Jersey Edit: Toronto Blue Jays

For some reason, I find uniforms fascinating. Although I don’t think I quite qualify as a scholar of “The Obsessive Study of Athletic Aesthetics” like the fantastic Paul Lukas at Uni Watch, I do consider myself an interested observer and a student when it comes to jersey design, and I certainly find myself with strong opinions on jerseys in all sports, including baseball.

For example, the Toronto Blue Jays of the 1980s and 1990s had some classic uniforms and perhaps my favorite hat logo of all time.

Now, though, the Jays use this hat logo, which I’ve seen referred to as a “rat,” and much like the lettering on the jersey, the “J” on the logo is a bit heavy on metallic gray and beveling for my tastes. The current uniform design looks boring and, to me, corporate. Particularly disappointing is the use of black as a primary color on these alternates.

What to do? Going back to the old uniforms might work, but I feel like their time has passed. The lettering in particular on the jerseys from the 80s and early 90s belong in that time period. The Jays need a re-design that can work in 2010 while using the color scheme to the fullest. The Jays tried to use their blue in the late 90s, but the use of blinding red ruined these jerseys from 2003. However, I do think they had a few good things going.

It all begins with the hat logo. This logo from 2003 is cool, particularly the cartoon bird. Again, though, the use of the blinding red with the blue ruins it for all practical purposes. If we replace the red with a lighter blue, though, it becomes much more palatable. For all images, click to embiggen.

With that solved, we can move on to the actual jerseys. For me, a key with jersey design is simplicity. The craziness of a jersey (Oregon football, anybody?) shouldn’t distract from the design itself. That said, I drew my influences from these Tampa Bay Rays alternates, which are among my favorite baseball jerseys, as well as some aspects of the original Jays’ uniforms. Without further ado, I submit the following home, road, and alternate jersey designs for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Home:

Road:

Alternate: