Students react to Nike Hyper Elite uniforms
In their 56-48 victory against South Florida on Monday night in the Carrier Dome, the Orange donned a color unrelated to their name: gray.
The uniforms were a part of the Nike Hyper Elite Platinum series, a line of jerseys specifically designed for college basketball teams who have won a national championship in Nike gear. This was the only time this season they will be worn.
SU’s version of the jersey is primarily gray with orange sides. The uniforms read ‘Cuse’ on the front, instead of the usual ‘Orange.’
The specialty jerseys were unveiled last month, and schools such as Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina wore them earlier this year as well.
At the game, orange Nike T-shirts with gray ‘Cuse’ text on the front were distributed to students for free.
SU students who attended the game appeared to have varied reactions to the uniforms.
Matt Scott, a senior computer engineering major, was among individuals vehemently opposed to the gray uniforms. He theorized the jerseys were worn as a result of sponsorship pressure from Nike.
‘We’re orange, and seeing us in gray takes me back a little bit to think about what’s going on,’ he said. ‘When your mascot is orange, and you’re wearing something gray on the court, it’s weird.’
Tim Castelein, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, said he also was not a fan of the color scheme due to its likeness to Georgetown’s, but he liked the design.
‘I hate Georgetown. I’ve hated Georgetown for a long time, so I don’t like that they’re gray,’ he said.
Brad Slavin, executive communications officer of SU’s official student section, Otto’s Army, said he did not think wearing gray was right for the Orange. He said he liked the uniforms better in person than from the pictures he saw previously, but he still had mixed feelings.
‘I think they’re cool, but I don’t think they’re cool for us, mostly because it’s the wrong shade of orange,’ he said. ‘Nike puts out really cool stuff, but gray isn’t us.’
People like Ian Macks, a freshman biotechnology major at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, were not surprised the Orange wore these uniforms.
‘A lot of the elite teams are doing them, so it’s not out of the ordinary because Syracuse did win a championship, and Boeheim’s had some pretty good history here,’ Macks said.
Kevin Metzger, a freshman music education major, said he thought the uniforms definitely looked better in person and felt it was silly to claim there was a resemblance to Georgetown’s uniforms.
‘It’s not as ugly as people made them out to be,’ he said. ‘I think they actually look good on some of the players.’
Published on February 22, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Contact Dylan: dmsegelb@syr.edu | @dylan_segelbaum
