This previous weekend, the Tennessee Titans hosted the Houston Texans for a Week 15 matchup.
No huge deal proper?
Effectively, based on many, it appeared as if the Titans made a little bit of a trend fake pas, because the Titans confirmed as much as the social gathering carrying the uniforms they wore approach again once they themselves used to reside in Houston. Some would name it a tribute, most others are calling it a troll job.
This actually isn’t the primary time we’ve seen a relocated staff carrying a uniform from their outdated location, it occurs on a regular basis, however what made this slightly extra distinctive was that the opponent occurred to be from that outdated location — with many former followers of that staff tuned in, a few of whom nonetheless very a lot feeling burned by shedding a staff they cherished a lot.
The Oakland Athletics wore 1965 Kansas Metropolis A’s uniforms at house in opposition to the Royals in 2015, the Atlanta Braves confronted the Purple Sox at Fenway Park in 1997 whereas carrying 1908 Boston Braves uniforms, the Los Angeles Lakers welcomed the Minnesota Timberwolves to Southern California whereas carrying Minneapolis Lakers throwbacks in 2002, and simply final month the Utah Jazz wore New Orleans Jazz uniforms at house in opposition to the Pelicans.
Suppose you develop this to incorporate groups that carried over their uniforms or logos with them. In that case, you’ve received the New Orleans Hornets carrying “Hugo” on their shorts in Charlotte in opposition to the Bobcats, the Dallas Stars (in new uniforms however with the outdated Minnesota North “STARS” wordmark throughout their chest) visiting the Wild in 2000. There’s, in fact, the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders who’ve come again to Los Angeles just a few instances to face each the Chargers and Rams whereas carrying their never-changing silver, black, and white uniforms. The Arizona Cardinals wore their then-current house crimson set (however nonetheless the identical as what they wore in St. Louis) once they hosted the St. Louis Rams in 2003.
You’ll discover a theme in all these above examples: these had been groups who retained their unique identification after relocating. The outdated title (and in lots of circumstances, so did the logos, uniforms, and colors) had been carried with them to their new properties, seemingly giving these golf equipment extra of a move in relation to breaking out the outdated units.
This isn’t the identical as what occurred with the Titans and the Oilers — this was a staff that dropped the outdated title, emblem, and uniforms altogether. After a few days price of analysis (hey, I loved it) I used to be in a position to nail down a minimum of three different circumstances wherein a totally rebranded staff wore their pre-move uniforms in opposition to their former house metropolis.
Let’s have a look…
BALTIMORE ORIOLES / ST. LOUIS BROWNS
Following the 1953 season, the St. Louis Browns left their house of a half-century. They headed east to Baltimore, Maryland, the place they’d drop the St. Louis Browns title in favour of Baltimore Orioles, named after the longtime native Minor League ballclub.
The St. Louis Cardinals and Baltimore Orioles would co-exist for 50 seasons earlier than the 2 groups would lastly meet for the primary time, an interleague collection at Busch Stadium in June 2003. The Orioles would mark the event by carrying uniforms paying tribute to the 1944 American League Champion St. Louis Browns — the caps looked great however the jerseys weren’t in any respect correct, although they did embrace the right commemorative sleeve patch from that season. The Cardinals joined in on the enjoyable by carrying their very own 1944 uniforms, and referring to the Orioles because the “Browns” on the scoreboard and for all P.A. bulletins.
No person in St. Louis appears to have minded this, possible fueled by the truth that 50 years had handed between the transfer and the sport. This is able to be the identical as a staff in 2023 carrying the uniforms from their previous location after shifting in 1973, a comparable state of affairs can be if the Texas Rangers wore Nineteen Sixties Washington Senators throwbacks in opposition to the Nationals. Would anybody be upset? I can’t think about so.
CAROLINA HURRICANES / HARTFORD WHALERS
The Hartford Whalers, with their now iconic green and blue logo and uniform set, truly introduced they had been relocationg earlier than they really had a spot to maneuver to. Whereas just a few areas had been thought-about — Cleveland at one level was a contender — the membership finally shifted south to North Carolina in 1997 the place something related to the outdated identification was tossed apart in favour of the brand new black and red Carolina Hurricanes.
Love for the outdated Whalers continued on — capitalizing on nostalgia, Hartford’s AHL staff underwent a short-lived rebranding, altering their title from the Hartford Wolf Pack to the Connecticut Whale for 3 seasons within the early 2010s. In 2015, the title returned within the NWHL (later PHF), with the Connecticut team using it until the league folded in 2023.
