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Toronto Raptors announce four new jerseys

By Kevin Nimmock

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Change is coming to Toronto. Over the past two months, the Toronto Raptors have drafted and signed several new players, who will drastically alter the look and feel of last year’s team. In the same vein, the organization announced four new jerseys for the upcoming season, starting with a showcase by the 6ix god himself.

In the above video, Drake wore one of the team’s two new alternate jerseys. The black jersey with gold and white trim is right in line with the Raptors’ rebranding, which Drake has helped significantly with. While it is cool that Drizzy is the first person to have worn one of the new jerseys in public, that is about the extent of my enthusiasm towards the announcement.

"New Toronto Raptors uniforms"

Though the jerseys look significantly better than I expected after earlier logo and colour scheme announcements, they still feel pretty uninspiring. According to the organization, the new look is meant to pay tribute to Toronto and Canada in general. The main colours remain Canada’s red and white, but the new alternate jerseys certainly show a major change.

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Initially, my biggest qualms are to do with the fonts. The team’s name is written in the “We The North” font, released last year to promote a major marketing initiative. It seems cramped on the jerseys, though this could be because of the curve. Either way, I am more concerned with the numbering, which doesn’t fit the team’s new branding at all. The pseudo cursive is an ugly centrepiece for the franchise’s next chapter.

Nerdy font thoughts aside, here are some of the highlights from the team’s press release:

Jersey:

  • The chevrons on the side of the jersey will now point “north” to align with our slogan of “We
    The North.” The chevrons had pointed downward since being introduced as a uniform
    accent in 1999.
  • Player names on the back will now be arched rather than straight across.
  • At the waist-level hem of the jersey is an upside-down tag with our “We The North” slogan.
    It will be visible to players when they tuck in their jersey, and will serve to remind them of
    what they represent.

Shorts:

  • The front of the waistband dons a Maple Leaf, incorporating our new look and feel with the
    symbol of our nation.
  • The shorts have a shout-out to Toronto, sometimes referred to as the “T Dot.” “T.O.” is
    stitched on the side with our new logo representing the “O.”

By far the best part of the new jerseys in the “T.O,” cleverly hidden in plain view on the shorts. This is a great reference to the city. Still, the jerseys fails to incorporate just about every fan’s favourite past design points: the cartoon dino logo and the purple colour scheme.  Basically, the things that have given the team’s branding personality in the past were left by the wayside. Overall, the new jerseys aren’t bad, but they aren’t memorable either.

Hopefully we get to see a few throwback nights this season with the team’s best jerseys on display.

Next: Should the Raptors trade DeMar DeRozan?

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