The Maple Leaf: It's Stupid
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 2:45PM Oh, Canada...
As an American, I look down on you with the loving contempt of an older brother. No matter what you do, no matter how well you do it, I'll always consider myself far superior. And the worst part is, it's kinda your fault.
Canada tries so hard to make a name for itself and establish an identity independent from the US, but it does so in a way that always screams, "See? We're not America!" And that's never the right way to go about creating an identity.
One of the most ubiquitous and obnoxious ways Canadians try to establish this self-image in sports is to wantonly slap a red maple leaf onto any identity they can, regardless of color scheme, team name or club history.
And whether it's because Americans are too stupid to know what cities are in Canada or whether Canadians are too stupid to realize no one cares, the maple leaf logo trend is supremely stupid.
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The maple leaf permeates every major sports league in the US and Canada. Hell, even the NFL - a league without a Canadian team - is not immune to this trend. Thanks Bills, how could we tell you were at Rogers Centre (It's Center Canada, but don't get me started...) without that helpful little leaf?
The NBA has been mostly leaf-free except for the Raptors in the mid-2000s. Apparently NBA teams are too busy working a basketball into every logo to hop onto the maple leaf trend...
The NHL, a league which shouldn't feel the need to do this since Canada has seven teams (Oh, and they created the sport), is one of the worst offenders.
Note to Canadian NHL teams: Only one team should have a Maple Leaf in its logo.
Yet again, reason is ignored and the leaf is everywhere. At one point, this little gem was an alternate logo for the Ottawa Senators.
The newest NHL team, the Winnipeg Jets (a team that already had a leaf-free identity) went the full-leaf and slapped it on every... single... logo they could find. Sure, there identity is based on this, but doesn't this or this accomplish the same feat while evoking the leaf rather than haphazardly placing it in the logo?
And did I mention that there's no other red anywhere in Jet's color scheme or on their uniforms?
Even the Calgary Flames caved to the trend. After 27 years in Canada, not only did the Flames slap on an Alberta Flag on one shoulder, they threw the Canadian flag on the other - just in case you hadn't realized Calgary was in Alberta, Canada.
Even the measly MLS manages to throw in a maple leaf onto one of their two Canadian teams. That one may be the least egregious since the design is so poor, you can barely tell it's a maple leaf, but it is.
But the real offender, and probably the originator of the maple leaf trend, is the Toronto Blue Jays organization. Repeatedly and habitually, the Blue Jays (whom you would think would eschew any red for shades of... oh, I don't know... blue?) have forced this stupid symbol of, "WE'RE IN CANADA," into every iteration of their team identity since their founding in 1977.
Even during the brief period where this was their primary logo and when a variation of that was their cap logo, guess what graced the sleeve of every uniform they wore? That's right. The leaf.
So desperate, consistent and ubiquitous has the use of the leaf been in their identity that - I argue - they have corrupted the team identities of almost every sports team in Toronto.
Raptors? TR + Leaf alt logo. Toronto FC? Main Crest + Leaf. Even minor league teams have leaf logos.
The Maple Leafs get a pass as they existed decades before the Blue Jays, their identity contains no red and their leaf has maintained some design independence from the flag version of the leaf since their inception.
But still, Toronto has a leaf problem.
...Canada has a leaf problem, and it's a stupid problem to have.
Tim E. O'Brien
A Note to the Pissed/Offended
So my humour (<--see what I did there?) may have fallen flat. For that I apologize, I'm not a comedian, I'm a writer and a designer. Next time I'll leave the jokes to professionals.
I like making Canadian jokes. I refer to this as a Canadian Tuxedo. I like that Canadians say "about" funny. I like that the top of Canadian heads don't attach to the bottom. To me, those are funny jokes, I understand they might not be to Canadians.
All jokes aside, my piece was intended as a reaction to the recent unveilings of the Jets and Blue Jays' new uniforms and logos, something that probably got lost in the shuffle. Both have leaves. Both - to me - seem superfluous. I also wanted to note how I thought this trend was bigger than just those two teams. Many Canadian teams in recent history, or currently, in the five major cross/border sports (MLB, MLS, NBA, NHL and NFL, though, they only have the one game in Canada) have had the maple leaf grace their uniform.
My argument is that this beats the viewer over the head with, "We're from Canada." People - even Americans - aren't as stupid as we're made to be. But while discussing this topic, I'm only discussing the trend of the maple leaf, not anything else. If you wish for me to discuss American jingoistic sports trends, you could write a book, or 10, on that topic, without doing it justice, leave alone including the Maple Leaf trend into the conversation.
