Poll: Georgia’s Nike Pro Combat unis, love ‘em or hate ‘em?
I had to step away from work fairly quickly this past Saturday, not long after I posted my practice update. That update, of course, included a brief report on the new Nike Pro Combat uniforms Georgia is going to wear in the opener against Boise State.
Well, it wasn’t until late Sunday that I got to review what some of the reaction was to that piece. There seemed to be more than a few folks bothered by me using the phrase “generally negative” to describe fan reaction to the new uniforms. A few people, in comments on the blog, asked me to what poll was I referring and accused me of just trying to “stir up trouble” between UGA and its fans without having any real data to support it.
Loading ...So let’s clear this up. My determination was based on the reactions I was getting directly via email, Twitter and Facebook. In fact, those reactions were so decidedly negative that I actually tweeted to ask if there was anybody out there who actually liked the uniforms. Only then did I hear a couple of positive comments, and then they were still few.
But, of course, that is far from scientific. So short of hiring Gallup or some kind of market research company, I figured I’d just throw it out there to the masses this morning with a raw (but still unscientific) poll. So be sure to click one of the selections to the left and check back to see the results.
What do I think? I think I actually like them. I mean, it’s only for one game, right? And the players love them. I tend fall on Mark Richt’s side when it comes to this being something you do for the players and not so much the fans.
In the meantime, just so you have it to reference, following is most everything I got after practice Saturday from players and coaches talking about the uniforms. After this, I plan to retire from writing about uniforms (well at least for about 10 days or so).
LB CHRISTIAN ROBINSON:
“I like them. We’re going to look good!”
“About the third quarter it’s not going to matter because it’s going to wear off and it’s going to matter who’s playing the best. It’s exciting for us to put something new on, but it won’t matter come the third or fourth quarter.
“It really is for the team. I loved the black jerseys when we had them. That was one of the reasons I came here. That was probably the most excited I’ve ever been watching them run out [in 2007]. I was in the end zone right when they broke them out and it was awesome.
“New jerseys excite the team a little bit. It’s something new that you haven’t worn before. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing for some of these guys. I might never get to wear the black jerseys again, so it was a once-in-a-lifetime-thing. Again, halfway though the game it’s not going to matter.
“I do like tradition. But I think one game out of the year you can do something new. It’s not like we’re changing our whole style for the whole season. It’s one game. If it’s upsetting somebody that bad, I’m sorry.”
WR TAVARRES KING:
“I love them. I think they’re awesome. We’ve still got to play so it’s not a magic potion or anything. But I love what Nike has done for us. We’re blessed to have those uniforms. I’m excited about them.
“It’s 2011, you know. You’ve got to have a little swag!”
GEORGIA COACH MARK RICHT:
“Well, I think that Nike did a great job of trying to capture a lot of the tradition of Georgia football. Some things are very subtle that the fans may not be able to see but the players can see. . . . I don’t know if the story that’s behind it is going to be released but when it is you’ll be able to read what Nike was thinking when it produced everything.
“But when the players saw it, they liked it and that’s the big thing, that they like it. And it’s a special game. It’s not what we would call a traditional uniform but it’s not a traditional game either. That’s kind of why we did it.
“I think we’re due. We’re due.
“Yeah, I think there are a lot of people that just don’t want to get away from that and I don’t blame them. That’s the reason we’re sticking it out there two weeks in advance, so everybody can get over it. I doubt we’ll do any surprise uniforms anymore. At least everybody’s got time to digest it. If everybodk just thinks about what’s most important and that’s playing the game, I think we’ll all be fine.”
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609 comments Add your comment
Fresno Dawg
August 22nd, 2011
3:15 pm
Now you guys are copying my all red Fresno Dogs. Maybee you will learn to spell dog.
AugDawg
August 22nd, 2011
3:17 pm
Who cares about the uniform in the grand scheme. The real issue is that GA and CMR will start out 1 – 1 at best. Even if we beat Boise St, USC will win by 10 this year. Uniform choice won’t matter then.
HardRock
August 22nd, 2011
3:17 pm
I think the timing is right . The uniforms look great. Im 51 yr old fan it should appeal to open minds .
bucket
August 22nd, 2011
3:18 pm
Wow @ SCOOTER – that’s a real classy comment making fun of Larry Munson. Here’s hoping karma is kinder to you than you are to others. @ AlanW – I respect your comments, but the distractions you listed are more distractions for you than they are the UGA team. We have had zero arrests this offseason probably in part to the fact that the 2 rb’s from last year are no longer here. The uniforms are not a distraction to this team, just apparently some fans. This team has worked hard and they are focused and they will be ready for Boise. Maybe they win, maybe not – but they are not distracted by anything right now.
