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There’s a strong argument to be made that these are the best jerseys in the NFL. The current uniforms they wear are essentially a cleaned up version of their original uniforms.
SB Nation writer Harry Lyles Jr. shared this sentiment on Tuesday in an article highlighting the 6 sharpest NFL uniforms. The thought here is that a simpler uniform equates to a sharper look. Much to the dismay of Los Angeles Rams’ fans, Lyles Jr. was referencing the Sunday garb worn by the San Francisco 49ers.
The Rams - who’ve got a pair of beautiful throwbacks in their closet - and their fans currently find themselves in a waiting game for a makeover. It’s not until 2020, when the Rams open their new stadium, that the team or the fans will be able to don the new look.
“Fauxbacks” is what fellow SB Nation writer Charles McDonald referred to them as in his recent article highlighting NFL uni’s in need of an upgrade: “somewhere stuck between trying to look modern while also giving the past the respect it deserves.” In this article, McDonald reached out to a close friend and artist for Nike, Nate James, who weighed in of few of his company’s not so stellar current uniforms. Here’s his (and seemingly everyone else’s) take on the state of the current Rams’ getup:
They’re stuck between ideas here and they need to pick one. The white horned helmet looks fine, but if they go with that they need to get the rest of the gold out of the uniform. But the solution for them is easy - wear the royal and yellow throwbacks.
“Get the rest of the gold out of the uniform” that I’m guessing players and fans alike can agree upon. And while there will always be a debate about whether the team should revert back to the blue and whites (which they appear to be doing), or the royal and yellow-s, either combination is far superior to what they’ll be rocking in 2018.
The solution, however, is not as easy as James suggests. The Rams can’t simply just show up in the royal blue and yellow-s whenever they’d like. As it stands, the league, who could loosen the reigns a little bit, is only permitting them to wear those throwbacks in three games this season. Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News noted in June that the Rams “are still seeking permission to wear throwbacks as many times as they want. So stay tuned.”
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There’s no shortage of fans, and you may be one of them, vowing not to purchase a jersey, or apparel of any kind, that features the gold in it. Nor should they. Why spend (read: waste) your money on a uniform that a) the whole fan base hates, and b) is known to be obsolete in two years? And let’s face the facts. The Rams don’t have to wait until 2020 to unveil the new look, making merchandise available for purchase. That’s simply the direction they’ve chosen to go.
Maybe sometime in the very near future we’ll hear the league provide the Rams with a bit of good news — affording them the opportunity to step away from any garment featuring heavy amounts of navy blue with dashes of gold and wear those throwbacks whenever they’d like. It’s probably more likely the Rams take the field for the majority of the season wearing an unpolished uniform that nobody likes, no one wants to buy, and everyone needs to provide commentary on.
Again, there’s still 51 days until the regular season kicks off, and it sounds as if the Rams are working to upgrade their look, even if temporarily.
So, as Bonsignore suggested, stay tuned.