The last time the Mavericks overhauled their uniforms it was 2001, and Dirk was still a scrawny, clean-cut German import flanked by Steve Nash and Michael Finley. The previous design was two decades old and carried the reek of futility of the early '90s.
There have been a few minor tweaks since then, but the Mavs' wardrobe has remained mostly unchanged for the past dozen years. That's long enough for Mark Cuban. He announced on his blog today that the team's going to adopt new uniforms for the 2015-16 season.
But Cuban's not necessarily going to hire some expensive design firm to draw up the new duds. He's crowd-sourcing.
"You know what an NBA uniform looks like. You know what the Mavs colors are for today and the past," he writes. "We want some new ideas that stay true to our logo and at least close to our current color schemes. Show us what you got!"
You won't be paid for your work, of course, and you'll have to surrender any copyright claims up front. Cuban explains:
Who will own your design ? The minute you post it, the Mavs will. If you think its horrible that the Mavs own your design. Do not post. If you think its cool that the Mavs could possibly use your design and you will have eternal bragging rights , then post away. If we really like your design and you , I may even throw in some tickets. If we don't use your design, it will still be here on this site for now and ever more for you to glance longingly at. If your design is close , if not identical to other designs and we pick one of the other designs, for whatever reason, then thats (sic) just the way it goes.
Submissions are due by the end of May, at which point the Cuban will pick a winner, then crowd-source some volunteer labor in Bangladesh to churn out jerseys and related merchandise that will make the team millions. But hey, Cuban may decide to give you a couple of tickets. Either way, popcorn's on you.
