[Update: The NCAA has denied Akron's request to wear the team's Twitter handle on the back of its jerseys. @ZipsMBB will, instead, appear on the back of the Zips' shooting shirts during warmups for Saturday's game.]
If Sports Illustrated is searching for an upcoming item for its weekly “Sign of the Apocalypse,” it doesn’t need to look any further than Akron’s men’s basketball team.
For their Saturday night home game against Ohio University, all Zips players will wear jerseys with the team’s official Twitter handle (@ZipsMBB) in the nameplate as part of Akron’s first-ever “Social Media Night.”
We understand that an under-the-radar program like Akron basketball has to pull out more stops than traditional powers in order to get exposure. But putting a Twitter handle in place of the players’ names reeks of a desperation that no mid-major team should resort to.
The front of the jerseys aren’t any better. Joining the “logos on uniforms” movement with other Nike schools, the Zips are all getting a giant “Z” across the chest that looks Zorro-esque.
While we have nothing against Akron, we hope Ohio wins by 30 on Saturday.
[Reddit]
