Are The Patriots Ruining Their Brand?
The year is 2024. The Pats uniforms are arguably the worst that they’ve ever been, and the team just released the worst alternate logo in American sports. The truth is, it might be the perfect time for the Patriots to make a change. After all, would be something poetic about changing the franchise’s visual identity as the team entering it’s first complete overhaul of the post-Belichick era. If you had asked me about a potential uniform change prior to this week, I would have over the moon.
I’d do just about anything for the Patriots to never wear “The Blueberries” ever again. The 2016 color rush uniforms have become a staple of Patriots football, and are right up there with some of the worst I’ve ever seen in the NFL. The occasional injections of silver pants are always a pleasant reprieve from the hideous jumpsuits that we’ve grown so accustomed to. With all of that said, I am still not completely certain that I feel good about a potential change.
The Patriots widened the shoulder stripes, and have rolled with “The Blueberries” since 2020 despite backlash.
On May 10th of 2024, the Patriots added a new alternate logo into the mix. I have already seen the new logo described as corporate and AI generated among other things. This new logo design matches a grotesque trend of corporatization of Kraft-owned brands.
The Patriots unveiled this new alternate logo on May 10th, 2024.
The most glaring case of this is the bastardization of the New England Revolution. Revs fans saw their logo or “badge” change in 2021, when the Kraft Group did away with the classic ‘American flag’ design in favor of a soul-less circular badge with plain font and zero personality. While some would argue that the Revs needed to mix something up, I would sooner blame the franchise’s struggles on the lack of an individual identity. Doing away with the classic logo seemed to be the Kraft Group’s attempt to separate themselves from the football team with which they share a home field. With the new Patriots alternate logo sharing many similarities to the Revolution’s, it raises some alarm bells in my head as a marketing major.
The Revolution’s new logo (left) compared to the iconic logo (right), which the Revs have worn since the team’s 1996 inception.
While It is currently unclear what the plans for the new logo are, there has been speculation that future uniform redesigns might prominently display the logo. It goes needless of explanation as to why this would be a TERRIBLE idea. If you ask me, outside of use as a watermark on the organization’s official documents, this logo should never see the light of day. It genuinely looks like it would be in the top corner of a memo about sexual harassment in the workplace.
All of this is to say, while I am open to change with the Patriot’s brand, I am very concerned about the recent trajectory of the team’s identity. The Kraft Group should tread very lightly. Many New Englanders debate whether or not the Pat Patriot logo should replace the Flying Elvis, but there will be little disagreement amongst fans if the new logo is added to the team’s uniforms.
I will end this with a plea. If by some miracle The Kraft Group’s PR or marketing team is reading this….
1) Please hire me
2) PLEASE do not include this new logo on any uniform in the future.
