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Classy move!
Packers "Color Rush" in honor of black-and-white television era
Weston Dodgywitz, US TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin 00:01 a.m. EDT April 1, 2016
While the rest of the NFL teams appear in screaming colors on Thursday Night Football in 2016, the Packers will be honoring the days when there was no such thing as color on television.
In a bold move, the Packers have chosen to go for a fully achromatic look in their NFL Color Rush uniforms. The NFL revealed the Packers will premier the look at the Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit on the 24th of November.
In a statement released by the Packers, team president Mark Murphy emphasized the team's roots:
"We wanted to give our younger fans a glimpse of what it was like to watch football when it was still a budding sport. Eight of our thirteen championships were won before color television came along."
The Packers were featured in the first-ever color broadcast of a regular-season NFL game, as CBS brought the network's brand new color mobile unit to the traditional Thanksgiving Day game at Detroit November 7th 1965. Only a handful of games were broadcast in color that season, and Lombardi's Packers had the honor thrice. Green and gold uniforms were seen in their full glory in their wins at the Western Conference playoff game and the NFL Championship Game.
"The championship on color television really cemented the green and gold as Packer colors on a national scale. But we wanted to hearken to the era before that happened," Murphy explained.
The NFL and Nike have had a mixed response to their monotone alternate uniform campaign, featuring bright colors aimed at the younger fan segment. The Color Rush campaign faced criticism last season when hundreds of color-blind fans across the country complained that they couldn't tell who was who during the Bills' 22-17 win over the Jets.
When asked for comment, Murphy answered with a smile:
"Well, that won't be a problem with our uniforms. We may have to remind the fans: Do not adjust your sets."
The Packers president admitted there was some initial resistance from Nike.
"In the end, Nike understood it's not all about the money, but about honoring the legacy of the game. Besides, black and white are always in fashion."
When asked how black and white fit the Color Rush theme, considering black and white are not, in fact, colors, Murphy balked:
"Of course we know that. What do you take as for? April Fools?!"
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