MSU Unveils New Athletic Uniforms As Part Of Re-Branding Effort

Michigan State Unveils New Nike Uniforms

Michigan State Univ.'s new Nike athletic uniforms, which were unveiled on Friday, are "part of a two-year re-branding and identity quest, marked by changes among the font, design, fabric and color," according to Shawn Windsor of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. The "cheery old Spartan green" is now gone and in its place is a "deeper, darker shade, one meant to conjure authority and aggression." MSU AD Mark Hollis said that Nike "tried dozens of shades to achieve the perfect look, one that suggested old Spartan lore." Hollis "wanted to outfit every team on campus with the same color and font." He said, "There has been a lack of consistency with regard to our brand." Windsor reported Hollis believed that the "lack of consistency was a weakness," so he "asked Nike to help centralize the brand." Nike "already had outfitted several MSU teams," and now it will outfit all 25. The "only thing that remained the same was the actual Spartan helmet logo." MSU "wanted to change that, too, but backed away when a prototype leaked out in February and too many alumni and fans protested" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 4/24). MSU QB Kirk Cousins said of the new uniforms, "I like the fact it's a deal that's across all sports. There were a lot of different logos and colors in different sports. It's a good way to unify us all together as one. ... The color will stick out to you when you first see it, especially the home jersey which has more green" (DETROIT NEWS, 4/24).