Table of Contents
Bob Eckstein is the editor of The Bob.
Branding is a billion-dollar business with uniform changes and logo tweaks as carefully planned as the X’s and O’s on the field. We would argue that football is the country’s most popular sport because of the catchy graphics we all grew up with. As sports commentator Mike Francesa said, “It was the perfect sport for color TV.”
This year almost half the league will be either changing their uniforms and logo or bringing back retro looks so it’s time to break down the new looks—it’s hard to root for a team if you can’t tell who’s on the field.
We have taken into account not only the logo’s design but concept, tone, and whether it accurately reflects the location’s sensibility.
One note on my credentials: I have taught at the leading art schools around the world, created logos for corporations like Pepsi, worked for Sports Illustrated, SPORT magazine, and The New York Times Sports as well as designed the logo for an NFL (defunct) team. I have been drawing NFL logos since the fourth grade.
We will discuss the worst logos later but, for now, who looks good in 2023?
17. Kansas City Chiefs
You can tell the organization senses they have nowhere to go with this. They have not been able to improve on the problematic brand; blood red helmet, the Indian association and a yellow accent to the uniform resulting in a picnic-condiments look. That’s what you get when you have the logo designed by the owner (in 1960 by Lamar Hunt). Just spitballing here…change to moss green or wheat yellow, do a gradation of both, like a Great Plains thing? Perhaps add an Indian casino chip? See, problematic.
16. New York Jets
Go back. Your original logo was the best version. The more complicated the logo is, the more it distracts your fans from how bad you were on the field. None of this works if it wasn’t for the seldom-used basic green, which they are smartly returning to this season for their throwback uniforms. Those white uniforms are always underrated for their visual effectiveness. Too many teams have their teams looking like popsicles.
15. Los Angeles Rams
When this team first introduced the ram horns in the league, the helmet’s swirls and quarterback Roman Gabriel, hypnotized opponents. The change from white to yellow was an improvement. Ideas for an upgrade? What if the swirls moved? First hologram helmet!
14. Arizona Cardinals
The latest version of the cardinal was very professionally executed—not too complicated and works better than all the NFL cat family logos. The only shortcoming being the cardinal is really a St. Louis thing and has nothing to do with Arizona, where pickleball is more popular than football.
13. San Francisco 49ers
Somehow they pulled off a glorious Old Wild West color scheme and logo for a football team without looking silly. Rumors of upgrading to reflect the new San Francisco have been kept at bay but here was a sketch.
12. Minnesota Vikings
Purple. Minny, you’re the only ones who thought of that color way back when. Bravo. My suggestion…real horns sticking out? The Vikings will be wearing their throwback jerseys in Week 1.
11. Miami Dolphins
Perfect example of there being room for wit in football design. I’m of course referring to the original design and not the new one is very popular and it is beautiful, but it’s not as personable, charming or funny as the one with the dolphin wearing a ill-fitted helmet himself. Thank goodness they didn’t change the colors. Best example of matching the town’s vibe.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers
Iconic. Clever just lifting the city’s bread and butter, a factory logo. Equally clever, and also budget-minded, is having the logo appear on only one side of the helmet. It’s the only major sports logo that uses the three primary colors set on black (not counting the ugly Kansas City Scouts). It’s a well-thought out and appealing uniform. Plus, a trillion Super Bowl rings gives this logo a priceless patina you can’t buy. They also have the funniest throwback uniform ever, their 1934 bubble bee uniform which may never return as the team hinted their 1966-1967 throwback design with diamond-shaped cape across the shoulders will be making an appearance during the 2023 season.
9. New York Giants
This is a logo that is good only because you are so familiar with it. Like how everyone on a comedy sitcom starts looking good by season ten. (I.e., How I Met Your Mother), or when you hear the word Beatles or see the Yankees logo. It’s no longer just a lowercase n and y. The Giants have tried other logos but always returned to their granddaddy. Another example of leave well enough alone and stop experimenting.
8. Cleveland Browns
No other team uses this color palette or has a helmet with no logo. Their genius is they dare to not try too hard. On the field either. They are lovable because less is more, in both cases.
7. Green Bay Packers
Underrated. Nothing here makes sense yet it works because the color combo is unique and the logo is so uncluttered. I don’t even know what the team name means. I don’t care. The contrast to whoever they are playing on the field actually sets them up as the underdog and you want to root for them. My one suggestion is don’t stray from the original green with these dark colors like the Eagles and others. Stay in your lane. Lean into it.
6. Indianapolis Colts
Sometimes the first idea is best. Back in 1953 somebody did a half-ass job, throw a horseshoe on the board and got lucky, pun intended. Hope they never change it.
5. Detroit Lions
Fantastic color scheme uniform with an above-average logo. Reintroducing the classic logo for throwback games, which looks like something for a 1970s muscle car, is another touchdown.
4. New Orleans Saints
The cheesier the league’s other teams’ experimental uniforms look, the classier the gold fleur-de-lis gets. The restrained, elegant helmet has been worthy of a dynasty that never was (The Big Easy won once in 2010).
