Gotham Hall in Manhattan was filled on Thursday night with tons of Jets fans, invited guests, celebrities, former and current Jets players, and media members for a reveal party to show off the Jets new uniforms. A lot of the suspense was ruined on Wednesday when somebody leaked a photo of the new uniforms, but it wasn’t a really clear photo so there was still plenty of anticipation for the guests at the event and those watching on the internet to see what the uniforms looked like live in living Jets color…well, the colors that the Jets have come up with.
For the record, the Jets new colors are “Gotham Green”, “Spotlight White”, and ‘Stealth Black”.
“Our goal was to create a modern and innovative look for the future of our franchise,” said Jets Chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson. “We believe these uniforms will appeal to fans of all ages and is one that both fans and players would be extremely proud of.”
The Jets, along with the NFL and Nike, designed and produced the uniforms as the franchise embarks on an overall rebranding initiative. I should also point out that Riddell did a great job updating the helmets with a dynamic new shell design and the updated secondary logo. The metallic green look on the helmets is pretty impressive and my feelings on that were confirmed when I carefully examined the mini-helmet that was part of a gift bag for guests on my way home.
“When this process first began as an idea, we never imagined that it would come to fruition how it has,” said Jets President Neil Glat. This was a process that underwent a variety of prototyping and design work to ensure a flawless finish and we took great pride in ensuring that every detail, big or small, was correct and that our ownership’s vision was implemented.”
I tried not to let the leak on Wednesday affect my thoughts on the real reveal so I made sure not to talk to too many people about it when I arrived at the event. The talk amongst the media, fans, guests and even some team employees was what everyone thought about the photo that was leaked. My goal was to keep an open mind and just wait for the reveal.
My preference would have been a return to the jerseys that the Jets wore in the 70’s and 80’s before the black trim was added in the 90’s. But at the end of the day, I do like the green and white uniforms but I’m not crazy about the black ensemble. A Jets employee that I ran into after the show asked me what I thought and he was a little surprised I didn’t like the black. He suggested that I take a closer look at the jerseys displayed on mannequins on the way out and to be fair they looked a little better but I’m still not a big fan.
Now here’s where my Jets friend may have had the last word in our conversation.
A text from my wife Sheryl, who was watching at home with our sons Bradley and Jared, informed me that Jared, who is eight years old, loved the black uniforms. I reporter this back to my friend who works for the Jets and he just started smiling. He said the black look is going to be popular with the younger fans and my son is a perfect example of that.
So I guess I’m just an old fart Jets fan who is going to buy the green jersey!
At the end of the day, here’s the bottom line…
It was clear that the players on hand enjoyed modeling the Jets new uniforms. The likes of Sam Darnold, Jamal Adams, Avery Williamson and Leonard Williams all strutted their stuff on the stage and runway set up in Gotham Hall. Whether they really liked them or are just going along with the company line, there’s really only one way for everyone to agree on the new uniforms….
What the Jets need to do now, in their self-proclaimed new era, is go out and win games, eventually unseat the Patriots in the AFC East, and compete for a Super Bowl. That’s what everyone wants whether the Jets are wearing green, white, black, purple, pink or whatever.
All the planning, designing, and revealing of uniforms only resonates with one ultimate goal….the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
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