Top 10 Uniforms of the 2010s

When thinking of an athlete, team, or league, fans will often visualize what uniform is being worn. Athletes are not as recognizable without their jerseys which all have their differences, between different teams. The 2010s has seen thousands of different uniform combinations, but only 10 of them will make a list of the top uniforms of the 2010s. This list is restricted to teams in the 3 major sports(NFL, MLB, NBA), college football, and college basketball. Hockey was left out because they only have 2 simple “sweaters”, with little deviation.

  1. University of North Carolina Basketball
Photo via: Joshua S. Kelly/USA Today Sports

There is almost no look in college sports that is cleaner than the University of North Carolina’s powder uniforms for their basketball team. Aside from the aesthetics of the jersey, basketball legends such as Michael Jordan have donned the same jersey. It has gone almost without change for a very long time, a timeless look. The Tar Heels add a cherry on top to this look with a stunning facility for their basketball program, complete with walls with quotes, pictures, and a numerous amount of trophies and program awards.

  1. Los Angeles Rams Throwback

The Rams franchise has seen a lot of change since these jerseys were originally worn in the 1980s’. They went from LA to St. Louis, where the look was all but abandoned. In 2016, they moved back to Los Angeles, where they revived the combination. The look is the pinnacle of retro-classic uniforms, with the Rams wearing them around 4-5 times a season. The yellow and blue jersey-pants combo works perfectly together, and the helmet complete with yellow horns, adds the extra affect to this amazing look. 

  1. University of Texas Football

As the saying goes “Everything is bigger in Texas”, this also applies to football, with multiple movies made about the culture of high school and college football. They are also home to one of the most historic college football programs in the country at the University of Texas. The signature orange jersey with the white numbers is one that is unmistakable by those who follow the sport. The tradition that follows the program speaks for itself, but the signature look that accompanies it is just one of a kind. With a group of alumni boosters that allow for the team to have the finances that they do, it just adds to the legacy that these uniforms carry, from former players, and onto future players. 

  1. Green Bay Packers Green Jerseys

When thinking about the NFL and its history, the Green Bay Packers’ uniforms are synonymous in the minds of many. They have seldom changed over the course of their franchise’s existence, and legendary players and coaches have donned the green and yellow. The crisp green on the jerseys blends perfectly with the yellow pants that they pair with them. They also speak about the franchise and city of Green Bay as a whole. The Packers are publicly owned, run, and the only professional sports team in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are quiet, well run, and unassuming, much like the city. The simple, green jerseys are very similar in that sense. The simplicity in the design is what makes them so amazing.                                                                                                                                                                                                         

  1. Utah Jazz City Edition Jerseys

The Utah Jazz are a team that many people can forget from the fact they are located in a city known for a salty lake(Salt Lake City, Utah). There is, though, one of the best fans based in NBA history located

Photo via: Salt Lake Tribune

embedded under the Utah sun. This was the inspiration for these jerseys: the Utah sunset. The jerseys have orange, yellow, and red, all colors of the Utah sunset over the mountaintops. They pair these jerseys with a special court which is colored in the same fashion as the jerseys and has the famous rock formation’s shadow, which is located in Salt Lake City. In this case, the jerseys aren’t just what make this look work, it’s also the court and story behind the look that make it so special.

 

  1. Los Angeles Chargers Powder Blue

The Los Angeles area has seen some incredible uniforms, between the Chargers and Rams, but the Chargers, like the Rams, have not always resided in Los Angeles. The Chargers played in San Diego until 2017, when they couldn’t get a stadium deal, they moved up north to LA. These jerseys are alternates that are worn around 2-3 times a year at home games. They are known as one of the best alternate uniforms in sports. Unfortunately, attendance issues have plagued the Chargers since moving to LA, who have been playing in a soccer stadium with a capacity of 28,000, most of whom are fans of visiting teams. For the fans that do support the Chargers, they can be given the opportunity to witness the clean, powder blue jerseys the Chargers sport. 

  1. Oregon Jerseys

    Photo via: Oregon Ducks Athletics(goducks.com)

This should come as no surprise to anyone who understands the Nike Corporation. Nike is based out of Beavertown is under 100 miles from Oregon’s Eugene campus. This means that Nike gives a lot of money to the Oregon athletics program for uniforms and facilities. Oregon’s football team has over 7,000 combination, and hasn’t worn the same combination twice in a season since 1980. Most people will wear the same sweatshirt or jacket two days in a row. For a football team to never have the same uniforms twice in a row is absurd. It’s not just the sheer amount of combos they have, but the quality of them is off the charts. Some of the best include the throwback jerseys they wear, their all green, all white, and all black uniforms. This shouldn’t take away from the fact that the entire athletics program has insane jerseys for all sports, helping exponentially in recruiting and helping explain how a college football team in Eugene, Oregon, with a population of under 170,000 people, can pack a 100,000 seat stadium every game. 

 

 

  1. Miami Heat Vice Jerseys

 

Miami Heat City Edition Jerseys
Photo via: Miami Heat

The Miami Heat in the early 2010s were known for their teams with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. The Miami Heat in the late 2010s are known for… their city edition jerseys? Like with the Jazz, when Nike took over production of NBA jerseys, they wanted teams to have different looks. One piece of this was a “City Edition” uniform. These were supposed to capture the essence of the city where the team plays. Some were not too great, but Miami knocked theirs out of the park. The jerseys debuted in the 2017-18 season, and they were a smash hit. So much so that the Heat brought back the jersey with a different color theme, changing from black to pink. This year, the jerseys are fluorescent blue, and are made to capture the Miami nightlife, and signs in the downtown area. They also come with a custom court that matches the jerseys. They are worn as alternates, but are arguably the most jerseys in the NBA.

 

  1. Dallas Cowboys White Jerseys

For a team that nicknamed “America’s Team”, there shouldn’t be much of a surprise that they have some of the nicest jerseys in the country. The tradition that comes with these jerseys is unparalleled and recognizable by people who don’t even watch football. The crisp white jerseys they sport are accompanied by light blue pants that complete the look perfectly. They have no shortage of money, too, being one of Forbes’ most valuable sports teams annually. They top out at around 5 billion dollars. The jerseys give the “billion dollar look” to the team. While the uniforms are nice, the team has experienced little on field success, winning 2 playoff games in the last 20 years. “America’s Team” is also the most hated, so the public does not mind the downfall of the Cowboys.

  1. New York Yankees home pinstripes

    Photo via: Pinstripe Alley(Mike Strobe/Getty Images)

Speaking of teams people love to hate, the New York Yankees’ home pinstripe uniforms come in at number 1 on this list. The classic pinstripes are always associated with the team known as the “Evil Empire” due to their 27 World Series titles, and seemingly endless supply of money to spend on players. They wear the pinstripes as their home uniforms, but it would surprise many people to learn that they weren’t the first to wear pinstripes. The Chicago Cubs wore them at first, but the Yankees became synonymous with them. They are a classic uniform that doesn’t look like it’s going to change as long as the Yankees are playing baseball(which isn’t going to change anytime soon). Love them or hate them, give credit where it’s due: the Yankees have nice jerseys.

The teams on this list are, for the most part, known for their on field performance, but the saying “Look good, play good” might just apply.