They hype around the “It’s Time” campaign definitely created the buzz that was hoped for. The new uniforms are slick, and there were a lot of people pulling for a black jersey. Personally, we like the maroon and the white football jerseys, and keeping Pat Tillman on the front was a nice touch.
But while all the publicity will help the ASU athletics program, how long will it last?
The campaign was intended to establish a new tradition at ASU. The new uniforms and brand were compared to the changes that preceded the new version of the juggernaut that is Oregon.
However, tradition is organic, and isn’t something that can be introduced or forced. Tradition comes from winning, and the memorable moments that happen along the way.
The Ducks have a billionaire benefactor in Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, who has donated more than $280 million to the school, with the majority of that money going to athletics. Oregon didn’t just get new jerseys and a new logo, they got brand new practice centers, new equipment in every athletic department, new everything. Recruits practically flocked to Eugene, and the team started winning.
The Ducks can now back up their fancy digs with a lightning-fast offense and a recent trip to the BCS National Championship Game.
The Sun Devils aren’t at that level yet.
Gold uniforms are also now a thing of the past, despite the “Be Loud, Wear Gold” campaign. It’s almost as if ASU athletics is turning its back on the old traditions in order to establish new ones. Sparky’s demotion to secondary logo in favor of the pitchfork is also an odd move.
And hype concerning new uniforms won’t last. When the Diamondbacks switched to their “Sedona red” shirts in 2007 there was a sales boom, the team made the playoffs and the D-Backs were popular for a while. But once the team started losing, interest faded.
The timing of the whole event is also questionable. Several players and coaches talked about how the rebranding would help recruiting. Signing day, however, was last month. Unless the Sun Devils were letting recruits see the uniforms before everyone else, it seems like this was a wasted opportunity. By next March, the novelty of the black jerseys will have worn off.
Football and basketball each unveiled three new uniforms, but we won’t see them in action until August. Will the hype sustain itself during the summer break? Three months is a long time, and only a handful of students will be around for summer classes.
The whole of the ASU athletics department worked extremely hard to make Tuesday’s event a success, and they pulled it off without a hitch.
But winning has to happen, or this whole thing will be for nothing.
