The people of Detroit, whose city recently declared bankruptcy, could use something to brighten their days a bit.
And here it is.
The Pistons on Wednesday unveiled a special uniform that will be worn for 10 games in the 2013-14 season. Intead of DETROIT or PISTONS across the chest, the uniforms will say MOTOR CITY. Greg Monroe is modeling them below.
According to the team’s release, the uniforms are made by adidas and “designed to celebrate the pride and character of metro Detroit while paying homage to the region’s automotive roots.”
The Pistons are certainly not the first team to incorporate their city nickname into their uniforms. Years ago, the San Francisco Warriors had a uniform that said THE CITY, which is what folks who live in and around San Francisco call San Francisco. They have been trotted out as an alternate in recent seasons. And the Portland Trail Blazers have sported uniforms that said RIP CITY.
The new uniforms will be primarily worn for Sunday home games, although there are three road dates and a home holiday where they will be worn as well. They will make their debut Sunday, Nov. 3 vs. Boston.
The other home Sundays are Dec. 1 vs. Philadelphia, Dec. 8 vs. Miami, Dec. 15 vs. Portland (hey, how about Motor City vs. Rip City?), Jan. 5 vs. Memphis and April 13 vs. Toronto.
The road dates are Sundays as well – Nov. 17 at the Los Angeles Lakers (who will be wearing their Sunday whites), Jan. 26 at Dallas and March 9 at Boston. The holiday is Friday, Nov. 29 at home vs. the Lakers.
The best feature of Detroit’s new uniforms? They don’t have sleeves.