How much do you care about sports uniforms?

Professional sports uniforms weren’t always a thing. When people first started playing sports—any sport, really—they wore relatively normal clothes while doing so. As those sports evolved, the need for more specific equipment and clothing came around. And as teams started wearing similar equipment, they turned more and more to team colors as a way of identification.

This is more important for certain sports than others. In baseball, it’s extremely clear which team is which because of the intentional asymmetry as to who is on the field and where. Even with the bases loaded, it’s instantly clear who is who. But the same is not true in football; the players are closer together and there are more of them on the field. When there’s too much similar colors going on, it can be hard to figure out who is who, and it can just look like a mess. The Kansas City Chiefs’ game against the Cleveland Browns in the playoffs this year was one example.

Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images

And when the Chiefs drew the draw against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl, well, I was worried that we’d get a muddled game. The Buccaneers home uniform has a red jersey, and the Chiefs away uniforms have red pants. Thankfully, however, Tampa Bay chose to wear their standard away uniforms, leaving the Chiefs with the vast lion’s share of red. It’ll be a good looking matchup.

But, of course, there’s something else beyond mere utility when I wish for good looking matchups. There’s something else at play when a team releases an awful set of new uniforms and they get panned. It’s true that both can be a factor—just take a look at the new Miami Heat alternate uniforms, which, along with their court, give off a bizarre vibe at best an an abominable vibe at worst.

I’m not a big fashion guy. I value comfort and traditional looks over true style. And yet, I care a lot about sports uniforms. I love seeing an aesthetically pleasing game on television. I love it when sports teams break out old classics again. I love watching the Kansas City Royals for a lot of reasons, but a small one is that they have truly sharp uniforms.

But why? Why do I care about what athletes are wearing? It has no bearing whatsoever on the game, unless you are superstitious, and even then that’s no real bearing on the game.

Ultimately, for me, it comes down to a few things. First, I enjoy watching something that looks good. It’s never fun to watch an ugly event on television. Second, I watch my teams—the Royals and the Chiefs—a lot. So yeah, I pay attention to how they look. But third, and least importantly, sports uniforms are just plain fun. It’s fun when teams introduce new looks. It’s fun when they celebrate their championship with a new uniform. It’s just fun, and sports are supposed to be fun.

So, how much do you care about sports uniforms? Let us know in the comments.