Best & Worst Sports Logos - NFL Edition

(NOTE: This is the third in a series of posts about the best and worst sports logos.  Previously, I covered the NHL and MLB.  To read those blog posts, go to the May 2017 subpage.)

Football season is upon us!  As such, I wanted to continue my series of blog posts about the best and worst sports logos.  This time, we'll cover the NFL.

Best NFL Logos - Current

5.  Arizona Cardinals

This one may surprise you, but as the previous posts in this series have indicated, I'm a sucker for classic logos that have been generally left alone for decades.  The Cardinals tweaked this logo back in 2005, but the changes were subtle.  In general, the logo has been in place since the Cardinals moved

from Chicago to St. Louis in 1960.  They then moved from St. Louis to the Valley of the Sun back in 1988.  So, while the team has moved and changed names several times, they've had what I call the "mean cardinal" logo for more than 50 years.  It's sharp and it's classic, which is why it makes the cut.



4. Dallas Cowboys

I can hear lots of you gagging as you read that one.  The Cowboys are one of the most hated sports franchises in America.  However, they are also one of the most beloved sports franchises in America. 

Their logo has essentially remained unchanged since it was first introduced back in 1960.  It's simple - a star representing the Lone Star State - but the blue star against the silver background of the helmets really stands out.  Love the team or hate them, this is one of the most iconic and recognized sports logos in the world.


3. Pittsburgh Steelers

This is an example of a team name and it's origin and home city all coming together in near perfection.  Steel is to Pittsburgh what cars are to Detroit - it's woven into the history and fabric of the city.  The Steelers logo is essentially an adaptation of the "Steelmark" logo that was owned by

Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel for decades.  It was a logo that indicated that the product was made from American steel.  So, what better logo to co-opt for a team based in Pittsburgh that is called the Steelers?  The logo has remained virtually untouched for decades and has served one of the more rabid NFL fan bases well throughout the years.  The fact that the logo only appears on one side of the Steelers' helmets just serves to increase the mystique a little more. 


2. Oakland Raiders

Another classic logo that has remained largely untouched since 1964.  It's a terrific twist on the traditional skull-and-crossbones pirate logo.  Instead of a skull, it's a eye-patched football player in an

old style football helmet without the facemask.  Instead of crossbones, it's crossed swords, similar to what you'd see a pirate use.  The logo and crest look even better on the Raiders' silver helmets.  This franchise - throughout it's frequent relocations (Oakland-Los Angeles-Oakland and soon to be Las Vegas) - has embraced a rough and tumble, outlaw image and this logo plays into that motif quite well.  You may not like the Raiders, but you have to admit that their logo and uniforms are classic.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

For me, this was an easy choice.  It's another classic logo that has stood the test of time remarkably well.  In a simple design - the interlocked "KC" embedded on an arrowhead - it ties together the team

name and the city the team represents.  It is a classic design that has been left untouched since 1972 and for good reason - it's terrific.  The fact that the team adopted this logo the same year that it moved into a stadium that is essentially named after the logo (Arrowhead Stadium) just ties everything up nicely.


Worst NFL Logos - Current

3. Tennessee Titans

I call this logo the "flaming thumbtack".  It's an example of a relocated franchise trying to do too many things at once in the logo.  The "T" is for "Tennessee" obviously, but the font used makes it

look like a thumbtack.  The three stars are a nod to the 3 Grand Divisions of Tennessee that are reflected on the state flag.  I like that part of it, but what's with the flames?  Titans are giant Greek gods, right?  So why not some sort of logo to evoke that?  I get why they needed to rename the team when they relocated from Houston, but surely they could have come up with something better than an alliterative name that had nothing to do with the city and a logo that had nothing to do with the name.

2. New England Patriots

No, this is not on the list because I hate Bill Belicheat and the Patriots.  It's not on the list because Tom Brady drives me crazy, what with his good looks, supermodel wife and multiple championship rings.  It's on the list because the logo sucks.  It's part Minuteman, part American flag, part Elvis

and part Trump's combover.  What makes it worse is that this stupid logo replaced one of the most awesome logos in football history (see below).  The fact that the Patriots never won a thing wearing the awesome logo and have won five Super Bowls wearing this garbage probably ensures that they will stick with the Flying Elvis logo for the foreseeable future.