3. Los Angeles Chargers
Simple yet brilliant to have the number on the helmet. The right graphics, the right font, the right colors…they should give up football and open a design firm.
AP ID: 23019752432204
2. Dallas Cowboys
Classic look and part of the reason, along with their half-naked cheerleaders and winning ways, they are so appealing, and we are stuck with their fans no matter what away stadium they are playing in. No suggestions as this is impossible to improve upon.
1. Las Vegas Raiders
There’s a reason this logo has been always the most popular NFL logo, especially among people who are a little deranged. It speaks to the fan base, the fear factor you want a team to project with a color scheme that is menacing and never out of vogue.
NFL FAQs
How do you play football survival pool?
Players pick one team each week they think will win the game outright. They may only pick a team ONCE per season, meaning you can't pick the same team twice in one season. If their pick is correct, the player survives another week and continues to play. An incorrect pick eliminates the player from the contest entirely. This is sometimes called an elimination or suicide pool. The last person standing wins.
How to make a football pool?
A football pool generally requires the creation of a shareable spreadsheet (like Google Sheets) so that members may pick teams. Then depending on the game type, creators must use several kinds of formulas (e.g. CountIF), data validation, and conditional formatting. Or, you can just use football pool hosting service like RunYourPool where we do all the work for you!
How to run a weekly football pool?
In order to run a football pool, you must first crown yourself as Pool Commissioner. Begin by picking a game type like Survivor or Pick'Em. You'll want to establish rules before inviting friends, family, and colleagues to join. As commissioner, you make the rules and also need to enforce them equally and fairly.
What is a football survivor pool?
In a Football Survivor Pool, players choose one team weekly they think will win. Usually, a team can be picked one time per season. Picks are made "straight up," no spreads necessary. If a pick is correct, members survive another week. An incorrect pick eliminates the player, unless a mulligan is used.
How does a football pool work?
Football pools are games of skill played among a group of people. There are a variety of pool types to fit every players needs, from casual to competitive. Pool commissioners can set up pools manually, or use a hosting service like RunYourPool whiel still customizing your own settings. Some examples include NFL Squares, NFL Survivor, NFL Pick 'Em, and Playoff Brackets.
What is an NFL pickem pool?
In an NFL pick’em pool, simply pick the outcome of each NFL game throughout the season. You can pick straight up winners or losers, or pick each game against the spread.
How to play a football pool?
The way one plays a football pool varies on the game type. For example, in Survivor, you pick one team to win each week and can't pick that team again. Guess wrong and you lose. Another example is Pick'em Pools in which you simply pick every game each week.
How does a fantasy football pool work?
Fantasy football pools don’t involve a traditional fantasy football draft. You can have as many members in your pool as you’d like, meaning no more 12 or 14 team limits! You pick a new lineup of players each week, and once you use a player once, you can’t use them again for the rest of the season.
What is a fantasy football pool?
A fantasy football pool is similar to a traditional fantasy football league but without the draft. Pick a new lineup each week, and once you use a player, you can’t use them for the rest of the season. Your players will receive points based on their in-game stats, and the member with the most points at the end of the season is the winner.
What is a football pool?
"Football Pool" is a broad term for a group of people competitively guessing the outcome of one or more football games. There are many types of formats, each assigning winners differently. They can be played informally between friends or through a more formalized system. They are often considered a great alternative to fantasy football given the ease of playing, although there are fantasy football pools as well.
How do football pool squares work?
There are different kinds of football square pools. Most have a 10x10 grid with one team for the rows and columns. In an attempt to win, participants select a square where they believe the last digit number of each team's score will intersect at the end of each quarter, and the game's end.
How do you play football squares pools?
To play a football squares pool, you're going to want to pick the squares with the best odds. As winners are determined by the point totals at the end of each quarter, try to consider options where scores are most common. Some of the most popular squares include 7-3, 7-0, 7-7, and 0-0. Numbers divisible by seven are good starting points.
How many squares in a football pool?
In a traditional football squares pool, a grid is sectioned off into 100 squares with 10 columns and 10 rows. This accounts for a direct relationship between each possible digit from 0 to 9 on both the X and Y axis. For smaller square grids like 5x5, multiple numbers can be assigned to each column and row.
How to play squares football pools?
Football squares are played by creating a grid, in which Team 1 takes the column and Team 2 the rows. In some cases, participants may claim as many squares as they like. In others, commissioners limit them to one. At the quarter times and end of the game, the winner is decided at the point the scores final digit intersect.
What is a football squares pool?
Also called Grid, Block, or Box Pools, Football Squares Pools can be played with any single game, but are most popular during the Super Bowl. Pool members claim squares on a 25, 50, or 100-square grid by putting their information in the square. Game scores are matched to the winning square(s), usually with winners being determined every quarter.
How to read a football pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.
How do you play football credits pool?
In the credits format, all players start with the same number of credits. Players make picks each week by risking a certain number of credits on games, assigning more credits to the picks with a higher confidence level. Members receive double the credits risked for each win. The member with the most credits at the end of the season wins.
What is a football credits pool?
