WASHINGTON — Imagining what-ifs is half the fun of sports. We can
speculate about trade scenarios, free agent signings, new management or
ownership, even relocation. But one of the most fun what-if projects
involves uniforms.
In that vein, what if each state — plus D.C. — had its own home and away
soccer kit? University of Maryland senior Nick Leimbach had that thought last
summer after watching the World Cup. In August, he set out on a pet project
that would turn into a months-long, 102-piece portfolio. He uploaded his finished product to Imgur and
posted it to the Major League Soccer sub-Reddit.
The next thing he knew, his project had blown up. The Imgur gallery now has
more than 130,000 views and has been promoted by the official Major League
Soccer
Twitter account multiple times.
“It took off quickly from there,” says Leimbach. “The rest of the spread has
been organic, I guess.”
He estimates that the endeavor took him 60 to 65 total hours, though his
girlfriend suggested it was more like 75 or 80. The idea started when Leimbach
and his roommates began designing 12 teams in the FIFA video game. But the
game’s design constraints limited what they could accomplish.
“I basically asked, ‘If I had complete control of every single aspect of this,
what would it look like?'” says Leimbach.
Some resemble the more iconic college programs of the state. Others recall
historical events or unique features, everything from Tennessee’s orange-and-white
checkerboard to New Mexico’s state
flag. Whether you like the particular jerseys assigned to your state or
not,
there are well-argued reasons for each design.
A self-described “massive Arsenal fan,” the California native also attends
every University of Maryland soccer game, where he can be found in the front
row. He also attends DC United games, where he tries to avoid “having pieces
of concrete falling on me at RFK.”
The broadcast journalism major graduates in December, and is looking to break
into his field anywhere he can. But he may have opened another set of doors
with this project.
“Graphic design is kind of like a hobby of mine,” he says. “But the reality
is, I’ve been in journalism school for four years now. That being said, if
Nike or Adidas were to call me up today and say, ‘Come join us; we’d like you
to do this for us professionally,’ there wouldn’t be a second of doubt in
saying yes.”
With Under Armour also just up the road in Baltimore, he may not have to go
far to find an opportunity.
To see the local DMV kits as well as some of Leimbach’s favorites, check
out the gallery above.
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