MSU unveils new uniforms, Nike-inspired branding

By James Hensley, Special to The Other Side of Spartan Sports

The unveiling of the new Spartan uniforms started in much the same manner that the public first learned about the branding campaign—with a leak on the internet. The Facebook group “The Old Spartan Logo” released a link approximately an hour and half before the beginning of the official press conference. The link was taken down within minutes of being posted, but the commentary on the new age of Spartan jerseys had begun.

By the time the press conference started there were already many different opinions about the jerseys posted on Facebook.

The opening presentation of the press conference had MSU Athletic Director Mark Hollis stating that “MSU is a sleeping giant and we’re waking up the sleeping giant” to create a uniform identity for MSU Sports. Mark Vanhorn from Nike said his mission was to “respect the past, represent the future.”

Hopefully, you agree with his vision of MSU’s future.

Hollis commented that a driver of this mission was that at one point there were nine different greens in the uniforms of MSU’s 25 teams.

MSU has now trademarked green, silver, bronze colors, as well as typography, that cannot be used by any other school or organization.

Implementation and Olympic sports

The Athletic Department unveiled the uniforms that will start being used in Fall 2010 with models from the Football, Basketball, Hockey and Volleyball teams. When questioned about the implementation schedule for the teams, he responded that only the five teams shown today will be sporting the new uniforms next year.

MSU and Nike will continue to design and roll out the same template designs to other non-revenue teams as the teams need new uniforms. This will limit the implementation cost of the uniform changes to regular asset purchases already budgeted for by the departments.

Football

The basic rundown on the football jersey is that the jersey has been updated with the new green and the font has been standardized.

The rear pant legs for the uniform now feature a splash of green. Already, the football jerseys have sparked a bit of a backlash on Facebook, with a majority (but not all) comparing the design to a toned-down version of the over-the-top Nike uniforms of the University of Oregon.

Hockey

Considering that this branding mission was designed to present a unified Spartan Image with national recognition, it is hard to miss the white elephant in the room: The two home and away jerseys do not have similar base designs.

The home jersey features the traditional Spartan head logo, but lacks the traditional hockey lettering of “Spartans” or “Michigan State.” The return of the Spartan head to the home uniform marks an end to a 40-year-old absence from the hockey uniform. The away jersey may be the first in the ice hockey world to include the players number on the front and lacks conformity with its home jersey mate by using the traditional “Michigan State” across the top.

When asked what he thought about the new bronze in the hockey uniforms, goalie Drew Palmisano responded that he really liked the accent color and was looking forward to repainting part of his goalie helmet to match. Torey Krug said he felt that the two different jersey styles for hockey would not detract from the team’s image when playing road games.

Men's and Women's Basketball

The uniforms for the basketball teams drop the last Nike branding attempt of “State” in italics and replace it with “Spartans” in the new font with the new trademark colors. Given that MSU basketball seems to change uniforms every three years, these changes will likely be well received by the Spartan basketball community.

MSU basketball stars Durrell Summers and Kalin Lucas modeled the basketball jerseys, with Lucas sporting a foot brace as he recovers from recent surgery.

How the decisions were made

Both Nike’s Vanhorn and MSU’s Hollis said that community values and focus groups had consisted of MSU administrators, the Athletic Advisory board and student athletes. This effectively means that no alumni and only one non-student athlete was allowed input during the design phase of the project.

This lack of community involvement was one of the causes of the logo scandal that led to over 80,000 Spartan fans to protest changes to the logo.

Since the Athletic Department and Nike kept much of the design process under wraps, the change could provoke some initial resistance about the addition of the bronze color and the changes to some of the jerseys, especially football and hockey.

Finances

The department has continued to say this was not a financially motivated project, but the hockey uniforms not having a base design seems to contradict the consistence attempt. Nike’s fingerprints of “over the top” design are hard to miss on all but the Volleyball team’s uniforms.

According to Hollis, the design process has not cost the university any revenues or money, but an interesting fact to consider is that Nike will be the only authorized replica jersey vendor. Since the colors and front are trademarked with MSU and Nike, there will be no cheap replicas for fans looking to save money and show team spirit during these economic hard times.

Something to look forward to is that Mark Hollis commented that sales of old used team jerseys could go on sale to the public as early as this fall, but would not rule out a garage sale before the 2011 Spring Football game, as has been done in the past.

