Hmmm, will the Maple Leafs play better with their new jerseys?
Have you heard the news? The Toronto Maple Leafs have a snazzy new jersey designed by Justin Bieber. Justin Bieber? Last time I checked he was a singer and show biz personality – not a fashion designer. Did I miss something?
It seems I did. Bieber quietly launched a fashion brand back in 2018. That was before he ventured into the donut world via Tim Hortons and Timbiebs were born. Bieber seems to be building an empire around himself and his personal brand.
The new jerseys are being heralded and praised for their new look and feel. But are they really all that new? The traditional Maple Leafs crest is still there front and center. The Bieber-employed designer just changed the colour and slapped a couple of blue stripes on it.
If that is all that is needed to be professional designer, sign me up! I am retiring in a year and would be happy to start a new career as a designer. Pulling in megabucks by simply changing a colour scheme sounds like the perfect side hustle.
I hear you saying: But they’re reversible! My question to you is: Why? Are NHL players fed up with their old school, one-sided jerseys and threatening a boycott if somebody does not remedy that fatal flaw? I must have missed that news headline as well.
I also wonder why the Leafs decided to debut their new jerseys when they did. Is it going to make them player better? Normally this kind of thing would be done for the start of the season or to mark a historic anniversary.
Instead it was debuted at the Next Gen game, Again, I had not heard of that until I turned on the game that night. I Googled Leafs Next Gen Game it and got this proclamation:
THE TAKEOVER IS BACK, AND THIS TIME WE’RE TAKING OVER THE CITY!
Holy crap, Martha. We’d better pack up and head for the hills. I don’t know what ‘the takeover’ is, but they’re commandeering the city. It could be The Hunger Games come to life. We’d better get out while we still can. Grab the dog and load up the truck!
Apologies if I seem rather cynical about the matter. The reality is that it’s about money, a shitload of it, plain and simple. Professional sports franchises make millions from merchandising. A new jersey, with the Bieber sideshow attached to it, will have the Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment Ltd coffers overflowing.
In the final analysis, it is a reversible cash cow putting more money in already well-lined pockets. My suggestion: Donate half the proceeds from sales of the new jersey to a fund to help Ukrainians displaced by the Putin invasion. When that happens, I’ll get excited.
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Tags: Justin Bieber · Maple Leafs new jersey · Next Gen Game · Putin · Toronto Maple Leafs · UkraineNo Comments