Starting in Week 7, all teams will be wearing sideline gear with logos trimmed in gold. Here's the Patriots' version:

Yeah, that's going to look good with the Packers' logo. Best we can hope for is that they replace the standard athletic gold outline with this metallic gold one, rather than doubling them up. And what's the significance of starting this in Week 7?

For the game itself, the NFL has decided that the plain boring old Lombardi Trophy just isn't enough to mark this momentous occasion. The winner of the game will get an additional trophy, this understated and subtle thing:

According to the league, the "5" and "0" are bronzed and plated in 18-carat gold. They each weigh 33 pounds.

And finally, the 50-yard numbers will be painted gold at every stadium for every game this year. Just in case you can forget for a moment.

I haven't seen this much gold since James Bond had to save Fort Knox from Pussy Galore.

The fetishization of the Super Bowl era continues apace.

I often wish they put as much effort into remembering the real Golden Age of the NFL, but that would be admitting the existence of a time before we counted our championships by Roman numerals. Still, a boy can dream.

Romans Go Home

The NFL has released the logo for Super Bowl 50, and that's what they're calling it.

So no "Super Bowl L" for us.

Of course, no logo release would be complete without a hefty dose of brandspeak, and the NFL is certainly not immune.

While continuing to feature the Vince Lombardi Trophy as the centerpiece of the Super Bowl logo, the use of “50” makes a bold statement about the Super Bowl and the historic 50th game. The gold “50” aligns with the preeminence of the Super Bowl, the silver trophy, and reflects the host region's historic Gold Rush in the broader setting of the Golden State.

That's known as the "National Version" of the logo; there's also a "Regional Version" incorporating not only the host stadium but several local landmarks:

The logo design builds on the permanent Super Bowl identity established in 2011 for Super Bowl XLV that positions the Lombardi Trophy with the host stadium. The Super Bowl 50 regional logo features the Lombardi Trophy in front of Levi's Stadium, the new home of the San Francisco 49ers. Reflected in the gold 50 are some of the iconic landmarks of the San Francisco Bay Area ghosted by the fog.

We are told that the Roman numerals will return for Super Bowl 51 — er, make that "Super Bowl LI" — in Houston. Until then, Romans go home!

Deck the Hall, Part II

On their way to winning another NFC North Division Championship yesterday, the Packers participated in the NFL's second week of commemorating fifty years of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

That meant another jersey patch, this time on the white roads.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) and linebacker Clay Matthews (52) talk while warming up before an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears in Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Seeing elite players like Matthews and Rodgers wearing the patch is one thing, but I can't help but wonder if other men on that field have mixed feelings about it, knowing that the vast majority of them will need a ticket to enter the Hall?

I'm sure it wasn't intentional, but there can't be many more appropriate events to commemorate the Hall of Fame than a game between these two clubs. As strong as the connection is between the Hall and the Packers, it might even be more so for the Bears. They currently have 27 players enshrined in Canton, more even than the Packers. For now.

Is it just me, or do the Bears save their throwbacks for when the Packers come to town? You can dress like the Monsters of the Midway, boys, but you'll have to work harder to play like them.

Cornerback Casey Hayward (29) of the Green Bay Packers intercepts a Jay Cutler pass during week 15 action between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL on Dec. 16, 2012 (Todd Rosenberg/NFL)

Games at Lambeau Field and Soldier Field, against the Bears and the Lions. Traditional rivals from football towns. Regardless of what the rest of the league did, this was a great way to honor the Hall of Fame.

Deck the Hall

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers waits to be introduced before an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

Last night, on Sunday Night Football, the Packers and Lions joined the NFL's league-wide commemoration of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 50th anniversary.

In the spirit of the occassion, Lambeau Field was festooned with Hall of Fame logos and there were pre-game festivities. In attendance was former great Willie Davis, representing the twenty-one players and coaches (second in number only to the Bears) who are enshrined in Canton.

