Quick Shots: Nike’s Weird Uniforms; The Hills; Vince; Timing
Random notes, plus Chris Corchiani!
We are often told that fashion is a cyclical beast. What was popular decades ago will someday become cool again, like Tony Bennett, Dr. Jack Ramsay and teams using gimmick formations in football.
When Nike recently unveiled the new uniforms they’re introducing for a few of their schools to wear in their conference tourneys and beyond, I immediately was revulsed. What is this, the XFL?
For the three seasons I played high school basketball, I wore number 54. I had no real affection for the number, at least not at first, but on the day coach gave out uniforms when I was a sophomore, I accepted number 54 for two reasons: 1) it was available, having been vacated by a graduating senior; and 2) it was the largest uniform available. This was the early ’90s, and we were under the fashion influence of Chris Webber and the Fab Five. Big was in. Nobody wanted to be the guy who ran out on the floor with the ill tight-fitting jersey and nut-busters. So I became number 54, and I hung on that number (and roomy uniform) for the next three seasons.
(I wanted to wear number 7 because Kevin Johnson was my favorite player, but it was illegal for any high school or college players to wear numbers ending in anything from 6 to 9. I think it still is. I ended up getting a number 7 practice jersey instead. Actually, I still have that jersey somewhere.)
It was around this time in the early ’90s that North Carolina State decided to buck the growing trend and announced their players would wear “unitards.” I vividly recall watching in abject horror as Chris Corchiani and Rodney Monroe (Fire and Ice!) jogged out onto the floor in what appeared to be wrestling singlets. As the story goes, the uniforms were initially one piece, but the Wolfpack players refused to wear them unless they could wear their game shorts over them. (More pictures here, and discussion on them here.)
Those uniforms lasted two game before NC State packed them away. No telling how long these new joints will last. To me, basketball uniforms aren’t supposed to be tight. Basketball uniforms are supposed to let you move and breathe. When you’re tired you should be able to grab your shorts and get some rest. Football uniforms should be tight. Basketball uniforms should not be. Not sure what Nike’s trying to do here, other than simultaneously be fashion-forward and fashion-backward.
• An NBA player sent me this link last night with a note that said, “Link it up…that’s how the real oc rolls.” Consider it linked, Nick Collison.
• Henry Abbott linked to my Kobe post from earlier today in a post he called “Kobe Bryant’s Elbow Mini-Bullets.” I am pointing this out only to say that I think Henry, in the spirit of non-violence, should change the name of his regular “bullets” columns to “wizards.”
• Linkstigator Ken sent this along. Pretty hilarious, unless you’re a Nets fan, I guess.
• In the comments thread of Sam’s Player of the D.A.Y. from yesterday, Tom Jackson wrote…
Who cares about Slamadamonth, Blue? The magazine gets to stores about 30 days (or even a little more) than the information was written, and in even more hilarious fashion, they post date the issue month about a month and a half. So you’re buying a magazine written in early January that you get in mid February that has an April date on it. Hell, they’ll release the next issue before April! It’s really ridiculous. That’s why I only read the website. It’s not like it’s an unfixable problem.
TJ then demanded answers. I’m here with answers.
As for the timeliness of the stories, the 30 days between being written and being read by the majority of you guys is probably about right. For instance, on Tuesday I finished writing a long (2,000 words) feature for the next issue of SLAM, SLAM 108. We’re working on that issue right now. It’ll be gone to the printer by the end of the week. We’ll have copies back here in about 10 days. It’ll be on newstands in big cities within about two weeks. Then within the next week or so it’ll start showing up everywhere else, from grocery stores to bookstores to airports. And it’ll be on newstands for a few weeks until another issue comes along and bumps it off.
The thing is, very rarely do we do a story that is completely time-sensitive, meaning I’m not going to write a 2,000-word article about George Karl and Carmelo beefing when I know very well that in the three weeks between the time I write and you guys read it there are almost certainly going to be major changes in the story. It would stupid of us to do that, and it would be stupid of us to think that you guys would be interested in reading a story about that.
(Occasionally, though, it all falls into place and we’re able to do a time-sensitive story. The first one that comes to mind was a few years ago when whatever we had planned for the cover just wasn’t working. At the last minute we got word that Alonzo Mourning was making a comeback from his kidney transplant. So we called Zo, got a photo shoot, had Scoop go down to Miami for a weekend and about two weeks later we had a Zo cover on stands. That scenario is definitely the exception, however, not the rule.)