That is what I was taught in school is a topic, not a subject. You narrow the focus of your topics until you find a subject to write about, otherwise there is too much to cover. You don't see articles written in the paper about football, they are on the Dallas Cowboys, and actually, that's probably too broad a topic, most likely it's their playoff chances in light of this weeks' win, or how they match up against their next opponent, etc.
While I was trying to talk about a shoelace, some wanted me to talk about an outfit, and that just wasn't what I was here to discuss.
I hope people can see why I didn't write about all jingoistic images in sports, it's just too broad to cover in the forum I was trying to do it: I try to keep my essays here right around 1000 words.
I picked a narrow topic - my professors would be so proud - and that topic was the maple leaf in Canadian athletic imagery and even that's broadness led me to sort-of take cursory glances at individual teams so that I wouldn't end up writing a 5000 word rant, I figured 1000 was enough, haha.
Now, as far as American teams go, there are obnoxious, jingoistic habits and repetitious imagery, but I just didn't feel that was pertinent to the opinion and subject I was trying to write on.
I don't know if any of this will change your opinion of me or the piece or why I wrote it. And as callous and self-absorbed as it may sound, I don't care. I know what I wrote, I know why I wrote it and I know my true opinions. Now you all know them too. If that's not enough nothing will be.
This isn't my finest work, I'll admit that, but it isn't garbage, in my opinion either, I think there's something to it. Hopefully you'll now see it for what it is, a piece on a trend in Canadian sports design and not a diatribe against all Canadians.
-Tim
Reader Comments (41)
I hate how my Calgary Flames adopted those flags. In my 25 years of being a fan, those flag jerseys are the first ones I've passed on.
Also not impressed with the Jets 2.0 looking like the Leafs. This guy made a much better Jets logo (leaf-free!): http://davesgeekyideas.com/2011/11/05/updated-winnipeg-jets-logo/
***FIXED - Tim
***FIXED - Tim
Where we come from -- the land of ice and snow -- when we don't have anything good to say about someone, we keep it to ourselves. An interesting concept, yes?
Do feel free to bring your skis next time you visit in July, and say hello to my good friend Dave in Manitoba -- he's the one who lives in the second igloo on your right.
And finally, It is very unfortunate that your basic lack of geographic knowledge skewered whatever merit the rest of your post may have conveyed. Sad.
***FIXED - Tim
Second, All I'm trying to get across is that, just like an older brother, the little brother can do things even better, but the older brother will still feel superior because he's older - an irrational and probably wrong reason.
As long as Canadian teams try to define themselves as "Not American" - or "Not ______", whatever that may be - they make themselves look silly. If you define yourself by one thing that you aren't, that's a pretty loose and poor identity. If you Identify yourself by your attributes, your characteristics, etc. then you are on a path to a quality sports identity.
I do agree with how stupid both the flags look on the Flames' shoulders.
All that being said people from Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta along with the rest of Canada have no problem saying, "We're from Canada, the Great White North, eh?" These folks are proud of the Leaf. If they want to include it on the uniforms, logo, etc. so be it. Who are we as Americans to tell our Canadian cousins how to garb their teams? It's their choice to promote the Leaf, not ours.
As to their spelling, well they use the real Queen's English. A bank check is spelled "checque." Words like "color" and "honor" have a "u" in there as "colour" and "honour."
Living only three hours from T.O. I've been to Canada many times. It's a great country that I respect tremendously. If their sports teams want to honor their country by using a Leaf as part of the logo so be it. Let them do their own thing.
Isn't it sad, though, that you feel the need to constantly define yourself in comparison to the US? If you truly are a proud nation, and Canada is, then your sports identities shouldn't show clear signs of an inferiority complex and slap those F***ing leafs all over everything. haha
And the stars and stripes caps a hideous monstrosities. They should be illegal. But this wasn't a post on stars and stripes caps.
Terry-
haha, I know it's "the Queen's" I just choose to make fun of it. As for the designs, I just feel - like I said above - that is screams of an inferiority complex. Canada - and it's great sports history - deserves better design than cookie cutter, copy paste design. The Canucks are a perfect example of this. Unfortunately I hate them, as I am a Blackhawks fan. haha
"It's not nearly as self-promoting as the stars and stripes caps."
Agreed but those caps only exist to sell more baseball caps and are forced upon teams - though I'm not saying they do or don't like them. They are not a part of any team identity, they are just trying to sell products.