1. Cleveland Browns

This one is a no brainer.  First of all, they don't really even HAVE a logo.  It's just an orange helmet with nothing on it.  Second, the team colors are orange and brown, which is basically the color of baby poop, depending upon what the little one has been eating.  Having said that, I feel bad for

Browns' fans.  They had their team ripped from them by their greedy owner (through no fault of their own - something that I can relate to as a St. Louisan), only to watch said team finally win a Super Bowl less than 5 years after leaving for Baltimore.  They had their team reinstated a few years later, but they've been nothing more than a steaming pile of dog poop throughout their second existence.


Best NFL Logos - Old School Version

2. Denver Broncos

This logo - the wild horse with the steam coming out of it's nose - was awesome.  I actually had this helmet when I was a kid.  The team tied it all together, too, by having a giant white horse on top of the scoreboard at the old Mile High Stadium.  Colorado has traditionally had a "Wild West" vibe and what is more representative of the West than a wild horse breathing steam on a cold morning?




1. New England Patriots

As mentioned above, I always loved this Patriots logo and wish they'd never changed it.  It's a perfect tie-in of the area's history and the sport the team plays.  A Minuteman playing center, getting ready to snap the football.  It was a simple idea that was brilliant.

 

 

 

Worst NFL Logo - Old School Version

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 

Where do I start?  The colors.  Orange and red?  I realize those were selected as a nod toward the colors of the major college programs in Florida (Florida, Florida State and Miami), but they just don't

go that well together.  But, more than that, it's the logo itself.  Pirates are dirty, mean, nasty characters- about as "manly" as it gets.  But, as presented in this logo, they are a jolly, whimsical and not particular manly character.  It's a cheesy logo that screams 1970s, which is when it was designed.  The feather, the earring, the wink, the dagger in the mouth.  It's like the logo is a lost member of the Village People or perhaps an outfit from a gay pride parade.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's not exactly the image you think of when you think of pirates and certainly not the meanest logo for a football team.  Also, the pirate has orange skin, so it's almost like he spent too much time in the spray tan salon.  Amazingly, the Buccaneers stuck with this logo for 20 years, from the team's inception in 1976 until 1996, before abandoning it for something a little closer to what you might expect - a poor man's Raiders logo.

There you have it.  My list of the best and worst logos in the NFL.  Which logos would make your list?

Thanks for reading!



TV Shows That Would Never Fly Today

There are many things that were commonly accepted 20, 30 or 50 years ago that are controversial today.  Things like sports teams named (often derisively) after Native Americans or jokes at the expense of minorities or the disabled.  Thinking about how what is acceptable evolves and changes over time got me thinking about some TV shows that would never, ever get the green light to be produced today.  When you think about it, there are quite a few.  Here are a few of my favorites:

"The Dukes of Hazzard" - Where do I begin?  The Duke Boys drove a car named after a Confederate general that featured the Confederate battle flag on the roof and whose horn played a song that came out of the blackface minstrelsy of the mid 1800s South.  Given the recent uproar regarding Confederate statutes, the car alone would be enough to sink the idea for the show in modern times.  Then there is also a main character who is named after the Confederate president (J.D. "Boss" Hogg). Beyond that, the show itself would never pass the muster of the studio bosses today.  I loved the show as a kid, but it's really pretty bad.  Every episode is basically the same thing.  You could almost play a drinking game with the elements that you knew were going to pop up on the show at some point each week:

• Boss Hogg comes up with some crooked scheme that goes sideways
• The Duke Boys invariably get caught up in said scheme and thrown in jail
• The Duke Boys are able to get out of jail because Roscoe is a bumbling idiot or because Daisy distracted Enos by flirting with him.
• Gratuitous shots of Daisy Duke's derriere in her namesake short shorts
• Gratuitous shots of cars jumping through the air
• One of the Duke boys slides across the hood of the car
• Roscoe calls his deputy a dipstick
• The action stops at a cliffhanger moment while Waylon Jennings asks some rhetorical questions before they go to commercial break

You'd be hammered by the end of the show!  The only show that I can think of that was more repetitive or boilerplate is "Scooby Doo" - just substitute "those darn Dukes" for "you meddling kids".

