When it comes to the upcoming Sharks-Kings outdoor game, all anybody has really cared about is what the team’s specialty jerseys will look like.
Honestly, the excitement of an outdoor game in the Bay Area or seeing the Sharks host the Kings at the 49ers new digs wore off a long time ago. For the past few months, all of the attention has been on what those Stadium Series sweaters are going to look like. Anticipation mounted last week when icethetics.com leaked a picture of what the coveted sweaters might look like — but you know the internet, just because somebody posts something doesn’t mean it’s real. So the Team Teal faithful continued their arduous wait for the official unveiling of outdoor game jerseys.
Finally, San Jose gave the people what they wanted. But the people, it appears, aren’t very impressed.
The Sharks released a video Friday morning which mixes quick shots of Marc-Edouard Vlasic rocking the highly-awaited jersey while standing in the Levi’s Stadium seats, with percussive background music that sounds as though it were stolen from one of the new “Planet of the Apes” flicks.
The sweaters appear to be not too dissimilar from the Sharks’ home teals, with an added band of white across the front midsection of the jersey and sleeves, along with a jet black section on the bottom. Lettering is basic white, the same as it is on both home jerseys. The real kicker is the duo of patches featured on the sweater’s sleeves: One patch of course displays the Coors Light Stadium Series emblem, while the other is a nifty black-and-yellow Northern California patch featuring a shark fin slicing through the center of the state.
Outside of the NorCal patch, the general reaction to the specialty sweater seems mostly negative. Some responses on Twitter feature the word “ugh, or ugly. I’ve even seen posts where people have suggested what the sweaters “should look like.” Leave it up to a hockey jersey to bring out someone’s inner fashion critic
I’m wondering if the attitude towards these new sweaters will change, given that the Sharks are planning to wear them more than once. After the outdoor match on February 21, San Jose is rumored to integrate the jersey into its gameday rotation and eventually take place of the Thursday night/postseason black jersey. Being that the fan base at large is rather disenchanted with the Black Armor for superstitious reasons related to the Sharks’ playoff woes, it will be interesting to see if the lack of love for the new jersey changes over the upcoming months.
