The Univ. of Michigan football team will "wear an all-blue uniform -- blue pants and blue jersey -- for the 'Under the Lights' prime-time game against Penn State on Oct. 11 at Michigan Stadium," according to Angeliques Chengelis of the DETROIT NEWS. UM and adidas on Twitter on Friday night "unveiled the 'Go Blue' Techfit uniform that involved design input from some of the Michigan players." It is the "first all-blue uniform in program history." It also is the "sixth time Michigan will wear an alternate uniform and the sixth time it has collaborated with adidas." The response on Twitter when the photo first appeared "was not, for the most part, positive." Many "simply think this new Michigan uniform is unattractive and unnecessary." But UM AD Dave Brandon said this is a "very big deal" to UM players. Brandon: "It’s something that’s important, that they think about, that they ask for" (DETROIT NEWS, 8/9). In Ann Arbor, Brendan Quinn noted players were "presented with the new uniforms during a team meeting following Friday's practice" (MLIVE.com, 8/8). In Detroit, Joshua Henschke writes in the grand scheme of things, UM supporters "have much more to worry about than a silly uniform change that will happen only once this year." If the players "enjoy wearing the uniforms and it gives the recruits something extra to talk about it, then the case is closed." Fans will "buy the jersey regardless, even if it looks out of place in the man-cave." Henschke: "Could the announcement be an attempted money-grab from Adidas and the athletic department? Probably, but isn’t everything these days?" At the "end of the day, getting worked up about a jersey is minimal compared to what the players think" (FREEP.com, 8/11).