BiggdawgK
August 22nd, 2011
3:19 pm
If the players like them and it’s only for 1 game why would any fan whine like a techie about the uniforms?
just checking
August 22nd, 2011
3:22 pm
@Atlanta87-I think someone is either jealous or hasn’t ever been to the dome. It holds over 75,000 people, but our games avg (in our first season mind you) about 30,000 people. But keep in mind that our fan base is mainly students, alumni, faculty, parents (ya know, people that actually have ties to their team unlike Auburn or UGA folks) and we are still growing. It’s just as fun as any UGA/Auburn/Tech game, but come on down to the dome for a GState game and see for yourself. There’s a reason why we play at the beautiful dome and a reason why Ga is buzzing about us. Comparing your field to the dome is adorable though, I must say.
Eddie Robinson
August 22nd, 2011
3:25 pm
At least they are better than the Grambling Uniforms they stole to use in the debacle in Jax 2 years ago.
ga gator
August 22nd, 2011
3:28 pm
Most paying fans are traditional so they dislike them just as most paying Gator fans disliked ours. What is more important is the players liked them and so would recruits I would think.
irishmafia`
August 22nd, 2011
3:28 pm
How many times do they need to change uniforms? Must be nice to have all that money to waste to continually change them. Hey Dawgs is not the unifroms that cause you to playbad!
AlanW
August 22nd, 2011
3:31 pm
@ bucket: I certainly hope you are right regarding the potential distractions and the team’s focus.
2smartjones
August 22nd, 2011
3:32 pm
Latest on the Dawgs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8vINCq_IAI
WLB58
August 22nd, 2011
3:33 pm
Personally, I prefer contrasting colors for jersey and pants but I guess it is o.k. for 1 game although, to a frugal person, that seems a bit wasteful. While I’m opining, I would really prefer that they ditch Nike and go with Russell since it is a Georgia company.
JohnFromMilledgeville
August 22nd, 2011
3:33 pm
They say clothes make the man……”Ouch!!”
AlanW
August 22nd, 2011
3:34 pm
Georgia State really has a football team???
@ irishmafia: “Must be nice to have all that money to waste to continually change them.” I don’t know for sure, but if I was a betting man, I’d bet that Nike is paying UGA and Boise State to wear these costumes in the Chic Fil A Kickoff, not the other way around.
DAWG07
August 22nd, 2011
3:34 pm
They are just uniforms nothing more or less. Enough discussion.
We don’t complain about the Braves red jerseys.
AlanW
August 22nd, 2011
3:37 pm
Why are people complaining about this discussion? The whole point of this story was to post the poll, and discuss the Power Ranger costumes.
Now, if EVERY AJC story about the Dawgs turned into an argument about the UnderRoos, I’d understand the complaining.
YES, it’s only a costume.
YES, it’s only for one game.
NO, it doesn’t affect the way the kids will play.
We get it.
Gators Eat Boogers
August 22nd, 2011
3:40 pm
UGA 44- Boise 10
UGA gets back on the national map in a BIG way. This is all being done by design and will work perfectly if CMR can deliver.
RedandBlackDAWG
August 22nd, 2011
3:40 pm
If the players are satisfied with them, then so am I. The kids in the uniform will represent the university, not the uniforms they are waering.
GO DAWGS and GATA
fan
August 22nd, 2011
3:40 pm
those jerseys are terrible! terrible! will be ever worse when UGA loses again and makes the SEC look bad, similar to last year against UCF
AltamahaDawg
August 22nd, 2011
3:42 pm
I thought Russell used to be based in Alabama. I remember hitting thier company store over there a couple of times, while traveling. Owned by Fruit of the Loom now (Ky company).
7576DAWG
August 22nd, 2011
3:43 pm
7000 votes so far and 65% don’t like them or hates them. If you polled all Dawg fans that about the percent I would expect.Shouldn’t that tell the AD , McGarity or whoever made the decision to sign off on these uniforms something for future reference.
red Banana hammock
August 22nd, 2011
3:45 pm
spread the red panties!
dougmo2
August 22nd, 2011
3:45 pm
U G L Y, Georgia has no alibi, their ugly.
Georgia Bulldogs don’t be blue. Oregon’s uni’s are ugly too.
Oh the cheers I have made up.
BiggdawgK
August 22nd, 2011
3:47 pm
Let me state the obvious since so many ajc posters are not very bright. Any person posting here that posts a negative comment about UGA, CMR or Bulldog players is not a fan no matter how clever they think they are by including Dog or Dawg or UGA etc… in their name.
I’m not saying you have to blindly agree with everything about UGA to be a fan, but you don’t live on a blog every day and rip a team or it’s coach or players and then call yourself a fan. A fan may display a difference of opinion when talking with friends or during the game often at the top of his lungs, but never and I mean never in a public forum populated with the enemy.
Dennis
August 22nd, 2011
3:48 pm
Lose the game, put them up never to be seen again. Win the game, wear them next week too.
