Fly Away On My Zephyr
February 3,
2008 | Kevin
Zdancewicz
We’ve talked about NBA throwbacks before
(look for the baseball edition of the
“Kicking It Old School” series sometime this semester) and I mentioned
that
going retro works really well on the hardwood since basketball uniforms
are so
simple. We talked about the Washington Wizards’ unique gold and black alternates last year. Well,
today’s featured
jersey brings
those two topics together, as Washington has worn alternate throwbacks
for a few games this season.
I know what you’re thinking:
“When
were the Wizards ever called the Washington Zephyrs? I know they were
the
Bullets, but I’ve never heard of the Zephyrs!” Ok, first of all, calm
down. The
answer to your question is…never. Technically that was never the team’s
name.
These throwback jerseys are in tribute to the Chicago Zephyrs – one of
the many
monikers that the current Washington franchise has had in its history.
The original team name was the Chicago Packers (which is ironic because
Chicagoans
hate the Packers now) and was changed to the Zephyrs
after a season. A year later, the team moved to Baltimore and adopted
the
nickname Bullets after the former ABL/BAA/NBA
franchise (who originally adopted the name after a nearby
ammunition
factory). The team was known as the Baltimore Bullets (for ten years),
the Capitol
Bullets (for a season), and the more familiar Washington Bullets (for
23 years)
before the name was changed to the Washington Wizards in 1997
(According to the
team's web site, the name Wizards "depicts energy and
an
omnipresent power, and brings to light what is hoped to be the wise and
magical
nature of the team." Not sure what’s so magical about a 10-38 record,
but
that’s neither here nor there).
This genealogical study begs
the
question of whether a team should wear throwbacks to forbearers of a
current
franchise that played in a different city. While the Chicago Zephyrs
and
Washington Wizards are essentially different names for the same team, a
throwback is not only supposed to hearken back to an earlier time in a
franchise’s history, but should also be a celebration of the hometown
(Please
forgive me for ignoring the ten ton merchandising elephant in the
room). When
teams like the Blackhawks and Red Wings wear retro jerseys,
it’s
a big
deal because of each team’s history and connection to its home city.
While
teams like the Tampa Bay Rays (est. 1998) don’t have much to “throw
back” to,
at least they pay tribute to the area with St. Petersburg Pelicans jerseys (love that chest
insignia).
A monkey wrench in this debate is the fact that the early history of
professional
basketball is rife with teams springing up, moving and folding – how
attached
to the team could Chicago really be after two seasons, in an era where
it
seemed like a team leaving or disbanding was a matter of when not if.
Casting the throwback
legitimacy
issue aside, these are some solid throwback jerseys. The uniforms are
based on these (here’s a partially obstructed close-up view). Sure, they’re simple – whereas
many NBA throwbacks
go for the jugular in terms of ostentatiousness – but the cleaner look from a
past era is
a nice contrast
to some of the team’s current looks, plus the black and gold does go along
with
the team’s
current color scheme. I especially love the way the “Z” in Zephyrs extends underneath the first half of the word.
Such an
effortless touch: unique
enough to be noteworthy, but still something
that fits
in amongst current NBA jerseys.
Another nice aspect of the throwbacks is the shorts
waistband which is styled to create the look of a mock belt – a great example of attention to
detail
in
rendering a retro tribute.
Photo Courtesy of WashingtonWizards.com
Jersey of the Week Archive
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