Getty Rod Wood on the field before a Lions game in 2020.
The Detroit Lions are getting ready to attack the 2021 season, and as they get set to do so, they will have some new apparel to feature.
Problem is, this new apparel isn’t exactly everyone’s favorite in terms of how it looks. New Era revealed a new Lions hat for the summer, and the design looked good enough, minus the fact that it has a huge L emblazoned on the middle of the hat with the Detroit logo through it.
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Here’s a closer look at the hat design:
I dont think the marketing dept thought this one through. #thebigL
Unsurprisingly, the Lions themselves didn’t have anything to do with the design according to Matt Dery. That makes sense, as New Era is a national company and their hat designs are largely pre-determined and similar from team to team when they are revealed.
The design wasn’t meant to be any dig at the Lions specifically, but it’s easy to see how fans could take offense given all the losing the team has done through the years. It’s just another bit of irony in terms of the team.
Why Lions Hat Design Might be Problematic
The Lions have been one of the most star-crossed NFL franchises in the league, and have made losing a habit rather than winning for most of their history. As a result, fans are pretty sensitive about all the losing, and putting an “L” on the hat might not be the best choice in order to sell merchandise to those interested in supporting the team.
Other more cynical fans will likely love the design, but for most, it represents another unfortunate reminder of how much losing the team has done in the NFL through the years.
Lions’ 2021 Draft Hat Was Much Better
This time of year, New Era always reveals new designs and a few months back, the team saw a similar change for the draft and their 2021 hat.
Late this past week, this year’s draft hat was revealed and it featured an intriguing trucker design. Here’s a look at what Detroit’s hat will be for this coming season:
Today, @NewEraCap released the @Lions‘ official 2021 @NFL Draft hat.
The 2021 NFL Draft takes place in Cleveland, Ohio and runs from Thursday, April 29 – Saturday, May 1.
Detroit is scheduled to make six selections, starting with the No. 7 overall pick.
The Lions haven’t revealed any uniform changes or logo alterations for the 2021 season, so this draft hat should at least have some staying power in the short-term as it relates to that. The only question to ponder now is how popular they will be with the fans this spring.
Many hat aficionados will notice some subtle differences with this draft hat compared to others from recent years. Notably, New Era went to the trucker design and look for the 2021 season with the hat. In previous years, there hasn’t been a mesh or trucker design to the hat, which has usually featured a flat brim or fitted design. This hat is mesh as well as fitted. Interestingly enough, the logo is a bit bigger in the middle than a typical NFL Draft hat as well.
Fans probably wish the new design looked as good as the draft hat does, and it will be interesting to see if New Era changes the look of the hat after a bit of backlash about how it looks.
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