This is a dumb question, I'm sure, but did something change with helmet/decal technology that made it easier to change helmet design frequently?
It feels like for decades helmets never changed, now there are teams that rarely seem to wear the same over week to week. Are they just reskinning the same helmets, or do we just buy way more helmets these days?
Most things get cheaper over time with new technology as long as the natural resources involved aren't depleted but I am certain that isn't what is going on here. Decals have always been cheap and, while I have never known an equipment manager, I suspect that a significant fraction of them are replaced weekly even if the logo isn't changed. The cost of doing this for homecoming is probably almost negligible.
I think that what is going on is a different take on what the purpose of uniforms are. Uniforms were supposed to just that, "uniform", so that it represented and identified the team that was wearing it. Now it is a way to get media attention, recruit attention, help the school sell gear to fans, and in the case of D1,help Nike, Adidas, and Under Armor sell uniforms to high school and youth football.
I kind of feel like there can be a happy medium here. You can have fun with different uniforms every week if you can afford it but the uniform should still be identifiably yours. As in, don't invent new logos just for a one off, never ever add a color that isn't a school color for a one off, and your primary two or three colors should be somewhere present in every uniform.
Last Edited: 10/17/2025 2:46:44 PM by Victory