And let's not forget that the Blue Jays do the exact same thing with the Canadian flag every year - http://blog.lids.com/.a/6a01156f601682970b0134824fd867970c-800wi
Both are stupid, ugly and the worst kind of marketing. But neither have anything to do with the MLB's individual team identities.
This is insulting to Canadians, and ignores the fact that American teams are even more gaudy with patriotic symbols. A poster above mentioned the "stars and stripes" cap every MLB team wears over the course of the season. And when was the last time a Texas-based team didn't go with some kind of 'lone star' identity? Or Washington teams not going with an eagle / White House / red, white and blue theme? Generally, sports teams pay tribute to their region one way or another. The maple leaf doesn't speak to an inferiority complex. It's more about a vast, sparsely populated country, where symbols of national identity serve as a unifying force.
At the end of the day, your point comes across as weak. You cite two logos that aren't used anymore (Raptors and Sens), plus the Jays and TFC. For the Jays, the maple leaf has been on their jerseys since the start, and they're now Canada's only MLB team. For TFC, the logo was designed when they were Canada's only team. I can't defend the Calgary Flames - you usually only see designs that lazy (a flag sewn on the jersey) on American college teams.
If the United States had only one team in a particular sport, don't you think they'd go for a stars and stripes theme? National identity is important. How many American teams wear stripes, or red/white/blue?
I've certainly enjoyed some of your insight on Uni Watch, but this article is a slapdash effort and makes you look like a troll. You go beyond the topic (criticizing uniform/logo design) and insult Canada in ways that aren't witty, clever, or even accurate. And for the record, it IS 'Centre', not 'Center'. American English is a dialect, an offshoot, of British English.
Having lived in both countries (have you?), I'll take our fresh water reserves, healthcare, relative economic stability and safety any day.
-Dan
Clearly I'm hitting a nerve.
Now you say that I ignore, "the fact that American teams are even more gaudy with patriotic symbols." Absolutely. and I do so because they have nothing to do with the topic of the use of the Maple Leaf in Canadian identities.
I have done concepts that remove American equivalents from designs and I have written entire articles with designs based on the idea of removing some red, white and blue teams from professional sports. But you either do not know about those, and/or choose to ignore them.
Texas teams with Texas themed logos and uniforms are many times just as trite and desperate feeling. However, those are at least provincially inspired, not nationally - and that distinction is one of great import.
You also ask, "If the United States had only one team in a particular sport, don't you think they'd go for a stars and stripes theme?" They probably would. Just like the CFL Baltimore Stallions had a horse made up of Stars and Stripes.
Oh, and it was fucking stupid. The American flag has nothing to do with horses.
And don't bring up the stars and stripes caps, the Blue Jays do the exact same thing with the Canadian flag every year - http://blog.lids.com/.a/6a01156f601682970b0134824fd867970c-800wi and it's just as stupid as the S&S ones.
Finally, centre/center is a joke. Calm down.
Posts about these sort of topics are better served as tongue-in-cheek, not spitting mad.
Just sayin'.
Lee
I would hope this didn't come off as mad, I certainly didn't write it that way nor do I read it that way. But tone is quite difficult to convey here in the series of tubes.
I know you didn't bring up any U.S. teams in your original posting. I brought them up to show that patriotic imagery is something that affects all North American sports - not just the Canadian teams. Your posting seems to indicate that there is something aberrant about Canadian teams wearing maple leaf designs. If you're fully aware that many American teams wear boring stars and stripes designs, why not bring that into your posting? It's the same kind of lazy design you're railing against in Canadian teams. As it is, it looks like you're just trying to bash Canada.
And you're damn right you struck a nerve. Nobody likes being condescended to. Yes, I know your Canada bashing is tongue-in-cheek, but it isn't witty, or clever, or funny. You just come off as a xenophobe who's trying too hard.
then stop being a douchebag
Americans rag on us for not being patriotic and proud
make up your mind
This isn't about American teams, so to bring them up in the post would be off topic. I have never heard anyone say Canadians aren't patriotic. Doesn't mean people haven't said it, I've just never heard that, and I do A LOT of - playful - ragging on Canadians.
But while you bring it up, teams with bad America/State (which is provincial not national, so it's quite different) themed identities:
Blue Jackets - logo is dreadful and sucks donkey D
Natinals (SIC) - should've been the Senators again
NE Revolution - ick
And just so we're clear, S&S MLB caps are crap and their existence is based solely on making money off of merchandise under the guise of patriotism.