First peek at MSU's new uniforms comes and goes

MSU posted a photo gallery of the new uniforms for football, basketball, hockey and volleyball, but quickly pulled it after it was linked to on a number of MSU sites.

We'll let MSU unveil things for itself, and we'll have a full report from the press conference later today.

Suzy Merchant Expecting Two Bundles of Joy

MSU women's basketball coach Suzy Merchant is expecting a big season from her 10th-ranked Spartan team, followed by a big summer capped by the expected birth of her second child.

Merchant told the team she before the season, which began with a big exhibition win over Wayne State, that she was pregnant. Merchant has a two-year-old son Tyler.

Big things are expected of the Spartans, who are led by 6'9 center and All-America candidate Alyssa DeHaan. Last year's season ended in the Sweet Sixteen with a crushing come-from-ahead loss to Iowa State. This year's team is talking Final Four. Making it there would be the first "bundle of joy" referred to in the headline.

After the season closes, Merchant will add another member to the Spartan family. Let me take this chance, from all of us at TOSSS, to wish nothing but the very best to the entire Merchant family.

Any Chance of a Capacity Crowd Tonight?

Tom Izzo wants a capacity crowd for Midnight Madness and he's got a good argument for getting it this year. The men's basketball team is ranked by almost everyone in the top two or three heading into the 2009/10 year, while the women are a consensus preseason top ten.

Tonight is your the first chance to see a bulked-up Tom Herzog and a slimmed-down Derrick Nix in action. It's also your chance to see what crazy costume Izzo will don this year (my favorite remains his Leonidas from 300 getup a few years back).

But despite capacity crowds being a near certainty at most big-time basketball schools tonight (Kentucky and Kansas, for example), MSU has never had a sellout for midnight madness. Its a streak that shouldn't exist, given the rich basketball tradition at Michigan State.

This year, there's even more to do. In addition to Izzo's usual theatrics, the 2009 Final Four banner will be raised to the rafters before the event begins. If you're planning to get to East Lansing earlier, women's swimming takes on Illinois at 5 p.m., the homecoming parade begins at 6 and women's volleyball takes on the always dangerous Ohio State at 6:30.

For Midnight Madness, doors open at 9:30 p.m. to an autograph and picture session in the Breslin Center concourse. The program begins at 10:30 p.m. and the men's team takes the floor around midnight.

If you're in or around East Lansing tonight, be sure to be there. You'd make Tom Izzo very happy.

A Day Off In Indy

Louisville and Michigan State fans steamed out of Lucas Oil Stadium late Friday night and quickly filled the downtown Indianapolis bars to celebrate. For one night, the fans could drink together, both excited about their team's victory and advancement to the Elite Eight.

Saturday came, and the mood for MSU fans changed somewhat. Everyone was still excited, but the realization that those people wearing red were no longer friendly was evident. "Go Green Go White" and "C-A-R-D-S Cards!" could be heard echoing throughout the downtown buildings.

On the day off in Indy, fans of both schools headed out into the city to see the sights and have some fun. It was a busy day at the NCAA headquarters and Hall of Champions, where an MSU student ID would get you $2 off admission. There, you could see exhibits about all NCAA sports, view banners honoring current NCAA champions, and even shoot some hoops. On the second floor, replicas of the trophies that the Men's and Women's teams are hoping to win are in a display case for fans to see.

Another option for some of the more restless fans was the Civil War reenactment taking place outside of the Indiana State Museum. There, about 15 actors portrayed soldiers from the North and South on the museums large front lawn. Crowds of Michigan State, Louisville and Kansas fans were gathered around, trying to stay out of the way of the gunfire. Michigan State fans quickly started rooting for the north, leaving the South as Louisville's only option. We all know how that worked out... Visitors to the Museum could see a traveling exhibit on African American imagery, or learn about the history of Indiana.

Some of the more adventurous fans ventured out away from the downtown area, and saw famous Indy landmarks such as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While there was no race today, there were still crowds of fans taking photos.

Late afternoon shifted fans attention back to basketball, where fans packed bars both downtown and in Broad Ripple to watch the Men's games first, and then the MSU women's game against Iowa St. While a evening rainstorm tampered down the mayhem slightly, crowds of fans still could be seen on the street well after 3AM.

Saturday was fun, but Sunday it is back to business. MSU tips off against Louisville today at 2:20 p.m.

