Boston College's New Football Helmet In A "Got To Go" Situation
by Brian Favat on Aug 13, 2011 5:09 PM EDT
in Boston College Football
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Yesterday, Boston College unveiled their new look football uniforms for the 2011 season as part of Football Media Day. In general, I am good with the changes, even if they are a tad too Seminoles-ish for my liking. I could not, however, get past the change to Boston College's football helmets.
Here's what SB Nation's Sean Keeley had to say about BC's new lids:
"One thing to notice, aside from how much some of them resemble the San Francisco 49ers, is that weird stuff going on in the helmet stripe.
BC is referring to all of that nonsense as "stain glassing." Makes me want to grab some water paints and start coloring in the little shapes."
Umm ... great. So immediately following the game we can all sit down together and have arts & crafts time, coloring by number the white stained glass windowpanes while singing the alma mater?
Today, Eagle in Atlanta came out against the triple-striped, "stain glassed" helmets, citing a lack of tradition, general fugliness and a strange resemblance to the San Francisco 49ers helmets sans decal. Not only am I going to support our BC blogger partner-in crime in this eval, I'm going to take it a step further:
This helmet is in a "got to go" situation.
I would implore Gene, the Athletics Department, Under Armour, hell even UA CEO Kevin Plank himself to go back to BC's traditional* helmets. So go and write -- or Tweet -- the Director of Athletics. Write Under Armour. Write Kevin Plank. Basically let anyone willing to listen know that these helmets stink and have to go.
There's still time. With three weeks left until the 2011 college football season, there's got to be a few of the 2010 helmets sitting around, right? While I'm all for rolling out these helmets for a special occasion here or there, I'm not supporting these helmets serving as BC's primary lids.
We knew that the Under Armour-ization of the football uniforms was a possibility when BC signed its current apparel deal with UA. I'm cool with the changes to the uniform, but why did they have to go and mess with the helmets? This is what happens when traditional college football programs take uniform tweaks too far.
Change the helmets back, BC. It's not too late.
* Well, traditional since 1991, anyhow
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traditional helmets
The solid gold helmets were fine for Flutie in ’84. The red stripe gives the date of ’94. The single stripe is bland. There was a poll within the last couple of years in which the BC helmet came in last. The new helmet is workable. The single stripe came from Coughlin and paraphrased the Giants. The bright red shirts and helmet look do parallel the 49ers.
Tradition over flash on the lids, always
More traditional programs — e.g. Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Army, Navy and Notre Dame — would never change their primary football helmets. We are much closer to those programs than we are to Oregon or Virginia Tech when it comes to uniforms/helmets.
Now it feels like we are just another Nike Pro Combat or UA guinea pig wrt the football helmets.
Editor, BC Interruption
Hmmm..
I have to say that after reading numerous opinions about the past uniforms and the new ones that have just been previewed, people seem to generally just be discontent. However, in the grand scheme of things, UA didn’t really do anything crazy to the uniforms. Not compared to what they could have done anyway. Even if the white stripe in the middle isn’t very traditional, I wouldn’t call it ugly. And the stain glassing isn’t even noticeable unless you’re really close up. I’m not saying that I didn’t like the old school look, I just feel like the way a program is run and the way a team performs represents tradition a lot more than the stripes on a helmet. Football’s about how you play the game, not what you look like when you’re playing.
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Not really that upset
Unlike many other people, I don’t really have a problem with the new helmet look. This may change after seeing the helmet on TV with the rest of the uniform, but at this point, I don’t have a problem with it (but I’m also a huge 49ers fan).
I’m cool with all the details on the helmet if we had a helmet logo. Without a logo though, all the stripe detailing looks really odd.
Editor, BC Interruption
But the question is
do the new unis improve the offense? If so, they are a ‘must stay.’ Also they look pretty similar, couple shades of the gold, couple of the red…
FSU Football, making bad teams look bad since 2010.
