July, 2005:

• U. of Arizona to Unveil New Football Uniforms (NCAA)
  July 30, 2005
  The University of Arizona football team will break out new, retro-look jerseys next week. Recruits have seen the prototypes, and stores have had mock styles in stock for several weeks. They will be on display for the first time on the current Wildcats during the team's media day Aug. 6. "I am really happy with the way they turned out," Arizona coach Mike Stoops said yesterday. "We are very excited, the kids are very excited. I think they came out great."
  Source: www.azcentral.com
   
• Nike Brands Shoes with Kobe Logo (National Basketball Association)
  July 29, 2005
  First came the ad. Now comes the symbol. Nike unveiled its Kobe Bryant logo on the fourth version of its Air Huarache 2K5 shoes, which debuted Tuesday. In the place of the traditional Nike swoosh on the heel is the new design. Bryant becomes one of the few athletes -- joining Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, LeBron James and Vince Carter -- who have been deemed worthy of getting their own marks. The company signed Bryant to a five-year, $40 million deal in June 2003, just days before he was accused of raping a 19-year-old woman in Colorado. Since criminal charges against Bryant have been dropped and the civil suit was settled, Nike has slowly been rolling out its campaign for the Los Angeles Lakers guard.
  Source: www.espn.com
   
• Uni Watch by Paul Lukas - "Playin' the Powder Blues"
  July 28, 2005
  Listen up, retro fans. Do you pine for the Astros' rainbow-stripe jerseys? Does your heart go thump-thump-thump at the sight of the Pirates' bumblebee outfits? Do you even have a soft spot in your heart for some of those old Padres monstrosities? Don't expect to see those designs resurfacing anytime soon. But Uni Watch has it on good authority that another signature style from that period may soon be reappearing on MLB diamonds: the powder blue road uniform. As we speak, there's an MLB team out there pondering the possibility of switching to road blues, probably for 2007.
  Source: www.espn.com
   
• Tulsa 66ers Unveil Nickname, Logo (NBA Development League)
  July 28, 2005
  The NBA Development League team in Tulsa announced today that its nickname will be the “66ers”. The Tulsa 66ers, a reference to the Route 66 highway that runs throughout the region, was chosen as the team’s official nickname from numerous submissions in a contest to name the team. A unique logo, which features a highway leading to a basketball setting over the western mountains, helps give the team its new identity.
  Source: www.nba.com/dleague/tulsa/
   
• Arkansas RimRockers Unveil New Logo (NBA Development League)
  July 27, 2005
  The 2005-06 season brings a new league, the NBA Development League, and a new logo to the Arkansas RimRockers. The RimRockers adopted a new logo, which was designed by the NBA’s creative marketing team. The logo is a reflection of Arkansas’ transition into the D-league. When the RimRockers acquired the new logo, they also gained a slight variation in their original colors, which ultimately are still red, white and blue.
  Source: www.nba.com/dleague/arkansas/
   
• Kansas City Royals Don't Plan to Bring Back the Powder Blues - Yet (MLB/American League)
  July 27, 2005
  That column last week about the Royals changing their uniforms next season — they’re junking the sleeveless shirts for a more traditional Royals look — brought a high volume of response from fans who basically had one question: Does this mean the Royals are bringing back the powder-blue road uniforms? “Not at this point, sorry to say,” said Royals vice president of communications David Witty. “But I can say we have had numerous discussions about the powder blues. In fact we just had one about a week ago. “I would personally like to see them again.”
  Source: www.kansascity.com
   
• Drake U. Unveils New Athletic Marks (NCAA)
  July 26, 2005
  Drake University President David Maxwell and Drake Athletic Director Dave Blank unveiled a bold new logo and design for all Bulldog Athletics in a news conference today. The new logo features an updated, more realistic Bulldog mascot and a sharp new typeface that highlight Drake’s traditional blue and white colors. "Our new logo is a product of much feedback from various constituents on and off the Drake University campus," Blank said. "Our top priorities included creating a new and distinctive "D" along with an exciting version of Spike on the move. I am very comfortable that our result accomplished both goals in a classy manner."
  Source: www.drake.edu
   
• Colorado Avalanche Unveils 10th Anniversary Logo (National Hockey League)
  July 25, 2005
  The Colorado Avalanche will embark on its Tenth Anniversary season in 2005-06 following an agreement ratified Friday by the National Hockey League and the NHL Players’ Association. "We are excited that the National Hockey League and NHL Players’ Association have ratified a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and we can now turn our attention towards our Tenth Anniversary season in Colorado," said Avalanche President & General Manager Pierre Lacroix. "As our League enters a new era, I would like to thank all of our loyal fans and business partners for their patience and support."
  Source: www.coloradoavalanche.com
   
• National Hockey League Unveils New Logo (National Hockey League)
  July 22, 2005
  The League's updated mark uses upward-reading letters to project a vibrant, optimistic image, yet defers to tradition by maintaining the time-honored shape of the original shield. The updated logo's dominant color is silver, in homage to the most cherished trophy in sports, the sterling silver Stanley Cup.
  
