The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Since I was old enough to remember I have been a Tottenham Hotspur (Spurs) fan. In recent seasons it has become the norm for clubs to redesign their playing kits each year. Last week the Spurs website showcased the club's (three) new designs for the 09/10 season.

Yes, the home shirt is still (largely) white, the shorts still (mostly) navy, and the socks (for the most part) white. Some years I like our kit; other years I don’t. But there is more to it than that. As for the latest offerings, I’ll let you judge for yourselves.

The home shirt sports a mustard-colored V that crosses over each shoulder. Hideous. They ruin what would otherwise be a decent shirt. In any case, yellow on white is not a good color combination. What were the designers thinking? Perhaps the club knows something we don’t, and the yellow stripes will make the players run faster and play better. Call it restyling. Call it exploitation. Call it what you will. I call it ugly.

Then there’s the second and third kits, where the colors change each year. Consider: Last season’s second kit was sky blue, now it's navy; the third kit was black, now yellow. Tradition in an age of global branding means nothing. Even as a Spurs fan I thought the absence of white caps on Arsenal’s sleeves last season was in poor taste; instead, they got stuck with a white stripe.

Changing kits each season lessens its appeal as an event. Perhaps after two or three years fans would want a change. A longer span defines an era. But the prospect of money to be made --combined with fans’ desire to wear the latest kit--will ensure this will continue - even though most people think it obscene.

Criticize Spurs' new kit though I might, there is worse--Bolton’s, for example. On the positive side, at least the yellow stripes will be gone next year, and as long as the players don’t emerge from the tunnel wearing red, my love for Spurs will march on.

But whatever the kit looks like, I know we’ll finish in the top four come May. Of course we will. Just try convincing a Spurs fan otherwise.