A fashionable USC helmet: Simply black
WHITE BLACK
Style Lame Cool
Logo Too busy No need
Stripes Bland A good movie
SEC rank Low No. 1
CFW experts Yawn Approve
"Whoever sold you those suits had a wonderful sense of humor."
Mobster to federal agents in "Goodfellas"
So it goes with the South Carolina Gamecocks' football helmets, among the worst looking headgear in college football. No wonder the program struggles despite All-America fan support, tutelage from national championship-winning coaches and a steady influx of well-regarded talent.
Clothes make the man.
Helmets help the player.
The recruiting coordinator, too. This just in: Teens want to look cool, a culture goal apparent since James Dean strutted through "Rebel Without a Cause." But there is nothing cool, nothing unique and nothing attractive to recruits about a dull white helmet with a plain block "C" and a logo too tiny to notice unless you are about to sack Stephen Garcia from the blindside. Natalie Wood would not have been a Gamecocks fan.
Time is wasting.
Florida is the defending national champ, Georgia remains loaded and new head agitator Lane Kiffin is stockpiling star power at Tennessee.
Time for change. South Carolina should ditch its lame look and opt for black helmets.
No logo.
No stripe.
The all black attack will shine under the Williams-Brice Stadium lights, or sunlight anywhere. Plain black will demand double-takes from TV viewers across the nation. High school players will want to wear the helmet, which will look great atop a black home jersey with "CAROLINA" across the top of the chest.
The experts agree
Cool simplicity traditionally is a staple of men's fashion here in the Palmetto State and this fits right in.
But don't take my word for it. This week's prestigious Charleston Fashion Week offered a chance to consult with some of the nation's rising star designers.
"Definitely black on black," said Lindsey Carter, a CFW designer contest finalist. "More intimidating and sleek, for sure."
Carter is a Charleston resident and Fashion Institute of Technology graduate whose Troubadour collection will debut this spring (www.troubadourclothing.com).
"Being a North Carolina fan," Carter said, "I remember when Butch Davis changed our home unis to the deep navy bottoms, which looks more intimidating to the opposing teams."
See. Bold change is good.
Look at Oregon.
The Ducks with style advice from the Nike folks went from a dull helmet to space-age cool, and suddenly became a consistently formidable Pac-10 force.
Florida worse, but ...
Caroline Baker also agrees with my black Gamecock helmet theory, almost.
"Black is always a good fashion option and it will certainly make the players heads look slim and svelte," said Baker, a CFW semifinalist and Charleston resident who grew up on Lady's Island.
Baker began her design career as a child making hats out of magnolia leaves and now has her own Maude Couture line (www.maudecouture.com). Her mother and sister graduated from South Carolina.
"I agree that the stripe does nothing for the head," Baker said. "However, I have to dissent on the logo issue. I like a good logo on a football helmet but think Carolina could be more creative with their choice."
Clearly, status quo is a no-go. With so many changes in the past, it's not like South Carolina is messing with Texas-sized helmet tradition.
Consider the competition. Clemson's brilliant Tiger paw is one of the most copied helmet logos in sports.
Florida has the absolute worst helmet logo on the planet, a scripted "Gators" when the toothy mascot lends itself to untapped creativity. But you can get away with ridiculousness when you have a rich recruiting base.
At the very least do the successful Pittsburgh Steelers thing, all black on one side, logo on the other.
No more wisecracks from wise guys. South Carolina in one quick fix, and with Charleston Fashion Week inspiration, can go from the depths of the college football helmet design world to right near the top.
Reach Gene Sapakoff at gsapakoff@postandcourier.com.
