[imagebrowser id=10]
A yearlong mystery has been revealed.
It was finally time.
ASU unveiled its new University-wide look at the Memorial Union’s Ventana Ballroom on Tuesday in a dramatic event filled with brightly colored lights, fog and the fight song.
Teaming up with Nike, ASU released its brand new pitchfork logo that will replace Sparky on uniforms and gear as the primary emblem of the University.
Also released was a typeface that will be exclusive to ASU.
“Everybody is super excited about the direction we are going,” said Lisa Love, ASU vice president for University Athletics. “Never before in my career in athletics have I ever been engaged in something as university-wide as this one.”
During the event, student athletes from the football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, volleyball and softball programs modeled the new uniforms on stage.
The football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball programs all will feature a white, maroon and a brand new black uniform.
“You couldn’t imagine a better presentation,” ASU men’s basketball coach Herb Sendek said. “There was a lot of anticipation and buzz leading up today. As people poured out of the auditorium, it was only heightened. There was even more excitement. I don’t think anyone that watched that showcase was anything but elated. Everything was well done.”
The black uniforms had been rumored to join the fleet for years, but now they are a reality.
The decision to add a black uniform was an easy one, Love said.
“That is a color right now that actually really speaks to the generation of student athletes that are competing now and recruiting in the future,” she said. “They love it.”
It is still not known when the black uniform will be debuted on the field at Sun Devil Stadium, Love said.
The new style is expected to have an impact on recruiting.
ASU redshirt senior cornerback Omar Bolden gave a simple answer when asked how the new uniforms would affect his decision if he were a current recruit looking at schools.
“Done deal,” he said. “All I’d have to see is the all black and it [would be] a done deal.
“High school students come in and see the different combos for uniforms and it makes them want to commit right then and there. I think it is definitely going to help us.”
The new pitchfork logo will replace Sparky on the football helmet, but Sparky won’t completely disappear. The mascot will now be on the back of the helmet.
Love said the goal was to separate the University’s main mark from the school’s mascot.
She even hinted that changes are still to come to the mascot in the future. But Love kept the details secret for now.
“Sparky is absolutely not downplayed,” Love said. “That is the best mascot in the United States, and there is no reason for [ASU] to put Sparky on the back burner. He is going to be very much on the front burner. He is actually going to get bigger.”
The whole campaign did not cost the University a dime.
Nike picked up the cost for the design, while ASU Athletics’ licensing company, CLC, paid for Tuesday’s event.
Several vendors paid for the cost of the event’s advertising, while a single donor paid the bill for the actual uniforms.
“We thought it was important to keep out-of-pocket costs at a minimum,” Associate Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Communications Terri Shafer said. “We systematically went through how we could have a major impact and do the job we needed to do without spending money with the state of Arizona in the condition that it is in. We spent no taxpayer money; we spent no student tuition money.”
Shafer also said that ASU makes about $1 million annually in merchandising revenue, and the University hopes to double it in the next few years with the new branding.
The new look will debut in the fall, coinciding with ASU’s move to the expanded Pac-12 conference.
With expectations already heightened for the football team, this will only add to the hype.
Still, ASU knows that the key to this whole process is putting a winning product on the field.
“I can’t wait to bust them out when we play UC Davis,” ASU senior wide receiver Gerell Robinson said. “Once you step between the lines, you have to come ready to play, regardless of what you are wearing.”
Reach the reporter at andrew.gruman@asu.edu
