The path from Mardi Gras to Mormon country has had an interesting impact on the culture of the Utah Jazz. Utah has retained the Jazz as their team name even though the only Jazz music in Utah is some BYU ballroom class where guys go to find a wife. Utah also has brought back the Mardi Gras colors of yellow blue and green that the original New Orleans Jazz sported. The best player in Jazz history, Karl Malone, happened to be from Louisiana.
The team decided it was time to show some love to the Beehive State. As part of the Nike City edition jersey campaign in the NBA, the Utah Jazz had the chance to show off their city. The Jazz decided instead to show some love to other hidden gems in the state beyond Salt Lake City.
Southern Utah is home to many national parks. Bryce Canyon, Zion, Canyonlands and Arches are just a few amazing landscapes that the state has to offer. The red rocks look like they were hand carved from heaven. Of all these landscapes, perhaps none is more famous than Delicate Arch.
This majestic 60 foot tall arch is a big part of Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. People travel from all over the world to see this gorgeous wonder. It is called delicate arch because one side is significantly thinner than the other. Delicate Arch is also spotted on a vast number of Utah license plates.
The Jazz decided to really think outside of the box. The purple Wasatch Mountains backdrop was already done in the 1990s. The Mardi Gras colors didn’t represent the state at all. It was time for a change that extended beyond the imagination of NBA executives.
So the Jazz changed the design of their jersey, colors, and court for a game against the Golden State Warriors. Were the jerseys lucky? Well, the Jazz won 129-99 so we will wait until the end of the season before the jury reaches their verdict.
For fans who want to see the Jazz play with this new look, there are five more chances to do so. Here is the schedule:
The rest of the city jersey schedule will see a significant drop in talent since the first encounter considering the Jazz shocked the world against the world champion Golden State Warriors in their first encounter. Three of the five remaining teams to face the Jazz with these jerseys don’t have winning records so if the Jazz also bring their A game against B and C talent then they will be the real Dub Nation. That’s W as in WIN!