Instead, what we try to do in the magazine is give you content that is a little more timeless. I don’t mean we’re here turning out classics (although my Leandro Barbosa story in SLAM 107 is pretty amazing); I mean we’re here trying to write stories that will be just as interesting and informative and entertaining tomorrow as they will be in three months, or six months, or a year. How do we do that? Well, a lot of the stories we do go into the backgrounds of players — where they’re from, how they got to where they are, why you should care about them. For instance, that Barbosa story I wrote in 107 is a lot about his background growing up in Brazil, but there’s also a lot in there about what makes him an effective NBA player and why he’s having the best year of his career right now.
At least, that’s how it is with the NBA stories. With College and Punks stuff, we try to highlight a lot of people you might not otherwise hear about. Which is why we had a five-page story on LeBron before his junior year of high school. And which is why I went to Barcelona two weeks ago. Then there’s SLAMadamonth, which might be late but it’s one of my favorite things in the magazine. It’s our way of recognizing the guys who managed to do what we all wish we could do. (What’s funny is the way NBA guys react to SLAMadamonth. Chris Paul, for instance, was genuinely thrilled when he heard he’d made it a few issues back. And I think Dwight Howard is still mad at me because he always seems to be the guy getting dunked on — I’ve told him it’s nothing personal.)
One other thing that I love about SLAM is the artwork. Each issue is filled with gorgeous photos, and our design staff just kills it on feature after feature. There’s an Iverson photo from our photo shoot with him in the current issue — a close-up of his face — that any self-respecting Iverson has hanging on their wall by now. I actually have a few pages I’ve torn directly out of SLAM hanging here in my office. They’re glossy and colorful, and they look a lot cooler than anything I’ve ever printed out from a website.
As for the dates on the magazines…well, for one thing, all magazines are like that, particularly monthly magazines. GQ, Vogue, Esquire…all of them. Go look for yourself.
Why? Well, I asked the powers-that-be around here and was told the month on the magazine tells newsstands when the issue should be banished from their newsstands.
To be honest, when we’re putting together all these magazines, we never refer to them by the month that they’re listed as, we refer to them by the number of the issue. I can’t tell you what month that LeBron cover was, but I can tell you that it was SLAM 106.
It’s interesting, because the magazine industry is a pretty slippery game. When I was a kid I got a huge chunk of my sports information from my weekly copy of Sports Illustrated, but now SI.com gives you all the daily nuts and bolts. Even newspapers are different now — I can’t remember the last time I looked at a box score in a newspaper. A lot of magazines and papers have found themselves completely outmoded by the internets, but I think we hit a pretty good balance between SLAMonline.com and SLAM. You don’t have to buy SLAM to enjoy SLAMonline.com. But if you enjoy SLAMonline.com, you will definitely enjoy SLAM.
And even though technology keeps evolving and things keep changing, I don’t think magazines and newspapers will ever completely go away, at least not for a while. We still need something to read in the bathroom, after all.
56 Responses to “Quick Shots: Nike’s Weird Uniforms; The Hills; Vince; Timing”
Mar.8 at 6:32 pm
LordGefroh says:
what’s with the long sleeves? at least the shorts are still have some breathing room. also, since this is college, will some players be wearing baggy white tees underneath?
Mar.8 at 6:36 pm
LordGefroh says:
also, the fact that the dude from LB was an alcy was about as obvious as doug christie’s love for his wife.
Mar.8 at 6:37 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
those syracuse uniforms last night were a travesty.
Mar.8 at 6:41 pm
Cub Buenning says:
used to love me some fire and ice….
Monroe was an unfortunate NBA flop.
Mar.8 at 6:48 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
For the Hawks, actually.
Mar.8 at 6:51 pm
Tariq says:
True dat, Lang. True dat. Slam is going to give me hemmerhoids.
Mar.8 at 6:52 pm
Tariq says:
When will you announce my name as the winner of the Adam Morrison contest, by the by?
Mar.8 at 6:55 pm
Casey says:
They look like Under Armour gear. Pretty ridiculous.
Mar.8 at 7:34 pm
David says:
Thanks for the insight into the magazine. And the art design in Slam is excellent and has been for several years. I don’t think you guys get enough props for that.
