With FOX set to take over coverage of the National Football League’s Thursday Night games in 2018, they will also be bringing a significant change to how the games are presented on the field. According to a report by Jason Barrett, President of Barrett Sports Media, FOX Sports executive Bill Wanger stated at the NAB Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday that the Color Rush uniforms, which had been designated for use during Thursday night games, are “going away” for this upcoming season.
In a followup report, it was pointed out that the end of Color Rush uniforms on Thursday night does not mean the end of the uniforms themselves. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday evening that the Color Rush uniforms are not being scrapped, but rather will no longer be exclusive to Thursday Night games. Garafolo stated that there could also be other tweaks to the NFL’s uniform policy, but did not elaborate as to what they could be.
In addition to changes to the on-field uniforms, Barrett also reported that Wanger stated that the game schedule for Thursday Night Football will be stronger. To this end, the NFL has made an adjustment to time zone rules, which will allow for teams beyond a single time zone to be paired up.
The move away from Color Rush uniforms on Thursday Night Football comes months after the NFL provided “more flexibility” to make use of the Color Rush uniforms optional, as reported by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
The NFL and uniform supplier Nike debuted the Color Rush program in 2015, with the Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and St. Louis Rams all wearing alternate uniforms of a single color. In 2016, the entire league debuted a Color Rush uniform for use in Thursday Night games. The uniforms were received with mixed results – While some teams opted to wear throwback uniforms which were well-received, others opted to use loud, gaudy colors for their uniforms – Making some matches an eyesore.
The Color Rush program was also not without its teething troubles. After a Color Rush game between the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in 2015, where the Bills wore red and the Jets wore Kelly Green, the NFL had to release a statement apologizing for not accounting for viewers with color blindness.
Plenty of other memorable uniform concepts made an impact. Who could ever forget the Seattle Seahawks glowing green outfits? The Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans each had bold alternate attire. The Jets, Bills, Panthers, Vikings and Broncos were among the teams that all made memorable Color Rush statements.
How that Thursday night tradition will look in 2018 remains to be seen.
