Big changes are coming to one of my favorite web sites – Paul Lukas is leaving Uni Watch, “the media project that deconstructs the finer points of sports uniforms, logos, related topics in obsessive and excruciating detail.”
The longest running sports uniform coverage
Conceived originally as a column that ran in the Village Voice, Uni Watch became much more. I became familiar with the column during its ESPN Page 2 days. In 2006, he branched out to a blog which immediately became daily reading. In 2022, he switched to a new content strategy that updated throughout the day and included a subscription-based newsletter. Along the way, he created some great Uni Watch merchandise too.
Now, he’s stepping down. He’s been saying for years that he felt like he was closer to the end than the beginning and on January 2, he made it official. In his own words:
I’ve been doing Uni Watch for nearly a quarter-century now — that’s a long time! I’m very proud of this project, but I feel like I’ve said most of what I need to say here. In short: It’s enough. Moreover, I’ll be turning 60 in a couple of months. Do I really want to be writing about sports uniforms in my 60s? There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, but I’ve decided that it’s not how I want to spend the next phase of my life. Those two milestone numbers — me turning 60 and Uni Watch turning 25 — make this seem like a good time to move on to other things.
I get it. He’s done some really cool features for a long time, but it’s possible that most of the stories have been told. Add in the constant release of new uniforms, special uniforms, etc. the signal to noise ratio is not as good. It’s come through in his writing at times that maybe, it’s not much fun any more, so I was not surprised to see the announcement. I mean, writing up the Nationals latest uniform situation was kind of tedious and I only did that once, not every day for decades.
It’s still a notable loss. What made Uni Watch more than just a blog covering uniforms was Lukas’ editorial voice. While he was as sports fan and appreciated uniforms, he wasn’t a sports uniform consumer. Likely, because he grew up in the times before widespread apparel merchandising, he doesn’t buy team jerseys, etc. That disconnect informs his commentary and provides a bit of a detachment. It’s worked well.
I have enjoyed contributing items over the years too.
Finishing strong
Starting Friday, May 17, Lukas began his farewell tour which will culminate with a 25th anniversary/wrap party on Sunday, May 26 in New York.
I was hoping to go to that party, but those plans have been overcome by events. The recaps of the farewell tour are giving me some FOMO though. Thankfully, I was able to attend a happy hour when he was in Washington in 2013.
Content-wise, the last 4+ months have had some great stuff, especially on his subscription-based newsletter.
What’s next
Lukas will take a break and then begin his pretirement by continuing writing his newsletter, likely under the Inconspicuous Consumption name. I’m eager to see how it develops.
Long-time deputy editor, Phil Hecken, will take over Uni Watch. He’s been running it on weekend’s and during the month of August, so it will be as seemless as possible.
Coda
On Satuday, Lukas thanked hundreds of readers/contributors by name, including me. You’re welcome and THANK YOU.
On Sunday, he posted his farewell.
He made a career out of writing about sports uniforms. Think for a moment how impressive that is…
