There hasn’t been much that has been “united” about the United Kingdom’s Olympic football team effort. The football associations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been vociferously against the idea of a squad uniting the four home nations ever since London was first awarded the Olympics in 2005.
Unfortunately, such disunity is emblematic of the country as a whole these days. Scotland is racing towards a referendum on independence in 2014, with the Shetlands and Orkneys starting to speak up on the issue as well. In the meantime, Westminster continues to cede powers to the nascent parliaments and assemblies of Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.
Sports are a common way to unite a nation made of disparate parts. But the home nations compete independently in the three most popular sports of football, rugby union (Northern Ireland plays with Ireland) and cricket (Wales plays with England). So the Olympic games are the main way for Great Britain to unite and root for the Union Jack.
Unfortunately, the football squad’s Stella McCartney-designed duds inspire little but boredom. The Union Jack’s proud colours are washed out in favour of several shades of icy blue; including a teal that was played out soon after San Jose Sharks merch mania hit in the early 1990s. There’s nothing bright or cheerful about Team GB’s shirt. Moreover, swapping out the Union Jack colours is a trick already being turned by Bulldog gin.
Here’s my admittedly unpolished attempt at rendering the shirt in the country’s traditional colours (see above). Share your concepts and thoughts on what the Great Britain Olympic football shirt should look like.
