A yearbook is a time capsule full of ancient dinosauric images dating back  years and years. We’ve all seen the slick greasy hair of the 50’s and rad overbearing hair sported by the children of the 80’s. Styles and trends are always changing, much like that of a basketball uniform.

It’s been trimmed, cut, lengthened, loosened, and form fitted all within a century. While paging through the old Cannon Falls yearbooks, it became obvious that this not only occurs at the professional level, but also in the high school levels of play.

Basketball was created in 1891 by James Naismith. Originally, as noted by Springfield College, basketball was played only in gym class and was a non-official sport, leaving the players to wear their everyday clothing like men in their trousers and women in their blouses.  However, in the 1920’s,

basketball jump started it’s way into becoming one of the popular sports today. With the popularity of basketball booming, an official uniform style was created. Men’s uniforms (like the 1920s picture of the Cannon Falls Bombers) normally sported knee high socks with tank top shirts made of wool. On the other hand, women’s uniforms were much more conservative. Each player wore knee pads to protect their delicate bodies, as well as clothing similar tothat of a blouse and scarf (also pictured).

According to Styling Basketball, a full decade passed before the players were finally allowed to exchange their wool jerseys for a polyester-nylon blend in the 30’s. This allowed the players to play in comfort, rather than in a stifling hot, non-breathable shirt at a more comfortable temperature. When the 50’s struck, basketball changed itself into the intensive and up-tempo style known today. Because of this, the jerseys were made to be tighter so as to allow more speed while running back and forth on the court.They looked very similar to that of a wrestling singlet, sculpting and carving out the jockey’s toned muscles. As for the shorts, they were considered “medium” in length. In actuality, they were more like glorified short-shorts.

Michael Jordan, one of the most famous basketball players of all time was recognized for his incredible skill. However, he also revolutionized the cut of the basketball uniform, as mentioned in the Styling Basketball article, changing it from the tube sock seventies to a more modern day look. Along with the alteration of the jersey, the shorts became baggier for a more comfortable playing ability (as seen in the CF 1990’s girls basketball picture).

This new look became the precedent for what the players wear today. Baggy and loose, with shorts stretching new lengths not only reaching the knees, but skimming past them. The teams still wear tank top like jerseys, but according to Paul Lukas, a writer for the New Republic, jerseys may be going under further fashion makeover and adding sleeves as it’s already been seen worn by the Golden State Warriors. With this, it seems that the evolution of basketball jerseys is sure to change yet again.

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CFHS 1970