"Tom & Jerry" - This may well be my favorite cartoon of all time.  It was genius!  But can you imagine someone pitching it today?  First of all, it's extremely violent.  Virtually every episode features the two titular characters trying to annihilate one another.  There are decapitations, animals sliced in half, Tom's tail stuffed into a hot waffle iron.  All manner of violence.  Second, there is essentially no dialogue.  Instead, the cat and mouse antics (pun intended) are set to classical music.  Can you imagine that even being considered as an option today?  Finally, the one character who does regularly speak on the show is "Mammy Two Shoes," who is a total caricature of an African American housekeeper.  She speaks in poor English and is not presented in a very positive light, frequently beating Tom with a broom.  A violent cartoon with classical music, no dialogue and an outdated stereotype of African American females.  There is NO way this show gets the green light in 2017.

"The Lone Ranger" - A wildly popular western TV series from the 1950s, it also portrays Tonto, the title character's Native American sidekick, as being....well, not so bright.  Consider the character's name.  "Tonto" in Spanish translates as "moron" or "fool."  Also, Tonto speaks in a pidgin, uttering phrases such as "Him say man ride over ridge with horse" or "That right Kemo Sabe."  Can you imagine a TV series that portrays a minority in that manner ever getting made today?  However, you have to give credit to the creators in that Tonto was at least portrayed by someone who was a Native, rather than some white guy dressed up like a Native.

"Bosom Buddies" - Two single guys cross dress and pretend to be women just so that they can live in an all female apartment building because it is cheaper.  It is essentially using people cross dressing for laughs.  Can you imagine the uproar something like that would cause today?  There would be sponsor boycotts and letter writing campaigns and who knows what else.  It's amazing to think that this was one of the first starring roles for Tom Hanks, one of the most successful actors of all time.

I'm sure there are other shows that would meet this criteria, but these were four that immediately came to mind.  What others would you put forth as suggestions?  What shows have I missed?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for reading!

Best College Football Memories

Another season of college football season kicks off this week.  The passion and pageantry of college football will be everywhere for the next 3 months.  In honor of the start of another college football season, I wanted to share my top 10 college football games/memories.  Full disclosure - these are MY top games and memories, so they are going to be very Baylor and Mizzou centric.  Don't like it? Get over it!

10.  Missouri vs. Baylor - 1987: It was my first college football game.  It was at Faurot Field in Columbia.  Nothing about the game was particularly interesting, aside from the fact that it was a game between the school I grew up rooting for and the school I wound up attending.  Interestingly, the game was won by a mediocre Mizzou team (they went 5-6 that year) over a slightly less mediocre Baylor team (they went 6-5 that year.)  At the time, I had no idea what Baylor was.  5 years later, I was a freshman there.

9.  Baylor vs. Georgia Tech - 1992: It was Homecoming my freshman year in college.  This game was memorable for several reasons:
            a.)  Baylor came from behind to win the game 31-27 on a reverse flea flicker 80 yard                touchdown pass from J.J. Joe to Melvin Bonner
            b.) We rushed the field after the game to celebrate the win
            c.) The Baylor Line (with some assistance from the Baylor University Golden Wave Band - BUGWB) stole the helmet of a reserve Georgia Tech player.  It got passed around the stands from the band to the Line and the player had to run down the tunnel at halftime and come back from halftime without his helmet.  It was pretty funny.

The win had Baylor at 5-4 and on the cusp of a bowl bid with 2 games to play.  In typical Baylor fashion, they choked and lost at Rice the following week.  Which leads us to....

8. Baylor vs. Texas - 1992: A week after choking against Rice, Baylor beat archrival Texas in thrilling fashion.  The final score was 21-20 and Baylor clinched the win by stopping Texas on 4th and 4 in the closing seconds.  We rushed the field and tore down the goalposts.  A great college experience and a win over a hated rival.  A season that started off in ignominious fashion with a 10-9 loss at home to Louisiana Tech wound up with a bowl bid and an eventual win over Arizona in the Sun Bowl.

7. Missouri vs. Colorado - 1990: The infamous "Fifth Down" game.  I distinctly remember listening to the game on the radio in our family room.  When Mizzou stopped CU on 4th and goal, I jumped up and cheered as the beleaguered Tigers had finally pulled off a signature win over a ranked team.  Then the officiating crew inexplicably gave Colorado a second fourth down.  Mizzou stopped them on THAT down as well, though the officials ruled that they scored.  Final score: Colorado 33, Mizzou 31.  Colorado went on to win a share of the national championship that year.  Mizzou, on the other hand, went 4-7 - their 7th consecutive losing season in a string of 13 consecutive losing seasons, a string that would run from 1984 to 1996.