Mar.8 at 7:38 pm
Danny Ferry says:
Why was(is?) it illegal for people to wear numbers from 6 to 9?
Mar.8 at 7:50 pm
Mike says:
25,6,5
Mar.8 at 8:00 pm
albie1kenobi says:
wow. feels like the good ol’ days of The Links. miss ya Lang, this is definitely good ish. the behind-the-scene stuff brought me back to my high school yearbook days too. big ups.
oh and big ups to the onion too, though they forgot to say the girl would also play D for him. wait he doesn’t play D so i guess that’s not on his job description for the assistant.
Mar.8 at 8:02 pm
Courtney says:
What’s Nike trying to do, make college basketball the Australian Women’s National Team?
http://www.basketball.net.au/FS_extra.asp?id=646&OrgID=1
Mar.8 at 8:15 pm
Ben Osborne says:
Danny Ferry: to make it easier for the refs to signal who the foul is on.
Lang: great stuff that I hope the readers appreciate. You guys don’t have to take my word for it, but I think SLAM is one of the BEST-positioned brands to co-exist online and in mag form. Like you said, the mag is for profiles, breaking players and art/design no other pub will give you, all in a fresh way. Timeliness is not really relevant to any of that.
The site, on the other hand, gives you breaking news, analysis and humor.
To quote XXL editor Elliott Wilson, cop ‘em both!
Mar.8 at 8:15 pm
Marty McF1y says:
wait, you cant be serious about that numbers between 6 and 9 rule.
Mar.8 at 8:19 pm
Marty McF1y says:
never mind, i didnt read the comments yet.
Mar.8 at 8:21 pm
Tom Jackson says:
Hey come on, if no one had supported me in asking the question I would have dropped it, but a few other people said “yeah that’s a good point,” so I thought you guys would answer it, which, you have. Thank you, Lang! (As for the month being the month to take it off the stands… that makes a lot of sense now.) Stuff like this is why you guys are the best magazine in the world.
Mar.8 at 8:24 pm
Tom Jackson says:
Lang, I’m still kinda po’d I didn’t get Linkstigator status, again. 6 years of daily reading isn’t enough? When I was in jail in 2003, I even had my girl print the links and mail them to me every day!
Mar.8 at 8:42 pm
Gringleton says:
Because refs only have 5 fingers on each hand.
Mar.8 at 8:56 pm
Dean says:
Barcelona? So will there be any story about the great Ricky Rubio?
Mar.8 at 9:32 pm
Simon Fuller says:
Slow news day Lang? I don’t really care about the lateness of issues, since I buy them from the store now (after not receiving a few issues by subscription and getting a couple of two year old SLAMs as “compensation”). But the idea of putting the month on the magazine as the month that it is being taken off the newstands is almost as ridiculous as the notion that one magazine started doing it that way and every single magazine on the planet decided to do the same. Do newspapers put tomorrow’s date on the front so the newsstands know it’s time to get rid of them? Would having “March” on the front of your magazine and the shop owner coming to the realisation that it’s now April and the magazine is now getting a bit stale be to hard for the majority of them to fathom? And another thing: That excuse that you have to send it to about five million different places to put it together is getting a bit old. You guys ever think of fixing the issue by doing everything in-house rather than offering excuses? And to finish up we get Why I Love SLAM by Lang. Geez, thanks for that. You guys have good pictures? I never would have noticed if you hadn’t pointed that out. We don’t really need a book report on your content. Most of us actually read the thing…
Mar.8 at 10:41 pm
dean says:
i’m in australia with a subscription, i get my issues really late.
Mar.8 at 10:59 pm
matt says:
dean, im in aus too and the best way to get the issues on time is to grab a copy from borders bookstore (if theirs one near you) as they air freight them in pretty soon after the release date in the states.
Mar.8 at 11:00 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
TJ, you’re officially a Linkstigator. Didn’t know The Links were big in prison, but I guess that’s good.
And Simon, what do you mean “the excuse you have to send it to about 5 million places” to put it together? Who gave that excuse?
Mar.9 at 12:23 am
Co Co says:
Let me just say as a woman, I have absolutely no problem with those uniforms! Have you seen the chests on some of those young men?? Hahahaha! Priceless!