OU#1
August 22nd, 2011
3:50 pm
Boise will beat Georgia…. As an OU fan…. dont get your hopes up…
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
August 22nd, 2011
3:51 pm
I still would like to know the real number of players who supposedly say they like them.
Im going with no more than 15
AltamahaDawg
August 22nd, 2011
3:52 pm
Or put another way:
35% hate them,
35% either love them, or dont care
30% say its about the players.
So 65% of folks polled are ok with them.
AlanW
August 22nd, 2011
3:56 pm
Who exactly made BiggdawgK the authority on who is and isn’t a fan?
I am a UGA alumnus and huge fan, and I will be as critical as I please about the school, the athletic program, the athletic director, the football team, the head coach, the assistant coaches, the players, and the Starship Troopers Under-Roos.
What are you going to do? Confiscate my tickets? Confiscate my closet full of UGA clothing? Revoke my diploma?
BiggdawgK
August 22nd, 2011
3:59 pm
@7567 DAWG
Over 7000 votes and 65% either love the uniforms or have no problem with them as long as the players like them. Amazing how the exact same numbers can make the exact opposite point and still be true isn’t it?
I guess a real fan prefers to look at the positive side of things. An excited happy player will perform better. An unhappy whiney guy on a blog is just whiney.
DawginLex
August 22nd, 2011
4:00 pm
flat tire
I asked all the QB’s Saturday-they all like them.
I asked the DL and OL-they all liked them
I asked the TE’s-they all liked them
that’s more than 15.
Of course, what do they REALLY think right?
BTW, Arthur Lynch is a big dude. So is Geathers
alex
August 22nd, 2011
4:01 pm
nike=$$,hmmm..
ew ew Buckie Blew
August 22nd, 2011
4:02 pm
old skool still rules!
AltamahaDawg
August 22nd, 2011
4:03 pm
Great article on Artie Lynch in the ABH. I didn’t realize he was so respected for his blocking skills.
BiggdawgK
August 22nd, 2011
4:06 pm
Alan W
I actually am a UGA alumnus and the fact you are getting so upset about my post shows if you are what you claim to be (and I am skeptical to say the least) you are one of those cancers that need to be removed much like the players that left the pgorgram over the summer.
Swami Sez
August 22nd, 2011
4:06 pm
Dawg nation has been duped just like the football team a few weeks ago by CMR. These aint the real uni’s Stay tuned!
McKay
August 22nd, 2011
4:09 pm
Uniforms look good. Its just temporary anyways. Just win and it wont matter!
Atlanta87
August 22nd, 2011
4:10 pm
@ just checking I’ve been to the dome several times. I was there last year watching my team win the SEC Championship. I was there when the Falcons beat the Ravens last year on Thursday night NFL Football. I was there when the field with a basketball court for the SEC championship. I love the dome. It’s just the Falcons home, not the college team I cheer for.
double Whammy
August 22nd, 2011
4:10 pm
CMR has pulled another gimmick on the fans. I believe the Swami !!!!
Dawg1
August 22nd, 2011
4:11 pm
My 18 year old son loves them. I’m not too big on them. I think this is an ‘age’ thing more than anything else. At the end of the day, if the players like them – great!
Robocop
August 22nd, 2011
4:12 pm
Will look great on me for my next movie.
Swami Sez
August 22nd, 2011
4:13 pm
Dawgs will be in different pants at gametime. Mark it down…….
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
August 22nd, 2011
4:13 pm
Arthur Lynch
Was very impressive in the spring game even the ESPN analyst said that
But unfortunatley I expect to see him handing out gator aid to the players. We always utilize our players
mansup
August 22nd, 2011
4:14 pm
UGA’s regular uniforms are pretty uggly anyway…..so what is the uproar ove the change?
just a fan
August 22nd, 2011
4:14 pm
@altamaha dawg do you have a link to that article
AltamahaDawg
August 22nd, 2011
4:17 pm
Now, why would the Swami ruin it?
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
August 22nd, 2011
4:17 pm
Altamaha Dog
Can you read?
35% Hate them
30% Dont like them but say its for the players
So 65% fans dont like them
22% like them
13% Dont care either way
You need to stop trying to one up me bud. Once again you look stupid
AltamahaDawg
August 22nd, 2011
4:17 pm
Athens Banner herald, otherwise known as Dogbytes
DAWG1
August 22nd, 2011
4:19 pm
Hate to say it, but you guys are fickle ga fans….its not about you!!!!! It’s about the team and nike doing something special for them… You act like my baby grankids, if I don’t get your way you throw a fit.
GROW UP JACKASS’S AND GET ON WITH THE GAME
HRPufnstuf
August 22nd, 2011
4:20 pm
I dislike ANYTHING with Nike’s check marks all over it. Makes it look like they bought the team.