Name: Cleveland Cavaliers’ City Edition uniforms celebrate rock and roll roots
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Cleveland Cavaliers’ City Edition uniforms celebrate rock and roll roots

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NEW!CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As the Cavaliers were brainstorming design ideas for their 2020-21 City Edition jerseys almost two years ago, they wanted something that celebrated Cleveland.Last year’s threads tied 50 years of Cavaliers basketball together. This time, it was about the city.In the birthplace of rock and roll, the City Edition uniform features a design and style with intricate details that reflect the attitude, spirit and history of Cleveland’s deep musical roots.“At its heart, Cleveland is a rock and roll city in a passionate sports town,” said Tracy Marek, the Cavaliers’ chief marketing officer. “The new City Edition uniform brings together what makes us move and groove in the streets and on the court.”The unconventional creation, a collaboration with Nike, is intended to embody a decades-long desire for excitement and individuality as fans of rock and roll turn to the music that continues to define generations as a unifying force and form of self-expression. Each year, countless music lovers from around the world flock to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- a gorgeous, shiny glass pyramid that sits on Cleveland’s Lakefront -- to celebrate the power of music and all it represents.The black uniform features irregular type -- an attitude influence in tune with the musical genre known for breaking barriers -- that spells out “Cleveland” on the front of the jersey, with eight of those nine white letters (all but the “C”) inspired by fonts of various iconic bands, posters and album graphics. Below that is the player’s number. To add a textured pop of color, there’s thin wine and gold trim that accents the uniform.“That’s kind of tough,” . “I like it, for sure. We can work with that. That black (is) kind of clean.”Above the jersey jock tag reads “LONG LIVE ROCK” in bright red type, a nod to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s anthem and the iconic sign that guards the entrance of the museum in Cleveland.The back of the uniform shows the player’s name and number centered in white with the NBA logo above the lettering of the last name. On the back center collar, there’s a small gold square patch, which displays the number “1” positioned inside of the Larry O’Brien trophy to represent the Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA championship -- a standard feature on the uniforms of all teams who have won a title.“We might have the best City ones I’ve seen thus far,” Larry Nance Jr. said.The waistband of the black shorts features a silhouette of the Cleveland skyline within a white guitar pick. A large weathered “C” is plastered on the left shorts panel. On the right is an array of Cleveland badges inspired by tour pins and jacket patches to increase the bond between the Cavs, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the city.“We are thrilled to team up with the Cavaliers to amplify Cleveland’s rock and roll heart through the City Edition uniform,” said Greg Harris, President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “This allows us to tell our exciting story throughout the Cavs basketball season.”As part of the partnership between the Cavs and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the “Cleveland Amplified” exhibit was built at the museum, featuring artifacts that showcase the connection between music and sports.Larry Nance Jr.’s #22 City Edition uniform; a poster of Pearl Jam bassist and basketball enthusiast Jeff Arment with Shawn Kemp that was originally created as a fan giveaway at Seattle SuperSonics games; A record of “Come on Cavs (Got to Make It Happen)” -- the old team fight song; Air Jordan IV sneakers worn by Public Enemy’s Chuck D when the group’s third studio album was released; H20 band member Russell “Rusty” Pistachio’s basketball-style jersey that he sported during the 1998 Vans Warped Tour.The Cavs also have a specially designed court, built by the Cincinnati Floor Company, that will only be used during City Edition theme nights. It features the “C” -- the same look that’s on the shorts -- at center court on a smoky gray hardwood floor. The black perimeter has a rare design inspired by the Record Rendezvous storefront sign. “Cleveland” is centered on each baseline in the same white irregular font from the chest of the uniform and those tour pin-inspired badges, along with the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse logo, are placed at different spots on the floor.Cleveland’s rock and roll history began in the 1950′s when a new genre of music was introduced to a mainstream audience by local disc jockey Alan Freed. On his radio show, Freed started to play the rhythmic and soulful songs that made kids dance in the aisles at the local Record Rendezvous store, which popularized “rhythm and blues” music to a new audience craving the urban vibe.Freed dubbed it “rock and roll.”Two decades later, the musical style grew with the emergence of progressive rock station 100.7 FM WMMS and the Agora concert venue, both credited for shining the spotlight on little-known artists Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and many others, solidifying the city’s reputation as a breakout destination for music’s rising stars.Northeast Ohio still remains a major market for popular tours hosted at concert venues, including Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where the Cavs will extend that tie with special rock-inspired uniforms this season.More Cavaliers coverageNote to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

NEW!CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As the Cavaliers were brainstorming design ideas for their 2020-21 City Edition jerseys almost two years ago, they wanted something that celebrated Cleveland.Last year’s threads tied 50 years of Cavaliers basketball together. This time, it was about the city.In the birthplace of rock and roll, the City Edition uniform features a design and style with intricate details that reflect the attitude, spirit and history of Cleveland’s deep musical roots.“At its heart, Cleveland is a rock and roll city in a passionate sports town,” said Tracy Marek, the Cavaliers’ chief...

Cleveland Cavaliers’ City Edition uniforms celebrate rock and roll roots

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