Even though they don't play until Sunday, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were a busy team today.
The Blue Bombers were on hand at their new "Blue Bomber Shop" to showcase their new '50s throwback jerseys that they and the Toronto Argonauts will be wearing two times this year.
History is what the Canadian Football League is about. It is nice to see the league and teams finally start using that as a marketing technique.
While the National Football League is the big money, fans that love rivalries and history are usually either a Canadian Football League or NCAA football fan. Only these two leagues can really lay any claim to the true development of football and have each played for almost 100 years.
At the unveiling, players from the actual historic teams of the past such as Hall of Fame quarterback Kenny Ploen, kicker Trevor Kennerd, future Hall of Famer Milt Stegall, and current players such as defensive end Tom Canada, receiver Arjei Franklin, and starting quarterback Kevin Glenn all helped showcase the new jerseys and signed autographs.
Are the jerseys any good? Each to their own I would think. I, personally, am a fan of their gold "alternate" jerseys, yet even in the shop I could hear a fan talking about how much they dislike them.
Do you like West Virginia's NCAA jersey? I feel they look pretty similar.
Regardless of whether they are what you personally like or not, what is great is their partnership with Reebok. It was announced that this partnership has been extended for another five years.
This is great news for the CFL because let's get serious about Canadian marketing: It sucks. The CFL (and most Canadians) just don't know how to do it. There is a reason there is so much inferior product out there, and our league has had struggles in the past—the CFL just doesn't know how to market.
Oh, but they try. Remember "Radically Canadian" or "Our Balls Are Bigger", or perhaps the new slogan that seems to be getting punched around now, "This is Our Game"?
Cheesiness aside, Reebok—heck, any athletic shoe company—knows how to do things right. They live off of marketing and it shows. Look at how many people are wearing CFL product now. I have never seen this amount since, well, "Brock Busters" in 1983!
Another bonus to this partnership with Reebok is the product quality control. Remember those dark blue jerseys of the nineties with white sleeves? One sleeve had a "W" facing forward and the other sleeve had the same logo but backwards to try and fit?
Ridiculous, yet it happened. Reebok wouldn't have let it though. With this partnership with Reebok, there will be all kinds of comments, positive and negative. I think most are quite happy to get another type of Blue Bomber jersey. Some will ask, "Just how many cash grabs does the CFL need?" and ask to please stop with the jerseys.
Heck, if it gets the kids and fans wearing them, offering promotion for the league and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who cares?
2 comments Last one added 10 months ago — Leave a Comment
Qorvus Qorax 10 months ago
I remember when Reebok originally got the contract for the jerseys a few yers ago, one of the big things they did was define the gold colour the Bombers use in terms of a pantone. This meant that regardless of what was being produced, it would be the same colour gold. This hadn't been done before, which is unbelievalbe to me, but ties into what you say about Canadian marketing.
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Kelly Bundle 10 months ago
My first reaction was blah. But they are pretty sharp after all.
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