Middle of the Road

In a follow up to their earlier Men's and Women's NCAA Tournament reports, The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport released their annual Sweet 16 report on the school's academic success. The specific numbers obviously do not change from the earlier reports, but it does focus now just on the teams that have showed success on the court. I found the tournament re-seeds based on Graduation Success Rate interesting:

Why Was It Here?

The MSU Women's Basketball win over Duke on Tuesday night was a classic game that will be remembered for a long time, not only because of the dramatic victory, but because of the stories involved: McCallie returning to the school she ditched, the improbable victory of a #9 seed beating a #1 seed, and Duke having been to 11 consecutive Sweet 16's.

Not lost in the discussion of MSU's victory was this question: Why did #1 seed Duke have to play at their opponents home court? McCallie insisted that the game location could not be blamed for the loss, but it still raises interesting questions of fairness and logistics. According to ESPN:

The women went to a field of 64 in 1994, with all games in the early rounds at the better-seeded team's gym. The next year, the setup for the first two rounds was that the top four seeds in each region would host. So four teams would play at 16 sites, with home-court advantage being rewarded because of your seeding. The only time that didn't happen was if a school had a conflict with its home arena or some problem with hotel-room availability. But those circumstances were rare.

Then, in 2003, the system was changed to make the first 16 sites predetermined. The reason given was supposedly to allow schools to market the subregionals all year, rather than waiting until they knew for sure they were hosting when the bracket came out.

However, promotion of games was far less a factor in having big crowds than just plain having the host team playing. There was no evidence that predetermination did anything to boost attendance.

What it did do -- and the reason behind its being used still -- is to pave the way for television to broadcast all 64 games of the tournament. It was neither logistically nor financially feasible to do that if TV had to wait until the bracket came out to know where the 16 sites were.

In 2005, a switch was made to try to create more neutral games: having eight sites with eight teams each. That system stayed for four seasons, but it had a negative impact on early-round attendance.

So this year, the tournament went back to 16 predetermined sites, and that's why there was a situation where a No. 1 had to play on a No. 9's home court. At the time bids are accepted for schools to host future games, it's obviously unknown whether their team will even be in the tournament, let alone where it might be seeded.

So basically the NCAA has to weigh fairness for the schools against paid attendance and television contracts. And while fairness is great, it doesn't pay the bills...

Indy or Berkeley?

Members of the MSU Band had a big choice to make this week, before the women's basketball team tipped off against Duke.

Option A: Commit to go to Indianapolis for the men's Sweet Sixteen matchup against Kansas, and possible Elite Eight game against Louisville or Arizona.

Option B: Take your chances on the women beating top-seeded Duke, with a trip to the Berkeley Regional as the reward if they do.

Now obviously the call has to be guaranteed trip over possible trip. But it got me thinking: What if they'd had until this morning to pick? Assuming MSU is picking up the tab for your trip, where should you go? Let's break it down in five key categories:

1) Chances of Success

The women are already giant-killers, having beat the best team in their regional. Correction: Having horse-whipped that team and sent them back to Durham with their tails between their legs. But it doesn't get any easier from here.

Iowa State is a four seed, and a win brings the winner of two-seed Stanford and three-seed Ohio State. If it's Stanford - and that's my bet - you've got to beat the Cardinal in California. Not an easy task.

The men's side shapes up somewhat more simply. First up is Kansas, the defending national champions and three seed. With a win you get the winner of Arizona and tournament number one Louisville.

Since you can only go to one, you've got to take your best odds at seeing a second State game - and MSU's men have already beaten Kansas once this year. Edge: Indy.

2) Location, Location, Location

Indianapolis is close, Berkeley is far, but since in our scenario MSU is footing the bill, cost to get there doesn't much matter. So now it's a question of where you'd rather be.

And this is easy. No offense to the Hoosier State, but would you rather be in the San Francisco Bay area or smack-dab in the middle of Indiana?

Easy. Edge: Berkeley

3) Atmosphere

Nothing tops an arena full of screaming fans, but unfortunately that's just not usually what happens at any regional in the NCAA Tournament. You're not quite at the Final Four, where people move mountains to get there, nor at the sub-regional, which is often just a cavernous arena full of empty seats.