  Source: www.nhl.com
   
• Kansas City Royals to Unveil New Uniforms for 2006 (MLB/American League)
  July 22, 2005
  We hear that those new-look Royals uniforms the club introduced for the 2002 season are about to go through another dramatic makeover. In fact, Royals vice president of communications David Witty confirmed the team is strongly considering abandoning the sleeveless uniforms, both home and away, as well as cutting back on the amount of the color black that was introduced in ’02. “We would like to get back to the more traditional look of the Royals,” Witty said. “We tried something a few years ago, and now we feel we just got away from the Royals tradition a bit and want to get back to it.”
  Source: www.kansascity.com
   
• AZCardinals.com - "The Last of a Dying Breed - Cardinals Punter Scott Player"
  July 21, 2005
  When punter Scott Player steps off the field for the final time, it will mark the end of an era in the National Football League. The pending retirements of kicker Gary Anderson and of punter Sean Landetta, have left the Cardinal veteran as the lone remaining player to use the single (or one-bar) helmet. The one-bar face mask design has a long history in the NFL dating back 50 years ago. Well-known Hall of Famers including Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, George Blanda and even Cardinals favorite Larry Wilson all excelled wearing the now-dated style. Citing safety concerns, the NFL now prohibits players from wearing the "one-bar." An exception was made for the few remaining players still wearing it - similar to what the National Hockey League did when it mandated helmets and visors for its players in the 1980s.
  Source: www.azcardinals.com
   
• NBDL Adopts New Name, Logo (NBA Development League)
  July 19, 2005
  The NBDL has changed its name to the NBA Development League to better reflect the future role of the league within the new NBA-NBPA's Collective Bargaining Agreement. Along with the new name, the league has adopted new primary and secondary logos, a new official Spalding Infusion basketball, and several uniform enhancements. In addition to the official name change, the league will also officially adopt the nickname of "D-League" already widely used by fans and players.
  Source: www.nba.com/dleague
   
• BaseballTruth.com - "Throwback Unis"
  July 19, 2005
  At least one good thing came out of the White Sox's farewell to old Comiskey Park in 1990: The dawn of the throwback uniform. The Sox spent years badmouthing their aging yard, then spent a year declaring it the best place on the planet as the new monstrosity rose across the street. But for all the many missteps in that final season, the team got one thing right. On July 11, the Sox took the field dressed in uniforms similar to those worn in 1917, their last championship season.
  Source: www.baseballtruth.com
   
• Uni Watch by Paul Lukas - "MLB Midseason Fashion Report"
  July 14, 2005
  Forget about bragging rights, league pride, or home-field advantage for the World Series. If Major League Baseball really wants to increase interest in the All-Star Game, it should just do what it did a few nights ago in Detroit: Use the game to showcase a new uniform innovation. In case you missed it, Uni Watch is referring to the new batting helmets that were worn during the game. The new lids featured a molded crown, side vents, back vents, and slightly elongated earholes. And for good measure, they slapped the All-Star Game logo on the back (a bit of logo creep that Uni Watch is willing to forgive, since the new helmets, rather surprisingly, didn't feature the MLB logo). Think of it as the baseball version of the Riddell Revolution.
  Source: www.espn.com
   
• Auburn Football Unveils New Alternate Jersey (Parody Article) (NCAA)
  July 14, 2005
  (The following article is a parody, and is not to be taken seriously!) In the first major uniform change in over fifty years, the Auburn University Athletics department unveiled the alternate football jersey that will be worn by the team at select games this year. Athletics Director Jay Jacobs headed up the ceremony held in the Athletic Complex. "This is the first in a series of uniform changes that will take place. The overall goal is to phase out the current uniform completely by 2007."
  Source: www.theauburnweekly.com
   
• Toledo Storm Unveils 15th Anniversary Logo (ECHL (hockey))
  July 14, 2005
  The Toledo Storm on Thursday unveiled the team’s 15th Anniversary logo. The logo has “Toledo” in solid red letters above “Storm” which is written in letters that are black on top fading to white at the bottom. The letter “R” in storm has a lightning bolt coming out of it. Beneath “Storm” is “XV” in red letters and 1991-2006 in black letters. The text is surrounded by the symbol for hurricanes which has three stripes of light blue, dark blue and black.
  Source: www.echl.com, www.toledostorm.com
   