Mar.9 at 12:44 am
Russ Bengtson says:
The best thing about the Corchiani photo is the guy in the background: “HELL no, I ain’t touchin’ him!”
Mar.9 at 12:49 am
Gnar Gnar Duckets! says:
Any magazine with Atiba’s work in it is always going to have top notch photos in it.
Mar.9 at 1:11 am
TC says:
Who is that girl from the off the bench section in slam 106? I think she’s kind of cute, Lang can I get a number? I still like SLAM and I think the mag is better than ever. But ever since slamonline and the Links exist I no longer buy every issue of SLAM like I used to. Maybe it’s because I am older now and have moved to Asia where SLAM would cost me double the price here than they do in Canada. But I found myself agreeing with everything Lang said in this post.
Mar.9 at 1:25 am
Reggie Evans says:
Dang, from the header I thought there was going to be a Chris Corchiani interview. I’ll even take a John Crotty spot at this point.
Mar.9 at 2:50 am
scott says:
Give Lang and the rest of the SLAM crew a break. I live in Oz and I still get my subscriptions fine, and definitely before they hit newstands down here. When I thought I lost one they sent me another copy next month. SLAM is hands down the BEST bball magazine on the planet, credit where credit is due man. And all credit to you Lang, and the rest of the SLAM crew. The only suggestion I have for the mag is to change the paper its printed on, something a bit more sturdy, after a few reads the paper gets all crumply and loses its “fresh” clean look.
Mar.9 at 2:58 am
Ben says:
Just watch the Florida jerseys closely, they got that “Gator/Croco Look” http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/bendreizehn/17601413_z.jpg …maybe a new jersey revolution…
Mar.9 at 8:12 am
Gilbert0 says:
Aside from telling us all how great SLAM is, Lang makes some intersting points. The decline of newspaper/magazines has been well documented and that can only increase as the internet becomes even more dominant in our culture. I think SLAM should just do away with anything that has a time-sensitive factor to it. Like the things to watch for in the upcoming month etc. By the time I read that stuff the content is stale as most of it has already happened. The best stories, and as Lang pointed out, those that arent affected by when you read them, are the player profile type stories that talk about players backgrounds etc. These are the kind of things that interest me and are not as available from the net in blogs or whatever. I guess my point is, make SLAM mag purely focus type stories and the site all about what is going on on a day to day basis, which I guess is what you are trying to do now, but the mag sometimes strays into territory best left for the site. So yeah thats my two cents. And as for the month on the front, who cares, it may as well not be on there.
Mar.9 at 9:18 am
Lang Whitaker says:
The “cute girl” reads The Links. If she wants to give her number, she will. Although her husband probably wouldn’t be too exited about that.
Mar.9 at 9:56 am
Ryan Jones says:
Simon is bitter like baking chocolate.
Mar.9 at 9:57 am
peteb80 says:
I’ve been a long time Slam subscriber, but ever since the website changed the magazine has become less important to me. I used to read the whole mag the day I got it in the mail, but now I just don’t. I never finished reading 105 and I haven’t even started reading 106 although I’ve had it for maybe three weeks. And I hate myself for it (I swear I’ll read it eventually). I believe it has nothing to do with the quality of the magazine, it’s all because of the website which I check like ten times a day. I just renewed my subscription today, though. Here in the EU that’s a no brainer, since a one year subscription is 28$ while it costs you like 15$ to buy a single copy at the newsstand. Would you give us some numbers on how many magazines you sell compared to hits you get on the website (and how traffic has increased since you changed it), or is that some supersecret information and I’m an idiot to even ask about it?
Mar.9 at 10:54 am
Harlem World says:
Good post. Interesting point about the balance between internet and magazine. How long before the net takes over completely? What is SLAM magazines shelf life? There’s not doubt there is a timeline on it, as the internets become more and more accessible. The future is slamonline. DP
Mar.9 at 11:07 am
Brad says:
Of all the teams I’ve watched Vince Carter play against over the years, some of his best games have been against the lowly Atlanta Hawks. Remember in ‘03 when VC hit a 360 and1 layup, ht the ft, then swatted JT’s runner, then hit the fade for the win at the buzzer, all in a row? I think he had like 45 in the game. Then last year he had that game when he threw down 3 or 4 highlight reel dunks on Josh Smith? Man the Hawks stink, so do the Knicks. Go VC! GO NETS!