On the field, both teams wore a Hall of Fame patch over their hearts:

Green Bay Packers' Randall Cobb leaps over Detroit Lions' Don Carey (32) as he runs back a kick during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

This made for some crowded real estate, especially amongst players like Ryan Grant who cut their jerseys down, impinging on the neck stripes:

Green Bay Packers' Ryan Grant runs during the second half of an NFL football game Sagainst the Detroit Lions unday, Dec. 9, 2012, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won 27-20. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

I can't help but wonder why the NFL waited until December to commemorate this anniversary, since induction ceremonies are held in August. The dedication and inaugural class enshrinement was held on September 7, 1963. Perhaps they thought that saving it for late in the season, separating it from the regular season-kickoff hoopla, would allow for greater focus.

I will admit that Lambeau Field in December lends itself to conditions entirely appropriate for remembering the game's glorious history:

Green Bay Packers' Randall Cobb reacts after catching a pass for a first down during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

A Banner Year to Come

Per Uni Watch, we now know that the Packers will be partaking in at least three league-wide uniform promotions this season.

First up is the NFL's annual Brest Cancer Awareness festival. Every week in October, as they have since 2009, players will wear pink accessories on the field. Stadiums will be draped in pink banners, and helmets will be festooned with NFL shield/pink-ribbon decals. For the Packers, that means October 7th in Indianapolis, October 14th in Houston, October 21st in St. Louis, and home on the 28th against Jacksonville. I expect pink gloves and shoes to continue to play a major role in this promotion, as they have been a particular point of focus since Nike took over the contract.

The next event will be the "Salute to Service", held in November. For Weeks 9, 10 & 11 (that's November 4th against the Cardinals and November 18th at Detroit; week 10 is the Packers' bye week), NFL stadiums will pay tribute to the troops. In addition to a fundraising initiative, we can expect goal post wrappers, end zone paint, players will be wearing a special NFL shield/digi-camo ribbon decal on the back of their helmets. The "Salute to Service" promotion was introduced last season, but didn't extend to the helmets. That changes in 2012.

Finally, the NFL will be marking the 50th Anniversary of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. During Weeks 14 and 15 (with the Packers hosting Detroit on December 9th and at the Bears on December 16th), teams will wear a commemorative Pro Football Hall of Fame patch. By this, I presume they mean on the left breast, the traditional spot for a jersey patch. The Packers have a special connection to the Hall of Fame; although not represented at the original formation of the League in 1920 at Ralph Hay's auto showroom, Curly Lambeau's men joined the League in its sophomore season and have been fixtures ever since. The Packers currently boast twenty-one players and coaches enshrined in Canton, more than anyone save the Bears, and that inaugural Class of 1963 included four men of Green Bay.

And there you have it. Of the thirteen remaining games on the Packers' 2012 schedule, nine of them are scheduled to involve uniform markers as part of one of these league-wide events.

You Still Don't Look a Day Over Eighty-Nine

Following up on my Packers 90th Birthday logo post, the Packers have started selling branded merchandise, including a patch.

The design reproduces pretty well in embroidery.

Still no word on whether the patch will make the uniforms, but now that they're selling them I'm leaning towards believing that it will.

You Don't Look a Day Over Eighty-Nine

Today, the Packers released a logo to commemorate the team's "90th Birthday" (hat tip: Ryan):

From the press release:

Team Turns 90 Aug. 11; Logo, Contests To Mark Occasion

As the story goes, George Calhoun had a chance meeting with Earl 'Curly' Lambeau on a Green Bay street corner in the summer of 1919 and the two discussed starting a football team. A few weeks later, on Aug. 11, the two called a group of young athletes together to organize a team...the gathering marked the beginning of the Green Bay Packers.

This summer will mark the 90th birthday of the Packers, and the organization will celebrate the occasion with a "90 Years" logo, an online trivia contest and other fan activities.

"As the team marks its 90th birthday on Aug. 11, we look forward to celebrating nine decades, 12 world championships and several generations of Packers fans," said Craig Benzel, Packers director of marketing and sales. "We have a number of ways for fans to participate throughout the season."