6. Missouri vs. Nebraska - 1997: The infamous "Flea Kicker" game.  Mizzou loses a berserk game to Nebraska 45-38 in OT.  The craziest part of the game was the touchdown Nebraska scored as time expired to force OT.  The pass was intended for one Nebraska receiver - it hit him in the chest, then hit a Mizzou defender on the foot, and then was kicked back into the air by another Nebraska receiver where it was then caught just above the turf by a 3rd Nebraska receiver.  Mizzou fans, thinking that they had beaten Nebraska for the first time since 1978, rushed the field.  However, officials ruled the play a touchdown.  They cleared the field and then Nebraska won the game in OT.  Mizzou finished the season 7-5 (their first winning season in 13 years), while Nebraska went on to go 13-0 and win a share of the national championship.  It was another in a long line of heartbreaking losses for Mizzou football fans.

5. Baylor vs. Texas - 1997: It was homecoming and Baylor was in the midst of a miserable season that saw them go 2-9.  But for one day, at least, all was well in Bear Country.  Baylor held on for a 23-21 victory when a last second field goal attempt by Texas was pushed just wide of the uprights by the Central Texas winds.  The students stormed the field, tore down the goalposts and carried them the three miles from Floyd Casey Stadium to the SUB, where it was left outside for fans to sign.  I was at the game and my name is somewhere on those uprights.  It was a fun day in the midst of what became an abysmal decade of Baylor football. 

4. Baylor vs. Oklahoma - 2011: This may well be the game that put Baylor football on the map and got its new football palace, McLane Stadium, built.  Baylor was ranked #25, while OU was ranked #5.  It was a back and forth affair, but Baylor pulled out the win when Robert Griffin III hit Terrance Williams in the corner of the end zone for a 34 yard TD pass with 8 seconds remaining.  Griffin finished with 479 yards passing and 4 TDs. It was Baylor's first ever win over an Oklahoma team that was the preseason favorite to win the national championship.  The Bears went on to finish the season 10-3 with a bowl victory in the Alamo Bowl and RGIII went on to win the Heisman Trophy, the first Bear to win college football's most prestigious award.  I was watching the end of the game at my parents' house and I remember running all over their basement screaming after the winning touchdown.

3. Missouri vs. Kansas - 2007: Two hated rivals playing on a neutral field (Arrowhead Stadium in KC) with a crowd split evenly between those wearing black and gold and those wearing blue and red.  Two top 5 teams, as Mizzou game in ranked #3 and KU was ranked #2. The hype leading up to the game was enormous.  Often, those games don't live up to the hype, but this one did.  Mizzou hung on for a 36-28 win, the outcome of which was in doubt until Mizzou sacked KU QB Todd Reesing in the end zone for a safety with 12 seconds remaining.  Following the game, Mizzou found itself ranked #1 in the country, something that - while short lived - I never thought I'd ever see.  We watched the game with family (who happened to be Mizzou alums), which made it a lot of fun, too.

2. Baylor vs. TCU - 2014: One of the craziest football games you'll ever see and a game that spawned a heated rivalry between the two schools.  Both teams were ranked in the top 10.  TCU had a 21 point lead early in the 4th quarter and it appeared that Baylor's hope for another Big 12 title were dim.  However, Bryce Petty and the Bears got off the mat and scored the game's last 24 points to pull out a 61-58 win that was sealed by a Chris Callahan field goal as time expired.   Both teams went on to finish the regular season 11-1 and share the Big 12 title, though I will always consider BU the one true champion.  When you finish the season tied, the tiebreaker is the head-to-head result, right?

1. Baylor vs. Texas - 2013: This was, for me, an easy choice.  A win over a hated rival that gave Baylor its first outright conference championship since 1980, back when Mike Singletary was still wearing green and gold.  The fact that the game was the final game in the 64 year history of Floyd Casey Stadium and that it was played in unseasonably frigid conditions (it was 24 degrees at kickoff and Waco had been dealing with sleet and ice) just increases the overall impact of the game.  I watched the game from my family room in Wildwood, but my heart was there with the Baylor faithful at The Case.

There you have it - my top 10 college football memories.  Here's hoping that the 2017 college football season brings some more great memories.  SIC 'EM BEARS and M-I-Z!