Northwestern to Wear Player-Designed Uniforms Today

College sports teams across the country do a lot of things and go through a lot of traditions and procedures ahead of games against their big rivals.

Northwestern is doing all of that and then something else that will be extremely unique, to say the least. Northwestern & Under Armour teamed up with the players on the team to release a special uniform that will be worn today for their game against rivals Illinois. Just like their uniforms for the high school football All-American Game and even the uniforms for their football team, these uniforms are also a bit on the eccentric side.

Each uniform has “BY THE PLAYER” on the nameplate on the back, which reflects the fact that the players had a significant amount of input in the jerseys, with the players naming what they felt was important to them, the school, and their fellow teammates. What we got was something that looks like a graffiti wall masquerading as a basketball uniform.

According to the official press release from Northwestern’s athletic program, the following elements are all represented on this one single uniform:

FAMILY, BROTHERHOOD and TRUST: The three words the players and coaches identified as the terms that embody the NU basketball team. They are placed around the school logo on the uniform.
JOHN HANCOCK CENTER: Not only a fixture in the Chicago skyline, this building has been the site of many team bonding and recruiting experiences.
CHICAGO SKYLINE: NU is “Chicago’s BIG10 team” so the skyline was integrated into the uniform to represent the great city they play for.
EH! EH! EH!: As NU takes the court, you will undoubtedly hear the team chanting “Eh! Eh! Eh!” as they prep for battle.
HEART-SHAPED BASKETBALL: Coach Collins has a mantra he reiterates to his team day-in and day-out: “Love the game!” The heart-shaped basketball icon is a representation of this saying.
POUND THE ROCK: The teams’ call to arms, their battle cry is “Pound the Rock.”

And that’s not even all of them! We can tell you that the pinstripes on the shoulder are meant to pay homage to the Chicago Bulls’ pinstriped alternate uniforms, which serves as another attempt by Northwestern to take Chicago as their own territory. For the rest of the elements, it’s advised to read this interview with Under Armour’s Adam Clement as they delve further into the creative process of designing this uniform. However, if you’re the adventurous type then you can skip that link while we’ll just post these photos and leave the interpretation to you, the reader, as you try to figure out exactly what is going on with these shorts.

So, what do you think? Are you a fan of giving the players this much creative control in their uniforms? Or do you think that Under Armour should have gone in a much different direction? Definitely make sure to drop your two cents in the comments section.