The online aspect of the birthday celebration will feature a special page on Packers.com that will greet fans and invite them to participate in a trivia contest with questions that will span the 90 years of the team's history.

This summer's Packers Family Night will help celebrate the occasion with a 90th birthday party theme. The night will feature a special fan giveaway item, birthday-related activities and on-field promotions that incorporate the birthday party theme. More details about Family Night, including the date of the event and ticket sales information, will be announced this month.

Among the other team areas that will feature the logo include game tickets, Curly's Pub and the Packers Hall of Fame. The Packers Pro Shop also will offer a number of items that feature the logo.

More highlights of the team's birthday celebration will be detailed in the coming months.

The article doesn't say, but if they're going to market merchandise with this logo I'm presuming that it will also see service as a jersey patch. We'll see.

There's some real good in this logo. I've long been an advocate of the Packers promoting (heck, acknowledging) 1919 as the date of founding. Few things bother me more than the stupid "Est. 1921" that they put on merchandise. The Packers have a long tradition that pre-dates the NFL; why pretend otherwise? So that does my heart good to see.

On the whole, the design is pretty good. Clean and easy to read, team logo prominent, no superfluous elements. It's not perfect - I'm not a fan of multiple outlines around anything, and three outlines around the numbers is way too much - but it's not bad at all.

Presuming that this will become a patch, it provides us with an excellent excuse to look at the way the Packers have honored other milestones on their uniforms.

The first milestone to make the uniform was the NFL's 50th Anniversary. For the 1969 season, all players wore a commemorative patch on their left shoulders:

A long uniform-patch drought would follow: the next anniversary to be so noted was the Packers' 75th Season, which was celebrated in 1993.

The 75th Anniversary logo was too complicated to embroider, so the jersey patch was a simplified version of the logo, minus the banner:

For the first time, the patch was worn on the left breast (television numbers had moved to the shoulders in the years since 1969, fleeing from the players' arms in advance of the retreating sleeves).

I really like this one. It's simple and elegant (although the Starter-jacket-ish speed lines above the diamond do speak to the era in which it was designed). Again, we wait for details on the 90th Birthday patch. But I'm guessing that the logo was designed to be simple enough to translate on a jersey and won't need another version.

The following season, in 1994, the entire league celebrated its 75th Anniversary. It was commemorated with a patch just slightly less elegant than that of the Packers' diamond anniversary:

This one was also placed on the left chest (click for larger):

I suppose it could have been an attempt to put them over a player's heart, like a soccer team's crest or police officer's badge. Or maybe it could just be the only couple square inches of real estate left on the uniforms.

The NFL 75 patch was also featured during the special League-wide throwback uniform promotion, on my own personal favorite Packer uniform:

Which means, of course, that the patch lives on with throwback jerseys you can buy today:

And after tribute patches in consecutive seasons, that would be it until the NFL added Super Bowl logo patches, beginning with Super Bowl XXXII in San Diego:

About which game I have nothing more to say.

The next commemorative patch would worn for the first two home games of 2003, marking the rededication of Lambeau Field following a three-year, $295-million renovation.

Four years later, in 2007, Lambeau Field celebrated another milestone: its 50th birthday. That inspired another logo:

and another jersey patch:

This time, the patch was only worn on the green home jerseys, not the road whites. When the Packers travelled to Dallas for their Week 13 matchup, the Cowboys elected to wear their own navy throwbacks, meaning the Packers would dress in their road whites (unlike most games in Texas Stadium, when the Cowboys' white home jerseys force visitors to wear their colored jerseys). Had the Packers worn green in that game, the Lambeau Field patches would have been removed and sewn back on for the next game in Green Bay.

We've already discussed the over-the-top Gene Upshaw memorial patch from last season. And that rounds up the list of commemorative patches on Packers uniforms.

If this "90th Birthday" is any indication, it looks like they're sticking with this new honoring scheme, years instead of seasons, which results in nice round numbers (1957-2007, 1919-2009).

Let's hope the Packers have something special planned for 2019.