• Utah Blaze Unveils Logo, Nickname (Arena Football League)
  July 14, 2005
  The newest professional sports franchise on the Utah landscape is the Arena Football League’s Utah Blaze. Ending months of anticipation and speculation about the team name and logo, Blaze President Jason Jones, made the announcement today during a press conference at the Delta Center, where the team will begin play in January of 2006. “In 2002 the world got to know Utah through the Olympics and the tag line there was ‘Light the fire within’”, remarked John Garff, COO and President of Garff Automotive Group, which owns the new AFL franchise. “In 2006 that fire will burn hotter than ever when the Blaze takes the field in January.”
  Source: www.utahafl.com
   
• Portland LumberJax Unveils Nickname, Logo (National Lacrosse League)
  July 12, 2005
  Angela Batinovich, owner of Portland's expansion franchise in the National Lacrosse League, announced LumberJax as the team name, a callous-looking lumberjack figure as the logo, and black and gold as team colors. The LumberJax new website has been launched at www.PortlandJax.com. "Of the 3,067 entries submitted in the 'Name the team Contest,' entries were submitted as LumberJax or Lumberjacks," said Batinovich. "After we narrowed the contest to three names, the LumberJax won with 46% of the public vote on the website over the Shadow with 32% and the Fear with 23%. Leading up to the final voting, we manufactured logos, marketing schemes, and potential charity partners for each name and we are thrilled to partner with the World Forestry Center from the initial announcement. This is an exciting time for the Portland community, as we continue to grow the foundation of this team."
  Source: www.nll.com
   
• Hofstra U. Unveils New Athletic Marks (NCAA)
  July 12, 2005
  Hofstra University today unveiled the new logo for Pride Athletic teams. The logo rollout coincides with the display of the University's new logo. Both may be viewed on the Hofstra website at www.hofstra.edu. All Hofstra athletic teams are now officially known as the Pride, providing teams with a strong, consistent image. The new Hofstra Athletics logo consists of a graphic mark of a male and female lion in powerful, synchronized motion with the word mark of the Hofstra Pride or the specific sports team. This logo will be the only one used by Hofstra Athletics.
  Source: www.hofstra.edu
   
• Detroit Pistons Introduce New Logos (National Basketball Association)
  July 11, 2005
  The Detroit Pistons are pleased to introduce a new primary and secondary logo for the 2005-06 season. Returning to a more traditional primary identity, the Pistons have made a point to strengthen their connection with the area by including the word "Detroit". They have also eliminated any and all horse representation. The most prominent use of the new primary logo will be at center court on the Pistons floor. The secondary logo, which incorporates a subtle "D" inside the Pistons "P", will appear on the players' uniform shorts. Official colors for the new logos are PMS 199 (red), PMS 293 (royal blue) and PMS 282 (navy blue).
  Source: www.nba.com/pistons
   
• Indianapolis Star - "No Runs, No Hits, No Arrows"
  July 8, 2005
  Twenty years ago this summer, Indianapolis was standing up and beating its chest. The former "Naptown" was getting glowing national reviews. "Cinderella of the Rust Belt," Newsweek called it. Downtown's rebirth was hitting full stride. The Indianapolis Colts had just finished their first season at the Hoosier Dome, the facility that jump-started the city's convention business. Conventioneers walking down Meridian or Washington streets might even have seen a T-shirt or two touting the Indianapolis Arrows -- the name of a proposed Major League Baseball team the city hoped to lure.
  Source: www.indystar.com
   
• Pee Dee Cyclones Unveil Logo (Southern Professional Hockey League)
  July 7, 2005
  The Pee Dee Cyclones of the Southern Professional Hockey League have released their new team logo which consists of an angry, stick-wielding woodpecker, named Cy, on top of a cyclone. The new logo incorporates the team’s colors which will be red, white, and blue. The Pee Dee Cyclones logo was designed by Erik Byrd from Sign Sational of Florence, South Carolina. “We are very pleased with the new logo and hope the sports fans of the Pee Dee like it,” said Cyclones team owner, Dr. Richard Hoodenpyle.
  Source: www.thesphl.com
   
• Washington State U. Unveils New Men's Football Uniforms (NCAA)
  July 3, 2005
  A few years have passed since the retro jersey craze started spreading across the nation, and it would appear that Washington State has finally come up with the most fitting answer for the trend. Instead of selling jerseys that look like something out of a locker room from decades ago, the Cougars have decided to put those jerseys – or something like them – back into the current locker room. WSU will be sporting a new look this fall and it is, in a phrase, old school.
  Source: www.spokesmanreview.com