The Official 2020 Color Debate Thread

[chris975d]

If Adidas had the University of Texas uniform contract, would they use a readily available color, like navy or black?
Since, Burnt Orange and Old Gold are comparable.

Not really a valid comparison. You have a MUCH, MUCH larger overall fan base there (one of top 2 most valuable football teams). The numbers of items sold overall will be much greater. It’s simply a numbers game for an apparel maker. You cannot uncouple the fact that GT is a very low selling apparel/merch brand from the gold discussion. We (GT) don’t sell a lot of “stuff” for manufacturers, period (low demand). Couple that with a very low selling colorway (gold), and you just don’t have enough takers. Heck, just visit our bookstore and actually people watch. I do this a lot actually, because consumer habits actually interest me. You will see people pick up more navy/black/charcoal items than you will gold, even when gold is offered side by side. It’s pretty interesting actually.

Short version....buy more gold. Keep it off of the manufacturers closeout lists that Dicks, etc (even my small shop) gets, and you will eventually get more. Make it worth Adidas’ time...or Under Armour, or Nike, or whoever. And don’t be cheap. Buy it, and buy a lot of it.

 

[yeti92]

You TRULY believe that a company that specializes in SELLING apparel is going to make a team’s apparel in colors they (the fans) don’t prefer?

Absolutely, if they believe the color fans do want won't sell enough to be worthwhile. They have warehouses full of blank navy blue shirts for every team with that color and reason under the sun, its very generic and can be used for basically anything. A specific gold shirt that goes to one team with a small fanbase and would otherwise be unpopular and useless to have inventory of is going to cost them way more to produce, and even if the gold is much more popular than blue, they know if they take away the gold option a lot of the people who would have bought gold will just buy blue instead. And let's not pretend like adidas has their **** together, even you know they can't get fit and sizing, labeling, or quality consistently right. It's not that gold is more popular, its that gold would have to outsell blue 10 to 1 for them to give a damn.

 

[chris975d]

Absolutely, if they believe the color fans do want won't sell enough to be worthwhile. They have warehouses full of blank navy blue shirts for every team with that color and reason under the sun, its very generic and can be used for basically anything. A specific gold shirt that goes to one team with a small fanbase and would otherwise be unpopular and useless to have inventory of is going to cost them way more to produce, and even if the gold is much more popular than blue, they know if they take away the gold option a lot of the people who would have bought gold will just buy blue instead. And let's not pretend like adidas has their **** together, even you know they can't get fit and sizing, labeling, or quality consistently right. It's not that gold is more popular, its that gold would have to outsell blue 10 to 1 for them to give a damn.

Yes, everything you said probably does factor in as well. But all that does tie in together with “it has to be worth their (Adidas’ time) which I’ve been trying to say all along.

Ultimately we need to buy more gold. We need to ask for more gold, and when/if they (or anyone) makes it, buy it. If we want it, we can’t let it go back as closeout merch to be wholesaled pennies on the dollar.

And this isn’t just on the frugal fanbase. If this is a genuine issue anyone wants to solve, GTAA needs push the message that we are white and gold. Not give networks predominantly blue media packages and graphics. Not give out blue shirts to the first xxx fans. Not license as much non white/gold gear. And the teams/coaches need to win/have success/promote our brand to show that wearing white and gold is cool and desirable.

Again, that’s if the majority even think this is a problem. Of course I’d rather have gold/white apparel and buy it when see it, but I’d also rather have any color (other than red) with a properly colored GT on it, than none at all, or a reduced amount available. I’ll wear my GT one anything I can get that I like, or if not, I’ve recently started to put my own GT on items that I want and can’t get.

 

[Gold1]

Look, Adidas apparently can’t make enough gold apparel which is just sad for such a big company

 

[OlaJacket]

Look, Adidas apparently can’t make enough gold apparel which is just sad for such a big company

Adidas has laid an egg on gold merchandise and our Athletic Department has turned a blind eye to their own fanbase. I will not buy another Adidas product, and I have bought a LOT, until they get out more GOLD. There is no way they sell more blue items if they put out more gold items. Of course they sell more blue **** now because that is all they have for sale.

 

[chris975d]

Adidas has laid an egg on gold merchandise and our Athletic Department has turned a blind eye to their own fanbase. I will not buy another Adidas product, and I have bought a LOT, until they get out more GOLD. There is no way they sell more blue items if they put out more gold items. Of course they sell more blue **** now because that is all they have for sale.

