South Carolina will be playing in alternate uniforms this weekend in Baton Rouge. The uniforms consist of gray jerseys with gray pants. The jerseys are just like our current jerseys in terms of pattern, but the dominant color is gray instead of garnet or white. I believe the pattern on the pants is the same as the military’s ACUs or Army Combat Uniforms. It looks like a digitized camouflage.
My first thought when I saw the video of the uniforms is that I don’t like them. To be fair, I probably wasn’t going to like many alternate uniforms since I like the regular uniforms we have. That’s how I was judging the uniforms: are they an improvement on what we currently have? For me the answer is no, but perhaps I’m not asking the question right.
First, should we be comparing the uniforms to our regular ones? If we were talking about making a permanent change, then the answer would be “yes, that’s the standard.” But that’s not what we are talking about. We are only going to wear the uniforms for one game, so the standard should be, are they OK? On that front, I suppose they are. Though I am generally not a fan of most teams’ special uniforms, I think these are OK, not much more, but OK.
Second, whose opinion should be important regarding the uniforms? Is it all about the fans? I don’t think it is. The uniforms should appeal to the fans, of course, but the more important opinions are those held by the players and potential players.
At his press conference Tuesday Coach Spurrier said the players liked them. Since they are the ones who are actually going to be wearing them, perhaps their opinion counts. Plus, if the players like them, then it’s probably likely that recruits like them as well. If that’s the case then the uniforms may lead to a tangible gain for the football program by being more appealing to recruits. So for the hope of keeping recruits happy, I’m OK with the gray uniforms.
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