You may think I have too much time on my hands, but I recently got to thinking about basketball uniforms and the effect they have on your youth basketball team.
“Why?”, you may ask. Well, I heard someone arguing about the ugliness of their opposing teams’ uniforms and it set me off on this little journey down uniform lane.
First of all, let’s explore some general thoughts on basketball uniforms and their history. I feel the simplicity of the uniform helps the popularity of our great sport. Unlike football or hockey, it doesn’t take a few hundred dollars worth of equipment to get started. All a kid needs is shorts, a shirt, a pair of good basketball shoes and he or she is ready to go.
Actually, you may be surprised at what players used for basketball uniforms back in the early days of the game. The boys wore pants and the girls wore frilly skirts and flat shoes. No joke.
Nowadays, much more thought goes into the design of basketball uniforms. Rayon, nylon, and polyester mesh are the usual fabrics used for the jerseys and shorts. The mesh material helps the players “breathe” as they work up a sweat during games and the baggy basketball jerseys and shorts help provide the freedom to run and jump. Socks and quality basketball shoes round out the look.
Oh, the look! The modern era has definitely come with style and fashion. The shorts have gotten longer and baggier with time and how many kids and fans alike do you see decked out in their favorite player’s basketball jersey? And, oh baby, the shoes! Every youth basketball coach understands the importance the kids place on their brand of basketball shoes. It can be a bit much at times, but can you argue about the style they add to the game?
Which brings us to the importance of the jersey name and number. Including the name and number on the back of your basketball uniforms can help the refs identify who committed the foul as well as giving each player a feeling of their own identity amidst the team concept.
I remember the feeling I had as a kid when I was handed my first basketball jersey with my favorite number 12 emblazoned across the front! What pride I felt to be a member of my team.
Let’s look into how important your basketball uniforms are to your players. I just mentioned one important aspect of it – Pride. Wearing a good, quality uniform helps create a sense of pride in your team, which in turn can only help their overall performance on the court.
Your basketball uniform can create a feeling of unity for your players. It’s a sense of “togetherness”. Being part of a team. Having a sense of pride in one another and feelings of unity boost morale. It all makes kids feel they’re a part of something special, which I feel is something too many of our youth don’t feel enough of today.
Feeling better about themselves only helps them play better and anything that can enhance player performance is OK in my book, agreed?
Don’t forget about the color scheme of your basketball uniforms. Having everyone unified in one color scheme helps teammates identify good passing decisions as well as helping the people in the stands tell one team from another. This may sound simple enough but I had to turn off a pro game the other day because both teams were wearing almost identical green jerseys. I’d love to know who’s bright idea that one was.
As a matter of fact, color scheme
was what got me writing about basketball uniforms in the first place. The argument I heard about the ugly uniforms was about those orange Cleveland Browns jerseys. Sorry Browns fans, but I have to agree on that one. What’s up with that color?
By investing the time and money in a quality basketball uniform for your team, you’ll give yourself one more edge in achieving your ultimate goal – a quality coaching career.