Then please explain why blue sells better than gold when both are offered in the same item?

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

And this isn’t just on the frugal fanbase. If this is a genuine issue anyone wants to solve, GTAA needs push the message that we are white and gold. Not give networks predominantly blue media packages and graphics. Not give out blue shirts to the first xxx fans. Not license as much non white/gold gear. And the teams/coaches need to win/have success/promote our brand to show that wearing white and gold is cool and desirable.

AMEN !!!

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

We are unfortunately past the point of no return. When, for whatever the hell their reasons were, Homer Rice and Bobby Cremins decided they wanted blue to be our tertiary (now secondary) color and started wearing blue uniforms (only in men's basketball initially), they started all this. Prior to then, although I don't think many fan bases at all wore school-oriented gear all that much in public, all you could get at Tech shops (on campus and off) was gold, with a smattering of grey. Then the NCAA stuck their stupid noses into the fray by forcing home teams to wear dark jerseys in football, and Tech started wearing blue ones. From that point on, fans, media, even opponents started thinking Tech's primary color was blue, and blue on-the-street-wear started popping up everywhere. Since that is thankfully no longer an NCAA requirement for uniforms, I just wish would go back to the classic white and gold uniforms in ALL sports. Would that effect availability and sales of on-the-street-wear? Initially, probably very little, but in time, when people realize what our real colors are, it COULD. But the way Tech literally pushes blue on everyone, there will have to be a complete change of the mindset from with the Tech Athletics administration, and particularly marketing.

 

[SOWEGA Jacket]

I posted awhile back that every time I’m in ATL I go by the bookstore with $300-$400 in my pocket ready to buy for the family. And every time I’ve walked out with the money still in my pocket. Last time I did buy a gold adidas t-shirt that was pretty cool, but the lack of gold is just frustrating. I always like to go other campus bookstores and ours is by far the worst. I was in NYC and made it by Columbia University. Their bookstore was all baby blue. Just give us gold with a few blue or white alternatives.

 

[chris975d]

We are unfortunately past the point of no return. When, for whatever the hell their reasons were, Homer Rice and Bobby Cremins decided they wanted blue to be our tertiary (now secondary) color and started wearing blue uniforms (only in men's basketball initially), they started all this. Prior to then, although I don't think many fan bases at all wore school-oriented gear all that much in public, all you could get at Tech shops (on campus and off) was gold, with a smattering of grey. Then the NCAA stuck their stupid noses into the fray by forcing home teams to wear dark jerseys in football, and Tech started wearing blue ones. From that point on, fans, media, even opponents started thinking Tech's primary color was blue, and blue on-the-street-wear started popping up everywhere. Since that is thankfully no longer an NCAA requirement for uniforms, I just wish would go back to the classic white and gold uniforms in ALL sports. Would that effect availability and sales of on-the-street-wear? Initially, probably very little, but in time, when people realize what our real colors are, it COULD. But the way Tech literally pushes blue on everyone, there will have to be a complete change of the mindset from with the Tech Athletics administration, and particularly marketing.

Well, a lot of our athletes and even students prefer to wear blue, and prefer it when our teams do. Watch the chatter on social media when football wears something other than gold or white, and even when I was on campus in the mid to late 90s, blue was viewed by the students as cool and “special” when teams wore it. At this point I think blue is here to stay, but I do wish there was more gold options.

To be fair, this uniform would not look as good in gold. And lots of people like this look.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

Well, a lot of our athletes and even students prefer to wear blue, and prefer it when our teams do. Watch the chatter on social media when football wears something other than gold or white, and even when I was on campus in the mid to late 90s, blue was viewed by the students as cool and “special” when teams wore it. At this point I think blue is here to stay, but I do wish there was more gold options.

To be fair, this uniform would not look as good in gold. And lots of people like this look.

I object more to the backdrop in that photo than to the uniform. I understand the pinstripes, but why can't "Jackets" and the number on the uniform be gold?

The students and athletes would not prefer the blue, if it had never been introduced to begin with by Rice and Cremins. That's why I say we are past the point of no return now. But when the girls' volleyball and softball teams exclusively (or almost exclusively) wear blue, it frankly disgusts me.

 

[Gold1]

Then please explain why blue sells better than gold when both are offered in the same item?

