Jerseys are the first thing the audience notices when watching sporting events. They look at the colors, fonts, but what grabs their attention the most is how new they are. Choosing an athletic brand for the jerseys can be difficult, due to the brand being too tight or uncomfortable for the athletes. Elkhorn High has made the decision to switch the football jerseys from Under Armor to Nike this year.
“The administration sent out a google form asking coaches for input, just like if we had a preference when it came to Nike, or Under Armor or Adidas,” head coach Dan Feickert said. “So all the coaches decided on Nike.”
The Elkhorn district changes their jerseys every seven years, that is when the coaches decided they needed improvement.
“Every seven years in Elkhorn, varsity teams are on a cycle to get new jerseys, at least for football,” Feickert said. “This was our 7th year so we were up for new jerseys.”
The jerseys could affect how the athlete is performing. If it is too tight, it could impact the quarterback’s throwing or maybe it could be hard to run in for the wide receiver.
“I believe tight jerseys could play a role, especially as a quarterback, the tightness can really affect my throwing,” senior Kayd Matthews said.
On the other hand, the athlete might not care as much, due to their position.
“I don’t really think it matters because I am a safety. It doesn’t change anything for me,” senior Gus Schultz said.
Often athletes lean towards liking the new jerseys better than the old jerseys.
“I like the white Nike ones better because the white is whiter than the old Under Armor ones, so it looks brighter,” senior Charlie Lamski said.
The original colors for Elkhorn High are red and white, not black. The only football jersey colors Elkhorn has are red and white. Black jerseys are used in volleyball, basketball, etc, but that is primarily because football jerseys are pretty expensive.
“As awesome as black jerseys would be, we are a school that wears red and white with black as an alternative,” Feickert said. “The hard thing about football is that jerseys are so expensive that if we were going to buy one set of black alternates, we are talking 10s of 1000s of dollars. But I love the reds and whites. They are classic.”
Elkhorn High football boys changed their new jerseys and set the trend for all athletics to get the Nike apparel. Getting something new and classy is a great way to start off the season.
