Steelers officially getting rid of highly divisive uniforms
It looks like the Flight of the Bumblebees may soon be over for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the team is putting away its love-’em-or-hate-’em “bumblebee” throwback uniforms, last seen in a game in 2016.
“We are going to be wearing a new throwback jersey,” Steelers owner Art Rooney II said matter-of-factly on a conference call with fans Wednesday.
The Steelers have also worn all-black jerseys with gold lettering, a throwback to the 1960s, which would seem to demonstrate that ugly uniforms and losing are positively correlated, since Pittsburgh didn’t win a thing until they ditched those threads for the look familiar to modern fans of the team and subsequently went on to win four Super Bowls in the 1970s and an NFL record six overall.
There have been only minor alterations to the style since then. Back when Terry Bradshaw was slinging the football around, the Steelers used block numbers, contrasted against the rounded numbers that they have used since 1997.
But for the most part, ever since they ditched the Adam West “Batman” look in 1968, they’ve been the same old Steelers that anyone younger than about 55 solely remembers.
The “Batman” jerseys, however, in proof that all that is old must become new again, are speculated by some to be the ones that are next in line for Throwback Night.
Paul Lukas of ESPN called it way back in 2015.
Gone but not forgotten: The Steelers' 1966-67 "Batman" uniforms. pic.twitter.com/k6fUyIr08v
— Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) November 2, 2015
It’s hard to believe, but these gridiron Caped Crusaders wore those actual uniforms in actual football games.
That’s not to say that the Steelers won’t still have some apiary connection.
After all, the “Killer B’s” of Ben (Roethlisberger), (Le’Veon) Bell, (Antonio) Brown and (Martavis) Bryant likely aren’t going anywhere.
And with the Steelers still stinging from their playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars that denied them a potential AFC title game date with the hated New England Patriots, they’re going to want to swarm the league next year.
But holy hypocycloids, Batman! Do they really need to engage in throwback nostalgia to a uniform that wasn’t popular in 1968, the very uniform that, in its ridiculousness, gave way to a classic and winning look that’s been the black-and-gold standard for the past half-century?
Maybe they can bring the block letters back if they want a classic look.
Love the 1933 jersey. Top left. pic.twitter.com/rNrJAydbTd
— Alex Martsolf (@AMarty68) February 15, 2018
Rooney says the new uniforms are coming in the next few months, so let the wild speculation begin.
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