Last time we had a generic merch roundup, the Winter Classic got absolutely roasted. Big events like that leads to an increase in event-themed unlicensed apparel. So of course there’s gonna be more and more Super Bowl XLV shirts leading up to the game itself. We’ll take some time today to check out a few that have come in.
And should our Steelers prevail, you can expect even more post-Super Bowl gear. Just like we had after XL (example) and XLIII (example).
Thanks to everyone who sent these in. Hit the jump to get to it.
First up is from Steve.
Looking at the front, that’s either an officially-licensed shirt or a blatant ripoff. I’ve never seen this shirt before, so maybe you guys can help me out. That looks like the legit NFL and AFC logos, but they look a little off. And there’s no mention of the officially-licensed STEELERS, which the NFL would have the rights to print. Plus, this might be a doubly-unlicensed shirt, as I don’t know if the generic vendor or NFL offices had the rights to the Led Zeppelin Hermit image for the back. Just an odd shirt.
And Steve with another. He says:
“Shirt being raffled off by my employer (also available in reverse color scheme)“
Now this is truly a Great Moment in generic merch. Steelers = Super Bowl. Super Bowl also = Packers. Packers = cheeseheads. CUT THE CHEESE (*/fartnoise).
Doug sends the following, and says:
“those shirts are at this odd store in the Nittany Mall. Always has a ton of unlicensed stuff“
Wiz Khalifa’s Black and Yellow causes quite the debate. A lot of people like that it subtly references the Steelers. Others hate that it seemingly takes away from the Black and Gold that has become synonymous with the city. I’m actually pro-anything that is pro-Pittsburgh, so I enjoy it and didn’t mind him performing the song prior to the AFC Championship Game. So whether you like it or not, it is popular while our Steelers are so close to the Super Bowl.
HOWEVER. The addition of ‘yinz‘ in this unlicensed piece just really makes this awkward. Like, really awkward.
Kylie sends in:
“A $5 grocery store gem.“
Awesome. This references Renegade, the other unofficial Steelers anthem. Every tailgate ever before this game on Sunday will be playing this song. Guaranteed.
Thanks to Janine for this one. She says:
“Here’s a tshirt my coworker bought in Butler PA.“
Ever since Super Bowl XLIII, the six pack imagery started popping up everywhere (1, 2). And now with XLV on the horizon, we need to add to that sick pack. And as usual, liquor is the answer.
Christian is responsible for the Tomlin YES WE CAN shirt. This one was pretty popular a few years ago when we were staring down Super Bowl XLIII. So while it references an older Super Bowl, it still has a home in today’s roundup. YES WE CAN again, in February of 2011.
Cotter makes sure we’re appropriately enjoying the Keisel beard. No matter what happens on Sunday, Brett’s beard should get like 4 Super Bowl rings, game MVP and like a truck.
Jen sent this one. It isn’t necessarily Super Bowl related. But try and tell me not to post an awesome generic shirt featuring Myron Cope twirling a Terrible Towel right before the Super Bowl and see what happens. Punk.
Plus Jen sent this Packers one last week. Super Bowl-y enough?
The next two are from Troy:
These ones are great. Very simple and to the point. I would buy these ones even if they were officially-licensed.
Coffeytalk sends this one and says:
“not super bowl unlicensed but i wear it under my jersey during big games“
That’s good enough for me. We each have our own superstitions, almost all of which are completely insane. And those superstitions are only magnified like 1000x heading into the Super Bowl. And since Coffeytalk will most likely be wearing this on Sunday against the Packers, I’d be foolish not to include it here.
And here’s one final one from Laura. She says:
“Ad for this unlicensed-style shirt on P-G.com today. The “XLV” is a nice topical touch.“
Yeah, the sneaky little XLV makes this a Super Bowl knockoff even though it didn’t look like one at first. If they make that oval into a football or something, then they can sell that shirt at any time of the year. That’s good hustle on the designer’s part.
Thanks again to everyone that sent pics.
Go Steelers.
If you have any unlicensed Pittsburgh sports gear, or awesome generic sports gear from any team, send them to me and I’ll post them.
(thanks to Cotter for the banner pic)
