Eric
Retired Co-Founder
- Messages
- 12,734
If the unis we have worn for the last 6 years HELPED us in recruiting ... My gosh, Heaven have mercy
Who said that?
If the unis we have worn for the last 6 years HELPED us in recruiting ... My gosh, Heaven have mercy
Many have implied & said that it helps recruiting, attracts better S/As, etc.
So if true, and we have benefitted from this theory, Heaven help us.
I personally just care about the record first and foremost.
I don't think anyone cares that much about the uniform. I think it's primarily a boredom offseason conversion.Mediocrity breeds uniform discussions. There, I said it. There is a psychological reason that uniforms become a hot topic at Georgia Tech, and that reason is that the team is perpetually mediocre. When a team is excellent, and maintains that excellence over many seasons, fans do not want the uniform to change. The uniform becomes symbolic of the excellence they see in performance on the field. You do not see fans of the upper tier SEC and Big Ten teams clamoring for uniform changes or quibbling over details. These fans will tolerate "special" uniforms on occasion, but the normal uniform should look very close to what they've seen for years. Yes, I know someone will point out Oregon. The west coast mentality is different, and you have to understand that culture. But for the rest of the country, what I say rings true.
Fans of teams that are mediocre subconsciously project their desire for change in the performance of the team onto the uniform. If the uniforms look different, they don't remind the fans of the history of disappointments. They symbolize a fresh start, an new beginning, an erasure of the past. Details take on an exaggerated importance. If the team could just get the shade of gold correct, they subconsciously believe, then the team would get its act together. If the stripes were angled just so... if the numeric font was tweaked just a bit... then the team would be hammering out championships right and left.
I have to chuckle every time I see a uniform discussion or hear a fan begin ranting about uniforms. I know what's going on in the mind of the fan, and in a way, it's kind of pathetic.
Mediocrity breeds uniform discussions. There, I said it. There is a psychological reason that uniforms become a hot topic at Georgia Tech, and that reason is that the team is perpetually mediocre. When a team is excellent, and maintains that excellence over many seasons, fans do not want the uniform to change. The uniform becomes symbolic of the excellence they see in performance on the field. You do not see fans of the upper tier SEC and Big Ten teams clamoring for uniform changes or quibbling over details. These fans will tolerate "special" uniforms on occasion, but the normal uniform should look very close to what they've seen for years. Yes, I know someone will point out Oregon. The west coast mentality is different, and you have to understand that culture. But for the rest of the country, what I say rings true.
Fans of teams that are mediocre subconsciously project their desire for change in the performance of the team onto the uniform. If the uniforms look different, they don't remind the fans of the history of disappointments. They symbolize a fresh start, an new beginning, an erasure of the past. Details take on an exaggerated importance. If the team could just get the shade of gold correct, they subconsciously believe, then the team would get its act together. If the stripes were angled just so... if the numeric font was tweaked just a bit... then the team would be hammering out championships right and left.
I have to chuckle every time I see a uniform discussion or hear a fan begin ranting about uniforms. I know what's going on in the mind of the fan, and in a way, it's kind of pathetic.
Agreed. The kid needs a war face.Someone needs to show Gotsis how to look mean. The kid can play (no question), but he needs more of a scowl.
/
Mediocrity breeds uniform discussions. There, I said it. There is a psychological reason that uniforms become a hot topic at Georgia Tech, and that reason is that the team is perpetually mediocre. When a team is excellent, and maintains that excellence over many seasons, fans do not want the uniform to change. The uniform becomes symbolic of the excellence they see in performance on the field. You do not see fans of the upper tier SEC and Big Ten teams clamoring for uniform changes or quibbling over details. These fans will tolerate "special" uniforms on occasion, but the normal uniform should look very close to what they've seen for years. Yes, I know someone will point out Oregon. The west coast mentality is different, and you have to understand that culture. But for the rest of the country, what I say rings true.
Fans of teams that are mediocre subconsciously project their desire for change in the performance of the team onto the uniform. If the uniforms look different, they don't remind the fans of the history of disappointments. They symbolize a fresh start, an new beginning, an erasure of the past. Details take on an exaggerated importance. If the team could just get the shade of gold correct, they subconsciously believe, then the team would get its act together. If the stripes were angled just so... if the numeric font was tweaked just a bit... then the team would be hammering out championships right and left.
I have to chuckle every time I see a uniform discussion or hear a fan begin ranting about uniforms. I know what's going on in the mind of the fan, and in a way, it's kind of pathetic.
I hear a lot of folks reference the GT brand and the history behind the uniform. This is just my 2 cents in response to that. Hopefully this resonates with a few folks.
Context - I'm in my 30's and enrolled at GT in 2002. Pre-GT I spent my first 18 years in Syracuse, went to almost every 'Cuse home game, and watched football non-stop on Saturdays. As a result I consider myself more than just an average college football fan with some representative, outside perspective. I chose GT in part due to its relevance in college football and college basketball.
Before coming to GT -
- I had no idea what a traditional GT uniform looked like
- I had no idea GT always wore white at home and on the road
- I had no idea who Bobby Dodd was
- I had no idea GT had 4 national championships
I realize there are a lot of variables that might have changed that. If I had grown up in the southeast in the era of (primarily) local game-watching options, perhaps I would understand. Perhaps I would have learned those things with age, who knows. I'm sure some believe this is an "ignorant yankee" attitude. Really though I hope this just comes across as another perspective, and I believe the four bullet points above likely reflect what the majority of college football fans across the country understand as well (especially those who grew up in the 80's or later).
For the record, I like the uniforms in the poster. The point is, unless folks just want old uniforms for the sake of identifying with our fellow GT fans, I don't see much of a reason to hang our hats on "our identity" which few identify with. All of this is even more true when we start posturing about what 18-year-old, ESPN/FS1/RSN/BIG Network/PAC Network-era recruits like, which is ultimately who the new designs are targeting.
Its funny how uni threads are frowned upon and yet they are very active threads.
And the players and recruits like the honeycomb. Guess Russell has better taste (where it counts) than us old fogeys