It has been almost a week since the unveiling of the new uniforms for each team in the Canadian Football League. Today, we will be focusing on the new Ottawa Redblacks uniforms, the variety of opinions we have seen on it, and whether the new design is taking it too far.
The Uniform
The new uniform was designed by Adidas and it stays to Ottawa’s team colours perfectly. The home uniform consists of black with red sleeves, and the Redblacks logo as well on the sleeves. There also is text inside the collar that says #RNation.
The top half of the pants is black down to the knees, and the majority of the bottom half is red, with white socks. The pants also have a new feature on them, again the hashtag #RNation. The away uniforms are still standard white uniforms with not too many changes to note.
The new hashtag on the pants has inflamed debate in the social media world. Does this take the new uniform design a step too far, or not?
Non-Ottawa Fan Opinions
CFL fans’ reactions are mixed. The people who love it seem to be mostly Ottawa fans. For non-Ottawa fans, they seem to understand that the new uniforms show how passionate Ottawa fans are. But the reaction to the hashtag on the uniform is highly polarized: people think either it is a great idea and think that fans are going to enjoy it, or they think it just makes the uniforms look silly, and that a hashtag does not belong on a football uniform.
However, the hashtag indicates the faith that the Redblacks organization has in its fans. They’re assuming that they are behind the team and supportive no matter what. It’s a risk, though, because if the fan loyalty is not there, and the hashtag is more prevalent on the fabric than on twitter, then the lack of fan support will be more and more obvious. The Redblacks are clearly expecting that fans will get on board with this new idea and stand behind it.
Overall Summary
If Ottawa fans love and support the new uniforms, there’s no reason to make a huge deal out of them. They do show a commitment to the Redblacks fans’ passion for the team, and that’s what uniforms are for.
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