Hockey Jersey is worse
This is just terrible (it looks just as bad in person at the bookstore): Link
Oh man
These are really bad too. I wonder if the hockey helmets have three stripes and stained glassing too.
Editor, BC Interruption
Though I will say I would be in favor of FOUR stripes on the hockey helmets, one for each National Championship.
Editor, BC Interruption
4 stars
There’s 4 stars below the neck on the back – I’m assuming they relate to the national titles.
The stripes are terrible and the stained glass block on the arm looks ridiculous.
I get what they are trying to do but the execution is really poor.
Aren’t the stained glass blocks on the arms where the numbers go though?
Editor, BC Interruption
I like them.
I guess I am in the very minority.
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Let's be honest
UA coulda really turned the hockey jerseys into an abortion and they didn’t. They kept the same general layout and tweaked it a bit. These are definitely more modern, but they aren’t all that bad. Let’s be thankful that they aren’t shiny like the ones Denver and UND used to wear- those were hideous. I’m okay with these, and I think the maroon might look nicer to be honest.
Also, you have to assume the gap on the sleeve is for a number. If BC is going to be using this style jersey, they might be good to get rid of that gap and just have the stripes go all the way down. The four stars/stripes whatever idea isn’t bad for the nattys, but that’s a little too Islander-esque in my book (Go Rangers).
Stained Glass is a symbol of Catholicism
I like the stained glass idea. Generally speaking, stained glass is closely associated with Catholic ideas about spirituality, veneration, mysticism and devotion – key differentiators from other forms of Christianity. Also generally, Protestants during the Reformation and onward rejected much of Catholic symbolism, including widespread destruction of stained glass in churches. Although not unique to the Catholic Church, stained glass remains a powerful symbol of Catholicism. (I am no church historian and welcome any and all comments on this)
And, of course, what distinguishes BC from the entire ACC: Catholicism, first and foremost.
The stain glass window symbolism on the helmet and jersey is a subtle, but a powerful, Reminder of what BC is.
So all you football fashionistas out there, rethink the issue and embrace and celebrate BC’s Catholicism. (this will really freak out Bob Jones err Clemson Univesity, Wake, and others!!!)
WE ARE BC
WE ARE BC
WE ARE BC
Looks like stained glass is generally multi-colored. Not all white with a gold outline around each pane.
Like I said, love the stain glassing on the numbers and the basketball unis. Still doesn’t belong on the helmet.
Editor, BC Interruption
Don't be literal
The stained glass pattern is a symbol, a suggestion, of BC’s Catholic tradition (u ok with that legacy???). Not an actual reproduction of multicolored glass
the Jesuits work in mysterious ways.
by waterwater on Aug 14, 2011 8:39 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
This is an Under Armour thing, not a BC one
Utah has the topology map of Salt Lake City. Maryland has the turtle shell. Hawaii has a Polynesian tattoo print. And now UA is trying to add stained glass everywhere they can on BC’s athletics uniforms.
None of those other programs have this level of detailing on the helmets. It looks bad. Leave it off.
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Aug 14, 2011 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Further, all of the detailing for these other programs is more unique to those programs than stained glass is to BC. I take it there’s no stained glass on the campus of Notre Dame, (your beloved) Holy Cross, Villanova and Georgetown?
Again, fine with this level of detailing on the uniforms but not on the helmets. Stay traditional.
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Aug 14, 2011 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions
Map of Utah is not unique to Utes
Embrace BC’s place as a preeminent Catholic intitution.
I like the stripe – a window, figuratively, into the soul of BC
I would like see a BC logo on the helmet too
by waterwater on Aug 14, 2011 11:55 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
There’s another I-A football program located in Salt Lake City and named after the Native American tribe of the state?
“I would like see a BC logo on the helmet too”
We can agree to disagree.
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Aug 14, 2011 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions
We need more fire...
…in our athletics uniforms. Go Set the World Aflame.
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