Personal Soccer Cleat Collection

                                                               Adidas       Nike

           In my past blog posts, like, “Nike, Adidas, or Puma: Which Cleats Reigned Supreme at the 2014 FIFA World Cup?” where I have debated newly released soccer cleats, you have probably caught on that I am an Adidas girl when it comes to soccer. The cleats pictured above are ones that I have worn in the past 5 years and as you can tell, I have experimented with traditional Nike soccer cleats once (the lime green ones on the bottom right are indoor shoes). I love the way that Nike soccer cleats look buy my dilemma with them has been that that are more narrow when compared to Adidas, and I find them uncomfortable to play in.  I think another reason for my alliance to Adidas soccer began when I first started playing. My dad was the first coach I had (he used to play in high school) and he has always been a big fan of the classic all black Adidas cleats with the three white strips down the sides and my first pair of cleats looked exactly like that. As you can tell I haven’t followed exactly in his footsteps with my taste in cleats, as I have more graphic and colorful cleats, but just like him, Adidas will always be my number one choice when it comes to soccer.

Embroidery Applications

              It’s the start of a new AAU basketball season and my club just got our new jerseys in for the season. They are the Marquette style with tackle-twill lettering. Last year we have simple jerseys that had our team name and number screen-printed on. I feel in the end, the decision on which application to use, either tackle twill or screen printing, comes down ultimately to the consumer and finding exactly what fits their needs best.

Screen-printed provides more
design options

             Most of my uniforms in the past few years, both soccer and basketball, have used the screen printing application. Obviously the first thing that stands out about screen-printing is that it is usually cheaper that its counterparts. Also another thing I like about screen-printing is that it is done by computers, so there are infinitely more options on color, font, and size, than there would be with tackle twill which is sewn on.  But, I did encounter a dilemma with the screen-printing on my basketball jersey last year. For our team name, we had the first word in a bright red color and then the second word was in white. After washing my jersey a few times, I found that the red coloring began to bleed onto the white letters and they turned a light pink color. It may have been an error is design by have bright red letters next to white letters, but I think that that shouldn’t be an issue, I think the issue is with the screen-printing application and now it makes sense as to why it is cheaper than alternative options.

Classic block lettering of
the tackle-twill application

           The tackle-twill on our new uniforms looks amazing. Going back to one of my earlier posts, Sweatshirts are Life, I make sure that all my college sweatshirts are printed using the tackle-twill application because I think it looks more official and traditional like an old, classic university feels when you walk on campus. The tackle-twill application is more expensive, but in the end I definitely think it is worth it. If you are looking for a style that looks very professional, I would highly suggest tackle-twill. Also a plus with tackle-twill is that you will probably rarely run into issues with the colors bleeding or the lettering coming undone. The only downside I see to tackle-twill is that options can be limited. With tackle-twill the lettering is usually the big block letters and the colors tend to be the basics, you don’t see many neon options.

             Personally, I am big fan of tackle-twill but I feel that there are times when screen-printing has its benefits. If it’s just a warmup shirt I would definitely go with the screen-printing because there more design options, but when I’m looking at uniforms I would 99% of the time go with tackle-twill. In the end it all comes down to what you want and your budget. Either way I don’t think you will be disappointed, but my only note is that if you do go with screen-printing double check with the retailer to make sure that what happened with my jersey doesn’t happen to you.

Images courtesy of:

www.shopstyle.com

www.polyvore.com



 

Iconic Clothing in Sports

               Just think of some of the biggest sports events and teams in the world. There are a few that stand out to you whether it may be because they are your favorite team or sport to watch, but for me there are a few that stand out to me because of how clothing is incorporated into them. So, what do the Masters, Wimbledon, and Brazil and Argentina soccer all have in common that I find fascinating? They all have make an iconic statement through their clothes.
               I think the thing with the iconic clothing of those events and teams, is that they all have to do with tradition and a sense of class. When I think of the pure white of Wimbledon, I think pure class. Even though over the years the envelope of the Wimbledon dress code has been pushed by tennis greats like the Williams sisters, it is a dress code that is always respected. I think that respect doesn’t only just show respect for the individual event by it shows respect for the sport of tennis. Wimbledon is a tournament that prides itself on its class and high profile patrons, and there is no other way to celebrate that than by keeping with the tradition that got it to its grandeur today.

Green Jacket of Masters

              The infamous Green Jacket of the Masters is what defines that tournament. When you hear young golfers talk about their future goals in the sport, they never fail to mention how they would love to wear a Green Jacket. They don’t even have to say the Masters Tournament at Augusta National to inform their audience what they are talking about; people, golf fans or not, know what they mean. Also you know that the Green Jacket is of great importance just by the fact that it is capitalized as a proper noun. It isn’t just any old green jacket that you could go pick up at the local Men’s Warehouse, it is THE Green Jacket and it is invaluable.
             In soccer when you talk about the powerhouse countries who always have a chance to win the World Cup some names that are always thrown into the conversation include the likes of Brazil, Germany, Spain, and Argentina. They all have rich histories in the sport that are combined with grand traditions.  Brazil is one country that stands out from the crown in their iconic yellow tops paired with blue shorts. It’s a jersey combination that will never come to an end. Brazil’s jersey combination of bright, vibrant colors is one that follows along the lines of their fast-paced playing style that leaves the crowd in awe whether you are a fan or not. Another soccer powerhouse that celebrates their great history is Argentina with their light blue and white striped tops. Year in and year out, you see countries like the US and Mexico come out with all the stops designing new uniforms, but Argentina’s classic stripped tops will never change on the international stage.

Argentina Jersey

Brazil Jersey

           The iconic clothing seen in the sports world is one that was based of tradition. I feel like these events and teams grew to what they are today by sticking with what they started with a building up around them. Brazil and Argentina are memorable because they have stuck with same classic uniforms year after year, they don’t look to follow what the trend of the time is, they stick with what got them to the international stage. The events such as the Masters and Wimbledon have built themselves to what they are today by standing out from the rest. The Green Jacket. The all white dress code. Even though it may seem different and out of date in today’s society, it is what makes these events seem more prominent than the rest.

Images Courtesy of:

www.masters.com

www.usatoday.com

www.dailymail.co.uk