Once again gold sells out the fastest every time but they just don’t vary much of it which is the frustrating part

 

[Gold1]

Well, a lot of our athletes and even students prefer to wear blue, and prefer it when our teams do. Watch the chatter on social media when football wears something other than gold or white, and even when I was on campus in the mid to late 90s, blue was viewed by the students as cool and “special” when teams wore it. At this point I think blue is here to stay, but I do wish there was more gold options.

To be fair, this uniform would not look as good in gold. And lots of people like this look.

To be fair this year Baseball is only wearing white and gold unis this year from what’s been touted on social media

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

To be fair this year Baseball is only wearing white and gold unis this year from what’s been touted on social media

Maybe somebody at Tech is finally waking up.

 

[GT flunkout]

I actually do more than just buy everything gold I can find. I refuse to purchase anything blue. Even when they put out something that looks decent I don't buy it. I'd rather buy truly neutral colors like charcoal and gray.

 

[JacketOff]

To be fair this year Baseball is only wearing white and gold unis this year from what’s been touted on social media

Huh? They literally unveiled brand new pinstriped uniforms without any gold besides the hat. They generally wear throwback “TECH” unis on Friday’s, white hats gold jerseys on Saturday, all whites or pinstripes on Sundays. Whichever isn’t worn on Sunday is usually worn on Tuesday. On the road they wear Gray on Friday and Sunday, Blue on Saturday.

 

[chris975d]

Once again gold sells out the fastest every time but they just don’t vary much of it which is the frustrating part

Are you sure about that? Can you show some numbers on it from things you’ve sold, where you’ve talked to either bookstore or fanatics employees, or adidas (or Nike, or under Armour, or New Era, or 47Brand, or Peter Millar, or any other currently top tier/high selling collegiate apparel maker)? I have, and the reason you think you see that is simply because less gold items are produced than navy. They are pretty good as forecasting production based on previous demand and sell through. If their numbers show that historically when they make 100 gold items, only 50 sell, then they eventually only make 50 gold items. Whereas if their data shows 300 blue sell, then they make that many. No manufacturer wants to make (or wholesale buyer wants to buy) more than can be sold without closing out/discounting. Historically across all retail channels, gold has been a poor seller (so has GT in general, but that’s a bit of a different topic).

Fewer gold GT anythings are made, by design, based on historical sell through. So fewer things, equals quicker sell through, if they’ve done their forecasting correctly.

Open a wholesale account with adidas, new era, 47 brand, Peter millar, even Nike, and call them and ask or make friends in the company. They will tell you. And with Nike, their teams sports division regularly makes and stocks a gold...everything. Its called “team gold”. I have a closet full of it with and without our GT (I put my own GTs on things that don’t have it). Under Armour is the same way. It’s “Vegas gold” under their label/team sports division. And they both are very close to “sand” that Adidas uses (the UA Vegas gold is the best match for our Pantone of “Tech gold”, in my opinion). But ask them how much of either they sell/how much demand there is for those golds with GT on it, compared to their other (white, gray, navy) offerings in the same style.

 

[Gold1]

Huh? They literally unveiled brand new pinstriped uniforms without any gold besides the hat. They generally wear throwback “TECH” unis on Friday’s, white hats gold jerseys on Saturday, all whites or pinstripes on Sundays. Whichever isn’t worn on Sunday is usually worn on Tuesday. On the road they wear Gray on Friday and Sunday, Blue on Saturday.

I guess I meant mainly white and gold but it’s an improvement for sure

 

[JacketOff]

I guess I meant mainly white and gold but it’s an improvement for sure

They’ve always worn white or gold at home. There’s some policy in place that mandates it. I’m not sure if it comes from GTAA, or if CDH and Co. just self police it. The only time GT baseball wears blue is on the road.
On another GT baseball note. All of the coloring around RCS has been green, but a lot of it is turning blue this season. The dugouts have been repainted, the padding on the dugouts has also switched from green to blue. The outfield wall padding and chairback seats have remained green though.

 

[Gold1]

They’ve always worn white or gold at home. There’s some policy in place that mandates it. I’m not sure if it comes from GTAA, or if CDH and Co. just self police it. The only time GT baseball wears blue is on the road.
On another GT baseball note. All of the coloring around RCS has been green, but a lot of it is turning blue this season. The dugouts have been repainted, the padding on the dugouts has also switched from green to blue. The outfield wall padding and chairback seats have remained green though.

I know all about the baseball uniforms. Thank you tho.