Not since Jalen Rose, Juward Howard, Chris Webber, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson stepped onto the court with their baggy shorts, accentuated by black socks, has basketball seen such a dramatic style change. The “Fab Five,” garnered almost as much attention for their shaved heads and trendy look as they did for their play. Throw that short lived tradition out the window and open the door for the future of the team uniform.

This past week Nike unveiled its futuristic new System of Dress during NCAA Championship Week. Players from four elite basketball universities will be hitting the court this week with distinctly different Nike uniforms that showcase player’s upper bodies and add a few inches to their already baggy shorts.

Nike unveiled the new line of basketball uniforms Tuesday. They are being introduced for the University of Florida, Ohio State University, University of Arizona and Syracuse University. The shoe and apparel giant plans to start introducing personalized uniforms to all its NCAA-Nike partner schools beginning next fall.

The press has said that the “System of Dress from Nike introduces a performance look born out of true performance insights as well as a shift in culture surrounding the game to a more sophisticated, tailored look, but also the desire among youth to personalize their uniform look. Nike will provide teams with Nike Pro Compression long sleeve, short sleeve and sleeveless base layer tops as well as leg wraps so that players can create a unique look for themselves.” [source: cnnsi.com]

I say that the new look is shaky at best. This smacks of commercialism and a company’s not so discrete attempt at fending off the up and coming new kid, Under Armour. Gone are the days when the players dictated the style (Pete Maravich had his signature baggy socks, Michael Jordan made neoprene knee brace manufacturers rich and Michael Cooper’s legs are probably still begging for oxygen). Let Kobe Bryant wear a leg sleeve. In fact, he can wear an entire jump suite as far as I am concerned. But the corporate dollars put into lucrative school contracts afford company’s like Nike the opportunity to advertise and yet pervert one of the more pure sports left.

Spandex was gone as quickly as it arrived, leaving embarrasing memories for many (think Wesley Snipes in the motion picture White Men Can’t Jump). This fad shall too pass. The new look gets only one thumb down for now. That may change the day I see a college basketball player wearing form fitting long sleeves. Yikes!

ABOUT NIKE, INC.

Based near Beaverton, Oregon is the world’s leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Bauer NIKE Hockey Inc., a leading designer and distributor of hockey equipment; Cole Haan, which designs, markets, and distributes fine dress and casual shoes and accessories; Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories and Exeter Brands Group.