Maryland Terps Get New Uniforms
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WJZ) -- The Maryland Terrapins are making headlines, not just for how they're playing but also for what they're wearing.
Weijia Jiang reports on the uniforms seen around the country.
Whether they love it or hate it, many on campus are talking about those uniforms. So is the rest of the sports world.
Airwaves at WJZ's 105.7 The Fan are buzzing about the University of Maryland football team.
"When they first ran out of the tunnel, I thought, `What the hell is that?'" said one fan.
They're talking about the Terps' Monday night game uniform. The state flag is woven in just about everywhere.
"A patch on the helmet," said student Art Goldfarb.
"I thought, `Well, all right, then. Let's just fly that flag any way we can,'" said student Pam Smith-Purgasom.
"A patch on the shoulder pad. A patch here, a patch there," Goldfarb said.
Comments about the unmistakably Maryland get-up sparked a fashion debate online, making the USA Today homepage. On WJZ's Facebook page, we got more than 100 mixed comments, including "Who agreed to it?" "How many are getting fired for it?" "It's terrible and people are laughing at it all across the country," and "Fine, if you like looking like circus clowns."
Even sports superstars are chiming in.
Miami Heat's LeBron James tweeted about the new look with one word: "ew."
"There are a lot of people hating on them, mostly from other schools. My friends from Penn State and JMU hate 'em but they're just jealous. They're honestly the coolest uniforms ever," said student Adam Ziegel.
Many students echo what players are saying, like lineback Demetrius Hartsfield.
"It was showing our honor to the state. Everybody loved them," Hartsfield said.
Whether you love them or hate them, one thing's for sure: they put Maryland in the spotlight in more ways than one.
A spokesman for the university's athletic department says as of now there are no plans to have the team wear the uniform again, but that could change.
The pieces in that uniform are part of a huge collection with 32 possible combinations.
