NBA Christmas Jerseys are No Gift

This year's NBA Christmas Jerseys featured players' first names rather than their last names.  Player names were located beneath their numbers, and highlighted in the non-dominant color of the uniform.  The front of the uniform displayed team logos instead of the team name or city.  Together these changes allowed for a youthful feeling.  The easy to recognize logos, and large numbers managed to make the players look as if they were in a video game.

Perhaps this youthfulness isn't a bad thing.  Christmas is often a holiday geared towards the younger generation, and video games are a common gift.  However, I think the Christmas jerseys ought to be a little more jazzed up for the holiday.  If we are going for a childish feeling, why haven't we made the jerseys look like snowflakes and Evergreens, or how about cut off sweaters?  The possibilities are nearly endless, and all we have come up with is replacing their last name with their first.  It's not horrible; it is just not different.  The similarity to regular uniforms is so consistent that most viewers will not recognize a difference.

Other than the minor jersey changes, these uniforms were not creative or special.  Just as in the NBA's promotional video "NBA Christmas: #NoGifts Game Day ", these jerseys are not a gift I would give.  They are just too similar to regular NBA jerseys, yet their youthfulness feels a bit too childish to wear in an everyday setting.  Although, they are a thousand times better than last year's.

Christmas Jerseys 2013 (Photo Credit - Kelly L. Cox - USA TODAY Sports)

I am still wondering why sleeves were ever thought to be a good idea; because they were never a good idea.