’22 in Review: The 10 Most Uni-Notable Storylines of the Past Year

In my latest “Ask Me Anything” column, a reader asked if I could do a “year in review” piece. I said I was open to doing it if the readership wanted it, so I invited people to give feedback on that possibility. The response was uniformly positive (pun fully intended), so today I’m wrapping up the year with a rundown of the most uni-notable storylines of the past 12 months.

Just to clarify: This isn’t a “Best of” list or a “Worst of” list. It’s just one observer’s take on the uni-verse’s most significant developments in the past year — some good, some bad, some just interesting, but all notable.

With that in mind, here we go, counting down my top ten from least to most momentous.

10. A Year of Firsts

The Broncos introduced their current uniform set back in 1997. In the intervening 25 years, they had never paired their white jersey with their navy pants (and with good reason, because the side panels don’t match), but they did it twice this season.

That was one of several uni firsts from the preceding 12 months. Among the others:

• The Vikings wore white over white at home.

• The Eagles wore their black jerseys on the road.

• Over in the NHL, the Hurricanes paired their white uniforms with red helmets (instead of the usual white helmets).

And while this isn’t yet a done deal, the New York Jets are currently two games away from completing an entire season without wearing their once-default uni combo of green over white. The last time that happened was in 1962, when the franchise had a different name and different color scheme.