Rams New Uniforms (Image from the Los Angeles Rams)

Change looks good when you win

Are you tired of talking about the coronavirus? I am too. So, let’s talk about something else, the Los Angeles Rams’ new uniforms.

As someone who will be in the market for a new Rams jersey now that I’ve lost all that weight, I have to decide whether this new design is something I should invest in. I want to look good when I go to SoFi Stadium, assuming that there will be football—wait, I promised no talking about the coronavirus.

So, what do I think? It looks sufficiently Ram-ish with its royal blue and gold. I wasn’t a fan of the twist in the horn, but it grows on me. I’m still not sold on the gradient yellow numbers on the home uniforms and the bone color on the road uniforms. But one thing will determine whether the Rams’ new look is detested or adored: If they win. Because winning makes everything look good.

Consider the Patriots’ “Flying Elvis” logo. In the 90s, the team ditched their beloved Pat Patriot for the new design. It was greeted by widespread disdain. But winning six Super Bowls will make any logo iconic.

Here in Orange County, California, the Angels caused controversy when they changed their uniforms in 2002. For most of their history in the Major Leagues, the Angels wore navy blue caps with a red visor. Their redesign to all red caused confusion. Red is a color more associated with devils than angels. But that year, the Angels won the World Series. The 2002 design with its red caps has been the Angels look ever since.

We resist change, unless we see that it works. This is true with sports team uniforms and lifestyle changes. Change looks and feels awkward at first. We yearn to go back to the old and familiar. We grumble and complain about the new and different. But when we see progress, we start to accept change—begrudgingly at first. Over time, it gets more comfortable. The more progress we see, the more we get used to the change. We get to the point where it becomes second nature. We wonder what life was before it.

Change looks good when we win, but we need to give it a chance to work. We have to be willing to embrace it, even if we do so reluctantly. New habits, like wearing face masks—wait, I promised no talking about the coronavirus. But the lessons we have to learn about change apply to it too. Our world is changing in significant ways. Some of those ways can be positive, and they include changes in our lives and society we want to keep.

Be willing to accept change. It may be the change that will help us win—and look good doing it.