Instead, the regionals really key off of how many of your own fans you can squeeze into a building - and as well-developed as MSU's alumni groups in San Fran and southern California are, nothing will get fans there like cheap tickets and a short drive.

Edge: Indy

4) Vacation Time

Out in the working world, vacation time is somewhat at a premium. Some folks get two weeks, some lucky ones get three. Others get one week, including sick time and some get none at all. College, therefore, can be your last best chance to do something you ordinarily wouldn't.

And who randomly picks up and takes off to California for the weekend?

The key here is repeatability. Anyone can go to Indianapolis any time. Shoot, for most in the Midwest, you can make it to Indy on a day trip. Not so with Cali. It could be a case of not now, not ever.

Edge: Berkeley

5) Legacy

In other words, peer three or four years into the future. Where do you want to be able to tell your friends and family that you went. In 20 years, what about your kids?

From my own personal experience, having been there in person for everything from the 2001 football win over Michigan to the 2005 men's Final Four, nothing - and I mean nothing - even comes close to the 2005 win over Tennessee that the MSU women engineered in their 2005 Final Four game. They weren't expected to be there, they weren't supposed to win, but they did.

And as loud as the Breslin gets for some men's games, the loudest I've ever heard that building was a few years back for a women's game against Ohio State. Some friends who went to the Duke game said it was even louder than that on Tuesday. That's the sort of passion you can get in MSU women's basketball for a truly huge game.

Look, it would be great if the men went to the Final Four in Detroit, but quite frankly it's well within their expectations. Both of us contributors to this blog have Sparty in the championship game (with one winning, the other falling short). But almost no one outside of the Spartan locker room thought that the women would be where they are right now. Now they've got a chance to keep shocking the world.

And you can't miss that. Edge: Berkeley

Winner: Berkeley, by a score of 3-2. It's close, and while the trip to Indianapolis would be great, how could you pass up a free ride to Berkeley?

That having been said, location is just one small piece of the puzzle. The Spartan men and women could play in Vladivostok for all I care, so long as they represent the university well and get the W.

To Boo or Not To Boo?

Former MSU Women's Basketball Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie returns to the Breslin Center again today as her Duke Blue Devils take on the Spartans in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament. Her first game back in Breslin was Sunday, when Duke defeated Austin Peay 83-42. Before that game, she had a mixed reception of some cheers and many boos.

There are reasons supporting both reactions. Her departure days after signing a contract extension reminded many of the sudden departure of football coach Nick Saban. The confusing situation surrounding her husband's arrest only added to the drama of the move.

However, her tenure at MSU was incredibly successful, with five NCAA Tournament appearances which included appearing in the 2005 National Championship game.

MSU junior Mandy Piechowski, one of McCallie's recruits and former players, told the Lansing State Journal, "You have to remember, too, if it wasn't for her, we might not be where we are right now."

So I pose this question to you: When Coach McCallie is introduced tonight, should she be booed, or cheered?

--
NOTE: The game tonight tips at 7:00 p.m. at the Breslin Center. The first 500 students to attend tonight's game will get in free.

Women Doing Well

In a promised follow-up to yesterday's post, the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports has now released their annual report for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. I'll skip the explanation of the report, as it's the same as the Men's report. This report, while still focusing on the disparity between African-American players and white players, also focuses on gender differences, specifically the women's higher GSR nationally.

MSU's APR and Graduation Success Rates in the 2009 report are as follows:

APR: 955
Overall Student Athlete: 79
African-American Basketball Student Athlete: 80
White Basketball Student Athlete: 86
Overall Basketball Student Athlete: 85

MSU was not included in the 2008 report as they did not make the NCAA Tournament.

The MSU women have a slightly lower APR than the men, but their GSR is 15 points higher. Their APR is well above the 925 cutoff for possible probabtion, so overall they are in fine shape.

Now to look at some of MSU's possible opponents in the tournament, as well as some Big Ten teams:

Middle Tennessee State: APR - 917 GSR - 79
Austin Peay: APR - 903 GSR - 83
Duke: APR - 984 GSR - 90
Iowa State: APR - 975 GSR - 93

Iowa: APR - 977 GSR - 92
Minnesota: APR - 950 GSR - 67
Ohio State: APR - 993 GSR - 100
Purdue: APR - 941 GSR - 89

If either the Men's or Women's team reaches the Sweet 16, there should be a follow-up report coming.