In recent years, many avid sports memorabilia collectors and aficionados have been able to take pride in knowing that an authentic throwback NFL / AFL football jersey, or even a replica “throwback” jersey can certainly be considered a work of art, and in many cases, a worthwhile investment. Not only do you notice this while ordering football merchandise or browsing online, but you also cannot help but sense an extra appreciation when you are paging through a well-photographed football coffee table book, or walking in some of today’s mall stores and sports specialty shops.
Such is the case if you look at the dark-colored sweaters of two of the greatest football stars ever. Quarterback Johnny Unitas’ dark blue #19 with the Baltimore Colts and Cleveland Browns RB Jim Brown and his dark brown #32 jersey are two such examples of lost art throwbacks that are literally awesome to view and worth a closer look.
In an era where professional football players performed and played more for the love of the game, what you wouldn’t find on both Unitas’ and Brown’s jerseys (at least up until approximately 1970) are player nameplates, or their names on the backs of the uniforms. Even though this made it slightly more challenging for the average NFL or AFL fan to follow their favorite stars either via watching the game in person, at the stadium, or through television viewing, the “nameless” jersey backs coupled with “larger than life” size jersey numbers, are definitive giveaways to older, more vintage pro football jerseys. In fact, when one specific large sports apparel company came out with their “NFL/AFL Throwback” line of pro football uniforms a few years ago, the numbers on the backs seemed to measure a good 10-12 inches in height, which would add to the “giant” stature of some of the game’s greatest stars, such as Unitas and Brown, as well as other stars!
Currently, with today’s NFL uniforms that our favorite teams and stars display while on the gridiron, there seems to have been a transition to colors and styles that appear more angular, darker in color, and perhaps more “space-age” or futuristic? The colors alone on these older throwback type jerseys come across as more vivid, as well as artistically more appealing, such as the Baltimore Colts vintage blue, Cleveland’s deeper chocolate brown color, as well as the Chicago Bears’ deep dark navy blue, the LA Rams’ deeper blue of the 1960’s, the NY Jets’ dark green, and the Green Bay Packers’ dark green and rich yellow.
Oftentimes, the finishing touch on these types of jerseys are the accessory-type league anniversary patches, team type logos/mascots or respective city or franchise points of interest. An example of this is the large “NFL 50thAnniversary Season” crest or shield that the professionals dawned on the left shoulder (above the sleeve numbers) during the 1969 NFL season.
If you have an opportunity to acquire one of these types of jerseys, you certainly will want to wear / display it, even if it is a replica vs. an authentic game worn sweater, you will definitely be the proud owner of a true NFL/AFL pro football work of art.
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