In Football Credits Pools, players start with the same number of credits. They then make picks each week by risking a number of credits on games, assigning more to the picks they have more confidence in getting right. Members double credits risked for each win. The member with the highest credits at the end of the season wins.
How to run a football pool?
How you decide to run a football pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
How do you play football confidence pool?
A football confidence pool is played straight up, not with a point spread. Not only do members pick the winning teams, they must back up their picks by giving them a relative confidence ranking. Your score reflects the number of confidence points given to winning teams. So if your confidence for a team winning is '1', then you can only win one point at most. If your confidence for a team winning is '5', then you can win five points for a win. The member with the most credits at the end wins.
What is a football confidence pool?
"Football Confidence Pool" refers to how you rank the teams that you think will win each week. For example, in the NFL, there are often 16 games weekly. In this scenario, you would rank each game from 16 to 1, based on the your confidence in that team winning.
How do you play football margin pool?
Margin pools are an NFL pool format that rewards members for picking a winning team each week. Pool commissioners can decide whether they award points equal to a winning teams margin of victory or the point spread for that game. When a commissioner chooses the point spread option, this format is often referred to as an NFL Underdog Pool.
What is a football margin pool?
In a Football Margin Pool, you are awarded points for picking a winning team. Pool commissioners get to decide whether they award points equal to a winning teams margin of victory or the point spread for that game. The player with the most points at the end of the season wins.
How do you play football 33 point pool?
The football 33 pool format is a casual pool where members are each assigned an NFL team (these pools are 32 members max, as there are 32 NFL teams). Members win when their team scores 33 points. Options for changing the target score, or having the closest to the target win each week is also available.
What is a football 33 point pool?
In the football 33 pool format, each member is assigned a unique NFL team (32 members max). A member will win when their team scores 33 points. This is a casual pool where you can change the target score or the option to have the closest to the target that week win.
How to run a weekly football pool?
In order to run a football pool, you must first crown yourself as Pool Commissioner. Begin by picking a game type like Survivor or Pick'Em. You'll want to establish rules before inviting friends, family, and colleagues to join. As commissioner, you make the rules and also need to enforce them equally and fairly.
What is an NFL Playoff bracket pool?
NFL Playoff Bracket pools are simple NFL pool formats where members pick every round of the playoffs before they start in an attempt to predict every match up correctly. It's optional to configure a multiplier for each round, or add a tiebreaker option of total points in the Super Bowl.
How to make a football pool?
A football pool generally requires the creation of a shareable spreadsheet (like Google Sheets) so that members may pick teams. Then depending on the game type, creators must use several kinds of formulas (e.g. CountIF), data validation, and conditional formatting. Or, you can just use football pool hosting service like RunYourPool where we do all the work for you!
How to set up a football pool?
To set up a football pool, you'll need to first choose a pool type like Survivor or Pick'em. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As pool commissioner, you'll enforce these rules and make sure the game runs smoothly throughout the season. Many commissioners use pool hosting sites like RunYourPool to make it easier and more engaging.
What is a football power ranking playoff pool?
In a power ranking playoff pool, members rank all 12 NFL teams competing in the playoffs from strongest (12 points) to weakest (1 point). Picks are made only ONCE before any games begin. Members are awarded the number of points assigned to a team when they win. Commissioners can optionally set up a point multiplier for each playoff round.
What is a football confidence pool?
"Football Confidence Pool" refers to how you rank the teams that you think will win each week. For example, in the NFL, there are often 16 games weekly. In this scenario, you would rank each game from 16 to 1, based on the your confidence in that team winning. This is similar to the Playoff Pool Power Ranking, just less teams.
How to run a football pool?
How you decide to run a football pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
What is a football playoff precision pool?
In a playoff precision pool, members attempt to pick the winner of every playoff game each week. You can decide if it’s straight up or on a point spread picks, but point totals are also added. Points are awarded for correct picks AND for how close to the correct combined point total they were.
How to read a football pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.
What is a Super Bowl Prop Bets Pool?
A Super Bowl Prop Bet Pool is a fun and thrilling way to compete against friends and family during the big game! It's a simple questionaire of prop betting questions revolving around the Super Bowl, and whoever earns the most points based off correct answers wins!
How does a Super Bowl Prop Bets Pool work?
Pool members simply fill out a wide range of prop questions, each question worth a different value. Commissioners decide on the point value for each question, along with the amount of questions. Whichever member earns the most points based on corret answers wins the pool.
What is a football Super Bowl Squares pool?
Also called Grid, Block, or Box Pools, Football Squares Pools can be played with any single game, but are most popular during the Super Bowl. Pool members claim squares on a 25, 50, or 100-square grid by putting their information in the square. Game scores are matched to the winning square(s), usually with winners being determined every quarter.
What is a prop bet?
Prop bets are any sort of pick or wager on a game that has nothing to do with the score or the final score outcome. Props can range from game types, to team types and even player types - such as who will score the game's first and last touchdowns? Other props, such as novelty or exotic, feature bets on things such as the coin flip or the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
How to read a football pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.