Not one to be not noted, the Carolina Hurricanes announced they’d honour their past selves with a “Whalers Night” on December 23, 2018 in opposition to the Boston Bruins (and sure, the Whalers used to play their house video games in Boston, so this one counts). In the course of the recreation, the Hurricanes would put on the outdated inexperienced and white Whalers highway uniforms of the Nineteen Eighties, topping issues off with the taking part in of their outdated theme track “Brass Bonanza” after each aim. The Whalers uniforms returned three months later when the ‘Canes wore them up in Boston on March 5, 2019, bringing it back to where the franchise began. Since then, the Hurricanes have worn Whalers uniforms several times, including a silver version (never worn by the original club) and a new home white throwback which will debut in 2024.
And that leads us to this past weekend.
TENNESSEE TITANS / HOUSTON OILERS
The Houston Oilers, originally members of the American Football League, merged into the NFL to form the AFC in 1970. After a couple of decades in the Astrodome, the Oilers moved on up to Memphis where they played two seasons as the Tennessee Oilers before shifting to Nashville, changing their name to the Titans (and promptly securing a spot in the Super Bowl) in 1999.
Three years later, the NFL expanded, putting a team back in Houston for the 2002 season. At the time, the league said the Oilers name was “retired” and not available for the new Houston team to use — forcing them to pick an all-new name (the “Houston Texans”) and start things over again, just a few short years after the league re-wrote history to erase the Cleveland Browns move to Baltimore (for those curious, the NFL historybooks say the Ravens were an expansion team — they just happened to get the entire Browns roster, staff, and ownership, while the new Browns were a continuation of a temporarily suspended franchise, but still got to participate in an expansion draft).
So you can see why Houston fans feel a little cheated here.
The Titans brought back the old Houston Oilers uniforms for three games in 2009 as part of a celebration for 50 seasons since the AFL’s first season, however none of those video games had been in opposition to the Texans. Delayed because of the NFL’s helmet guidelines, Oilers throwbacks were shelved until the 2023 season, when the Titans brought them out for two games, the second of which was at house in opposition to the Houston Texans. The followers from Houston weren’t amused, a SportsLogos.Internet ballot confirmed nearly 3/4 of all respondents thought the transfer was disrespectful. They’d get the ultimate snort, nonetheless, because the Texans beat the Oilers/Titans in time beyond regulation.
Titans carrying Oilers uniforms vs Houston
— Chris Creamer | SportsLogos.Internet (@sportslogosnet) December 17, 2023
There’s been a pair extra instances after we nearly noticed this occur, each within the NHL, each throughout the pre-season, and each of which might have had the relocated groups carrying their outdated uniforms in entrance of their former market’s house crowd for a impartial website contest.
On September 28, 2002, the Colorado Avalanche returned to Quebec Metropolis, the place they performed because the Quebec Nordiques, to face the Montreal Canadiens. The Avs had been formally the highway staff however used the Nords’ outdated house dressing room and received to put on house white uniforms. There was a quick dialogue amongst organizers to have the Avs put on the old Nordiques uniforms, even when it was simply throughout the pre-game skate, however they in the end determined in opposition to it.
“There’s only three players left on the Avalanche who wore it and anyway, we don’t have any [jerseys] left,” defined Nicole Bouchard, a former media relations staffer for the Nordiques.
Nordiques uniforms would make an look, nonetheless, when the three former gamers – Adam Foote, Peter Forsberg, and Joe Sakic skated onto the ice carrying the old blue sweater, saluting the group to a rousing standing ovation.
4 years later, the same state of affairs unfolded in Winnipeg when the Phoenix Coyotes — the previous Winnipeg Jets — returned to city for a pre-season recreation in opposition to the Edmonton Oilers on September 17, 2006. The Coyotes had plans to put on Jets throwback uniforms for the sport however, on the final minute, determined in opposition to it.
“The Coyotes’ planned gesture might not have erased the lingering hurt,” wrote Paul Friesen in that morning’s Winnipeg Solar, “but it would have been appreciated, nonetheless.”
“But it’s not going to happen. The jersey plan has been nixed, although no one’s quite sure by who.”
Whereas it appears as if followers in Quebec and Winnipeg would have welcomed the thought, these in Hartford and Houston had been very a lot of the other point-of-view. So how do you’re feeling about groups leaving markets after which carrying their outdated uniforms once more? Is it okay at times? How about carrying them AGAINST the outdated market? Does town getting a brand new staff heal among the outdated wounds? Let me know within the feedback.
