As photos of it leaked back on June 21, the new Manchester United away kit was not a surprise to many, if not most.
However, a lot of people saw the so-called “Savannah-toned aesthetic” strip for the first time yesterday, and in doing so interpreted the design far different from how the club intended. The intention of Adidas and the club is to pay homage to artists in Manchester, specifically the mosaics found on the streets of the city’s Northern Quarter.
Hey @adidas.About this new kit,some say it looks like snake skin United have plenty of snakes,i think it looks like how bacteria look under a microscope and we've certainly got a bacterial infection,as in #GlazersOut.I won't be buying it. pic.twitter.com/EnTpyTMko9
— Diane Dixon (@dizzydianajo1) July 12, 2019
However, the patten and hues evokes the dessert to many, and upon close inspection it’s very easy for one to see “snakeskin.”
And the snake imagery opened the door to a few social media users and United fans taking pot shots at the ownership of the club.
United supporters who are committed to the #GlazersOut cause, and you can spot them by the green and gold in their avatars (referencing the club’s original color scheme and their rallying cry “green and gold until the club is sold”) are using the reptilian imagery as a means to slam the family that owns the team.
Classy of Manchester United to design the new away kit as a tribute to all the snakes in the dressing room ??? pic.twitter.com/I1OTQbIIpT
— Nooruddean (@BeardedGenius) May 17, 2019
https://twitter.com/SuzannePearson8/status/1149660538290335744
These are just three examples, but there are plenty more out there. Of course, the Glazer issue is a discussion for another post. In terms of just the away kit, what do you think? Do you like this design and color scheme, or not? Have at it in the comments section.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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