Alabama Crimson Tide Unveil New Nike Pro Combat Uniforms for BCS Title Game
By Josh Hill
If there’s one thing college football loves to do, it’s make money. One way to make money is to unveil a new uniform every five minutes to keep up jersey sales and to lure in new recruits. There was once a time when football jersey’s were for cataloguing players and weren’t fashion statements, but the times have changed.
Alabama will be wearing new uniforms for the National Championship game on Monday, and they really don’t look all that different from the ones they usually wear, which is both a good and bad thing.
On the surface, the jersey’s look no different. Usually a team will change up the color scheme, mess with the logo on their helmet or just draw wings on their jerseys like Oregon did. But while the look of the jerseys aren’t wildly radical, like the Crimson Tide themselves, it’s what’s under the hood that makes these really special.
Nike is calling it their most innovative uniform system to date, and it’s fitting that the Tide will wearing them. It suits the Tide extremely well to conform to the norm of wearing a new jersey, but making the changes in science rather than the aesthetics.
According to the company, Alabama’s new uniforms are the lightest weight uniforms they’ve ever put out, and combines just about every innovation Nike has ever had when it comes to making their uniforms easier to play in.
From Nike:
"The Crimson Tide uniforms will be upgraded to include Nike Chain Maille Mesh — a lightweight, ultra-breathable material that emphasizes improved thermoregulation. This new fabrication is incorporated into the back and under the arms of the jersey for exceptional ventilation without sacrificing durability. The white-on-white look, embellished with crimson accents, creates the iconic, bold silhouette for which the Tide is famous.Alabama will also wear the new Nike Pro Combat Hypercool Speed Top featuring Nike Dri-Fit fabrication that transports moisture and sweat from the skin to the outside of the top, leaving the body cool and dry. Regulated for the weather with increased breathability and a streamlined fit, this revolutionary baselayer top features new innovative venting systems including laser perforation pods in a unique design pattern that help the body regulate temperature. It also features reinforced bonded seams as well as premium mesh underarm gussets for increased thermoregulation."
While other schools are looking to make a fashion statement, the Alabama Crimson Tide are using the science and innovation to actually be faster, stronger and better than everyone else in the game.