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Bear Digest

Ben Johnson's Reaction to New Bears Uniforms Sums It Up Best

After hype about the Bears releasing their Rivalries uniform, they gave fans much of the same old thing and enthralled didn't quite describe the reaction.
Gene Chamberlain|
The Bears put their new Rivalries uniforms on dispaly for fans Tuesday at training camp.
The Bears put their new Rivalries uniforms on dispaly for fans Tuesday at training camp. | Chicago Bears On SI Photo: Gene Chamberlain

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Chicago Bears

Calling reaction to the new Bears Rivalries uniforms lukewarm would be like saying the Titanic failed to live up to expectations.

Maybe Ben Johnson had the best reaction: "What uniforms?" he said.

Told about the Rivalries uniforms, Johnson added, "I haven't seen them."

After the uniform release, Bears fans and trend setters poured onto social media expressing disgust with the team's conservative approach to the rivalries uniform line, one featuring the usual navy and orange colors arranged differently but with the return of the orange or "pumpkinhead" helmets the Bears have used at times in the past.

Even seeing Caleb Williams on social media or the team website sporting the outfit failed to excite many.

The uniform looks fine. It looks like another version of a University of Illinois uniform, and no doubt would please George Halas himself as a result. After all, that's why he gave the Bears the burnt orange and navy look.

The Bears presented the uniform with the description that it is designed to "honor iconic elements from multiple eras."

Truly, this was the problem and not something to brag about. The Bears here were like a little kid taken to Baskin-Robbins for the first time and they looked at all the dazzling flavors and types of ice cream but said they wanted vanilla. Bor-ing.

The Bears have a successful, young coach in only his second season after a brilliant playoff run. They have a young quarterback being recognized as ascending and maybe even top 10 in the league. It's mostly a young roster and the fan base is energized.

The best thing they could have done was appease everyone just this once and come up with something entirely creative by scrapping the franchise's proud past for just this one time. It's a free pass and the fans would understand, even favor it.

Fans had designed uniforms for years on social media, urging them to go polar with all white uniforms and helmets, or an alternate logo on the helmets at least. Perhaps a version of the 1980s Bear that looked like Mike Ditka, or even a massive logo of some sort. There were all kinds of different concepts worthe exploring.

Maybe they could have gone red and white in honor of the Hoosier state of Indiana. Maybe that would have been going a little too far with a touchy Bears subject.

After all, it's not like they're going to wear these uniforms all the time. They will wear the uniform on Christmas at home against Green Bay.

Otherwise, they'll be in their usual threads.

Maybe the worst thing about this is now there will be three years before they can get a different Rivalries uniform, according to the NFL's plan for this program. This means waiting until 2029 and seeing countless people on social media designing their own uniforms the Bears should wear, just as they've done in the past.

Nothing changes.

At least it should be cheaper for them by sticking with the same old color scheme and using recycled pumpkin helmets.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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