Nike NFL Uniforms: Why Football, Not Fashion, Is Where Real Money Lies

Nike will unveil its new NFL uniforms tomorrow, and the Internet is abuzz with speculation concerning what the new threads will look like.

Personally, I don't get it. This whole uniform roll-out is nothing more than a publicity stunt. Sure, some people will run out and immediately purchase new jerseys, but those will likely be dedicated fans who would have done so regardless of what the unis looked like.

The key for teams selling merchandise is, and always has been, success on the football field. Fans want to wear jerseys of their favorite teams with pride when they are good on the field. Few actually rep their squads during down seasons. Yes, you can call those people bandwagon fans, but in reality, that designation probably makes up a significant majority of the football watching public. 

In addition to teams, fans like to wear a specific player's jersey. And that kind of loyalty typically has nothing to do with how that uniform looks. They'll wear an Adrian Peterson jersey because he's great, not because they love the shade of purple the Minnesota Vikings are using. 

If you want proof of that, remember that Tim Tebow had one of the NFL's best-selling jerseys in 2011. There is no way that that many people really liked the Denver Broncos' hideous orange unis. 

I get what the NFL and Nike are doing with the massive amount of jersey hype. They are trying to fill the gap between the heated early days of free agency and the upcoming hit of draft evaluation news with something different. I just think it's ridiculous. 

I personally don't really care what Nike's new jersey designs will end up looking like. I'd rather get back to focusing on breaking down which teams will do what in the draft and how their rosters are shaping up to look on the field next season. 

After all, isn't that what we should really care about?