Wool to Wicking — The Evolution of Basketball Clothing
Can you imagine playing basketball in knee-length pants made of heavy wool? Maybe if the court was outdoors in Alaska or Siberia! But that’s the way it used to be back when the game began.
Sports clothing is evolving all the time as fashions change and as manufacturers discover better materials. The journey of basketball kits from the sport’s beginnings to today is one of constant development, innovation and collaboration with brands.
When basketball was first played competitively in the 1890s, players wore whatever athletic clothes they had: tracksuits, football gear, shorts, tights and trousers of whatever length. Tops typically had no sleeves or a quarter-length sleeve and were made of cotton or wool. This was partly because the game developed as an indoor game to play when the weather was too bad for football.
New tech, new gear
The 1920s and 1930s saw the development of polyester and nylon — lighter materials that dried quicker and were better for sportswear. The game was becoming more accepted and so a uniform started to develop. For example, medium-length shorts for better movement and less heat.
With more players and more attention, manufacturers started to create specific sportswear for the game. US manufacturer Spalding was one of the first to make a dedicated basketball shoe with suction cups on the sole to prevent slipping on the court.
Of course, the real boom in sports-shoe design kicked off in the 1960s and 1970s when such brands as Chuck Taylor All-Stars, Keds, Adidas and Nike began to design high-tech shoes, especially for the quick moves and jumping of the game. The first leather high-tops appeared in the late 1970s.
These days, a range of performance, high-comfort fabrics are used with various properties such as sweat-wicking, temperature regulation and fewer seams to rub the skin. Lycra and Dazzle are now pretty much standard, though nylon, polyester and cotton are still used. Who doesn’t love a soft cotton warm-down hoodie?
Fashion influences
Sport and fashion can never stay separate for long. In the 1970s and 1980s, uniforms became tighter and the shorts shorter to reflect what was going on in fashion culture. In the era of aerobics, muscle tone was something to celebrate and show off. Google a picture of Magic Johnson in his LA Lakers kit to see what we mean.
But fashion never stops. In the 1980s, Michael Jordan was one of the pioneers of longer, baggier shorts and this started the trend towards much looser basketball kits. Rap culture was growing at the same time, and rappers loved to wear their team’s jerseys on the street. In this way, the club kits started to become fashion items in their own rights, becoming more colorful and striking.
It’s also true that clubs make a lot of money selling official kits, so a great-looking design is important to keep fans buying the latest shirts, shorts and accessories such as headbands or wristbands.
Rules and sponsorship
Of course, players and clubs can’t create whatever they like whenever they like. For example, home teams normally wear lighter-colored uniforms than the visiting team, although official home and away uniforms no longer exist. NBA rules specify that shorts must end a least one inch (2.54 cm) above the knee and that T-shirts can’t be worn under the jersey (except in college basketball).
Sponsorship logos on sports clothing was first seen in 1950s Uruguayan soccer and later appeared on British soccer shirts in the 1970s, quickly spreading around the world. It’s common for European basketball players to be covered in sponsorship messages, but the NBA allowed jersey sponsorship only from 2017 and the club name still dominates jerseys. Current NBA sponsorship deals include PayPal (Phoenix Suns), Walt Disney World (Orlando Magic) and Rakuten (Golden State Warriors).
Although relatively new in the NBA, kit sponsorship has a huge amount of potential. That first 2017–18 season when Nike sponsored kits raised an estimated $150m in extra revenue. Who doesn’t want their logo on LeBron’s chest?
However, the sport likes to regulate itself. Currently, each team keeps 50% of the revenue they generate from sponsorship and the other 50% is shared between other 29 NBA teams. This helps to keep it fair and competitive and avoids the situation of European soccer, for example, when a few massively rich teams totally dominate their leagues.
Real-world basketball online
Here at Basketballverse, our mission is to bring the real game to the metaverse. Not just the court action, but everything else, too.
That means you can choose your own kit — jerseys, shoes, accessories — and customize your look. As a player, a club or an arena, you can also negotiate sponsorship deals with real-world brands to put their logos on your clothing or your playing space.
This is the beauty of Basketballverse. It’s not just a game — it’s the game: the game of basketball with all of its real-world aspects. You can be a champion AND you can earn real revenue to make a career out of it.
Get your shoes on! We’re waiting for you on the court.
About Basketballverse
Basketballverse is a P2E 3D multiplayer basketball metaverse that joins billions of basketball enthusiasts in a community where you can develop your NFT baller avatar, manage your own club or arena, build a fanbase, attract sponsorships and earn real income via crypto.
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