Straight Outta Lambeau Field

The new N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton opens today in 2,700 theaters across the country. To promote the film, Universal Pictures has introduced a viral marketing site called "Straight Outta Somewhere", in which people can upload photos and tag them with their own locations.

It's been a fantastic marketing campaign, shared by hundreds of thousands on social media and launching countless variations on a meme.

Now it's our turn:

Subtraction Through Addition: the Pro Football Hall of Fame Ring

After taking a closer look at the Hall of Fame jacket, today we have a graphic featuring the ring. The current design was introduced a couple years ago, the third since the Hall opened in 1963.

Looking at the evolution, I think I like each new design less than the previous one. There's a great 1960s vibe to the square-jawed silhouette. Pro football came into its own then, and that era continues to inform the sport's aesthetic. The Hall of Fame reflects that in its architecture, and it's only right that as a symbol of the institution the ring should as well.

The new shanks are good, and using the inductee's bust is a clever choice. But the top of the new ring is just a mess, "stadium effect" or no.

A Closer Look at That Gold Jacket

This weekend, former Packer GM Ron Wolf was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. This photo shows him being bestowed with the signature gold blazer:

Ron Wolf slips on his gold jacket with the help of his Hall of Fame presenter and son Eliot Wolf during the Gold Jacket Ceremony Thursday night in Canton, Ohio. (AP)

A few things jump out at me from this picture. First, Mr. Wolf the Younger is wearing his Super Bowl XLV ring, which looks to be the same as the player ring. He certainly has the right to wear it, as he was Assistant Director of Pro Personnel during the 2010 season, has since risen through the ranks, and earlier this year was promoted to Director of Player Personnel.

The other is the manufacturer's label inside the coat - Haggar Clothing Co.

Haggar has been around since the 1920s, and is today a leading manufacturer of men's pants and suits.

I never thought about the manufacturer before. Strange, after obsessing over jersey manufacturers for years.

To promote this year's festivities, the Hall released this graphic promoting the blazers as artifacts in their own right:

There's a lot of silly ad-speak in there, but also some fun details. including the Pro Football Hall of Fame logo on the buttons and the lining.

Note how they go to great pains to stress how each jacket is tied to the player; custom fitted, only the player is allowed to be photographed in it, etc. That means posthumous inductions require a different tribute. This year, with Junior Seau inducted just more than three years after his death, we see what that is.

Daughter of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Junior Seau, Sydney Seau, accepts a framed remembrance in place of her father's gold jacket during the Gold Jacket Ceremony in Canton, Ohio, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

The "framed remembrance" includes a Hall of Fame blazer patch, commemorative coin and pin, along with a photo of Seau in uniform. Nice enough, but seems somehow pedestrian.

I wonder if this relatively new level of promotion means that we'll be seeing "gold blazer" or something like it used as a synonym for the Hall of Fame or the inducted members themselves. The NFL remains as image-conscious as ever, and won't miss an opportunity to write the language.

Infographic: Ron Wolf's Hall of Fame Career

Today Packers.com posted this infographic review of Ron Wolf's career:

Couple of interesting nuggets in there. I hadn't realized that Wolf is only the third person to be inducted "with strictly GM (title)", and that before this year there was only one. I suppose that makes sense, since so many notable GMs were also coaches. They do seem to be reaching, though; the Hall of Fame's site doesn't use that title. Wolf is officially listed as "Contributor".

I'm also intrigued by the list of inductees by team; the Packers have 23 in Canton, second only to the Chicago Bears with 27. Given the relative composition of the two clubs, it seems likely that the Pack will overtake them this decade.

Infographic: 2015 Training Camp Guide

Looks like we're in for another season of fantastic infographics on Packers.com. This one details the upcoming Training Camp.

I love these; glad to see them brought back for another year.

Another Look at What Might Have Been

Courtesy of user thespungo on the sportslogos.net boards, this is a view of what Nike might have created for our Packers instead of just repeating Starter's mistakes with the 1994 throwback uniforms.

I love it. The yoke is perfect, ending above the collar point, and with shoulders more accurately replicate the 1937-1949 jersey.  We know the Packers wore actual gold pants with this uniform, not tan, so they're included as well. 

I could go either way on the sock stripes - the early version of this uniform had them, later versions did not - but this is definitely the throwback uniform we should have gotten.  

Nike Makes It Official

Nike has posted their press release announcing the new alternate uniforms, along with our first look at the full uniform.

As I reported earlier, the Packers will be wearing their tan pants and navy socks with the jersey.

The yoke looks better over pads, not as oversized.

Note also the green facemask; these are the standard helmets with logos and Braisher stripes removed.

The tan pants aren't exactly accurate for the period, but I do like the look.

Here's the press release:

GREEN BAY PACKERS GO OLD SCHOOL WITH NEW NIKE ALTERNATE UNIFORM

Tradition. History. Success. These words define the Green Bay Packers. The Packers own the most championships (13) in National Football League history, and since its founding in 1919, have honored tradition with a distinctive green and yellow uniform aesthetic.

Today, the Packers reveal a new Nike alternate uniform replicating the team’s 1937 design, which has not been worn on the field since 1994. The Packers have won two championships in this uniform that navy blue and gold jersey [sic], the Packers’ predominant color scheme over their first three decades; and their design will include a gold yoke across the shoulders, the distinctive feature of their uniforms from 1937-49. Completing the throwback uniform will be faded gold pants and navy socks.

The fan jerseys will be available for purchase on Nike.com and in select retailers beginning today.

I do love the uniform as a whole, although I wish they had re-designed the jersey rather than just grabbing Starter's imperfect 1994 design.

The "Classic Jerseys" - What Might Have Been

Over on the sportslogos.net boards, user Sterling84v2.0 made this mockup of a more historically-accurate throwback jersey:

Small changes, but so much closer to the original than the 1994 reprise they went with.  

Confirmed - New Packers Throwbacks

The leak was legit - the new Packers alternate uniform will be a throwback to Curly Lambeau's classic uniform, the same jersey as worn in 1994. 

 I'm told that they will be wearing this with the same tan pants as the previous alternate, and blue socks with no stripes (which is the only difference from 1994. 

New Throwbacks Leaked?

It looks like the new Packer throwback uniforms, first confirmed last November, have been leaked:

This indicates a return to the very first throwback uniform worn by the Packers, back in 1994:

And not just the style of the old throwbacks, but the exact same throwbacks themselves.

If true, this is monumentally disappointing. I'm a huge fan of the Curly Lambeau era in Packers history, but the team could do so much better in recreating that classic uniform.

It hits the broad strokes, but the details are all wrong.

For the team to wear an inaccurate throwback in 1994 was one thing. But today, they could do so much better.