Ryan Jameson: “Hello Everyone, I understand that most of you are wondering about the situation in Kansas and I will discuss the topic, but why don’t you let me sit down, eh?”
Some chuckles filled the room and soon enough Jameson discussed Kansas City.
“The situation in Kansas City is certainly not moving forward as we had hoped. First, the construction of the new stadium is still on hold as of now, and there don’t appear to be any plans to get it started. I know this is a difficult situation, but we have to move forward with other options if this continues. Speaking of, I have been looking into alternative options which will be discussed in the next couple of weeks with the rest of the team owners and player representatives. So, as of now, I don’t have further news on that front, but I hope we have some good news by the end of the meeting period. Now, before you fine people quiz me on the future of the league, I do have an actual announcement to make. I will do so by inviting an old friend and NAAF legend to the stage. Please welcome, former Buffalo Defensive Back, Oscar Patterson.”
Patterson took the stage with a big smile on his face, shaking hands with Jameson before taking the seat next to him.
Jameson continued: “Over the last couple of seasons, the NAAF has been working on the future of football as a sport. Our players have made it clear that safety on the field is important to many of them. They love to play the sport and they certainly love not being injured. The discussions and proposals brought us to Mr. Patterson. Some of you from the Buffalo area may know that since retiring from professional football, Mr. Patterson has built a business centred around sports equipment and design, Patterson Athletics. In the early years, the company was about refurbishing and repairing old equipment to be able to be used again, especially for younger kids playing various sports and various levels. Eventually, Mr. Patterson continuously donated equipment to kids who didn’t have the same opportunities to play, something that we here at the NAAF admire. Working with many types of equipment, Mr. Patterson has developed a strong understanding of equipment and soon became the leading advisor in our equipment innovation over the last few years. He has partnered with researchers and engineers at the University of Western New York to help with his developments. The evolution of the equipment has been a game changer and we have decided to continue to grow our partnership with Mr. Patterson to make him the official head of equipment and safety in the NAAF.”
Some clapping from those in attendance as Patterson’s smile grew on his face.
Jameson continued: “This partnership means that Patterson Athletics will be advising the league on which brands and branches of equipment are safest for the league and for everyone who plays any sport. As well as continuing to help other brands to innovate to make their equipment safer. Now, all of this isn’t maybe as important for most of those who spectate, you won’t see that much of a difference in the short term in terms of equipment, but that brings me to the next part. Mr. Patterson has also shown a very high interest in sports design and the look of the teams. So, that brings us to the second part of the partnership. Patterson Athletics will be the official jersey manufacturer and designer of the NAAF, starting with the 1970 season. Now I will hand the floor to Mr. Patterson to go into the deal further.”
Oscar Patterson: “Thank you, Mr. Jameson. I am very excited about this partnership, it has been a while in the making. I am so glad to be involved with Mr. Jameson and the NAAF once again, the players, the staff, and everyone in this league have been amazing to work with and I am ready to move into the future of football. As uniforms will be the major change that most fans will see, I will touch on that part of the partnership. These new uniforms, on a technical level, are going to be made to be more breathable for the summer games, with lighter materials and shorter sleeves. There are many other tiny details, but the purpose is to improve the players’ experience on the field. Of course, the more exciting change is in the actual look of the uniforms. Ever since I was playing in the league I always was curious about the design of uniforms. My creativity is what brought me to add white wings to one of my old blue helmets and eventually to the on-field one. I was very excited to see that not only did the look stick, but other teams followed suit. My creativity has always remained interested in the looks of the NAAF teams and I am so glad to have the opportunity to see some of those ideas come to life. Of course, I did not leave all the designing to myself. Several other designers have been working alongside me and with the teams over the past couple of years, to give each team a fresh look heading into next season. We have already had our input on a couple of recent changes, namely the Serpents’ set and Raiders’ alternate uniforms from last season as well as the Steelheads' recent changes. We understand that for many the look of their team is important and so we have tried to respect the brand that these teams have built while also innovating and evolving the look on the field. The new looks will be revealed in due time over this offseason, and we are very excited to show the fans and players what they are going to see on the field next season.”
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