Mar.9 at 11:40 am
dre says:
Glen Davis, Tractor Trayler, Oliver Miller… ’nuff said
Mar.9 at 11:43 am
Redrum says:
oh my god… those spandex tops look awfull… remind me of my spandex unitards I wore when rowing…
Mar.9 at 11:48 am
Mike says:
I think the real issue with these new jerseys is what happens to fans that buy those schools’ jerseys? Will they discontinue sales of the “old” jerseys in favour of the new tighties?
Those jerseys only look slightly stupid and semi-ridiculous on guys that are in tremendous shape. Imagine the middle aged, hairy fat guy at the Y rocking one of those. Ew.
Mar.9 at 11:48 am
dre says:
well, i wouldn’t mind if the women’s teams wore them. the australian women’s teams already does…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/86661529@N00/248853416/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53071597@N00/244464725/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53071597@N00/246350656/
Mar.9 at 11:58 am
Aaron says:
Who won the Morrison caption contest?
Mar.9 at 1:17 pm
john says:
say what you will, but i think the new uni’s are really bad*ss. harks back to the 70s when men where men and weren’t afraid to show off chesthair and muscles, such as shoulders and pecs.
Mar.9 at 1:32 pm
Ben Osborne says:
Reggie Evans: There is a John Crotty reference in the next issue of SLAM…but you’ll have to look hard to find it!
Mar.9 at 1:34 pm
Steve says:
The Nike tops aren’t the best, but those capri pants that are supposed to be shorts are the worst.
Mar.9 at 2:06 pm
Ron Hitley says:
I’ve got to agree that SLAM has some great design staff. Those guys are at the top of their game.
Mar.9 at 2:35 pm
gazza says:
Lang, I think I know why you went to Barcelona (probably the most beautiful European city, by the way). His initials are R.R., he is about the age of Le Bron when SLAM first got to him and he is a point guard. Am I right?
Mar.9 at 2:38 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
No, his initials are M.K. and he is a power forward.
Mar.9 at 3:04 pm
Danny Ferry says:
Are you sure his initials aren’t D.F. and was(IS!) awesome? Regardless, thanks for the info on the numbers, I guess its commoon sense really when you think about it but since i’m in the front office now I dont have that!
Mar.9 at 3:12 pm
Paniscus says:
On the new unis: some of my ladyfriends will love them. But they also want Stockton shorts to come back into vogue.
Mar.9 at 3:23 pm
Nine XXVI says:
What the hell are those suppose to be for? Please tell me not for basketball… or any sport played by human beings.
Mar.9 at 4:53 pm
gazza says:
You should something on Ricky Rubio though. though. The kid is a phenom (like Ronaldo when he was thin…)
Mar.9 at 8:18 pm
Kyle Stack says:
I’m not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet, but I read an article about the unis and it said that Nike got a ton of input from the players and they used their suggestions when designing the unis. So maybe the players want the tight stuff, even though I still find that hard to believe
Mar.9 at 8:32 pm
Simon Fuller says:
OK “five million” should have read “two”. But I think it’s a reasonable point. Wouldn’t it cut down on lead time by having your own printers doing the work specific to your deadlines etc.? I’m sure there’s a reason you don’t do it this way, probably due to it not being cost effective, but I think it’s a valid question. Ryan, I’m not really bitter (ok, maybe I am). But, I think I’m in the same boat as a lot of readers. Either I love something you guys do, or I hate it. There is no in-between. That’s a credit to you guys. It’s what you should be hoping to achieve. At least you’re not putting out some cookie-cutter publication which will only ever elicit a “oh, that was ok” response. And one thing that I don’t get about the original piece by Lang is that he’s illustrated a blueprint that is consistent with what you guys were doing 7-8 years ago. Pull out a SLAM from 2000 and it will be full of five and six page features, with not a heap of other stuff. Almost every change you’ve made to the magazine since then has gone against what you describe above: shorter features, louder than a bomb, shorter old schools (a tragedy, in my opinion, even though I’m not old enough to remember most of these guys), no Kenny (love it or hate it, you always read it).
Mar.10 at 1:53 am
Co Co says:
I’m all for the Stockton shorts coming back! I think at the very least when a team wears it’s throwback uniforms, the shorts should be throwbacks as well!
Mar.10 at 5:33 am
dre says:
just like how the nba got the players to give their input on the new ball???