Visual Culture Aloft
So many moons ago, a good friend of mine revealed to me that he had in his possession a garbage bag full of seventies Sports Illustrated We starting thumbing through them with glee most magnified, because about half of the images in there belonged up on my still-fledgling site. We both moved, and often talked about one day scanning the truest gems into computer form. Today, it finally happened, even though his girl's pit bull kept trying to chomp into George McInnis.
The following is from a mid-seventies "Basketball Preview Issue," and depicting the internal dynamics of divisions in the NBA and ABA alike. No one steal these and make shirts, because I'm already planning.
In case you didn't know, this is where the ABA starts squawking:
And anyone who could identify the teams in that last one off the top. . . get in line and receive a hypothetical shirt based on these graphics, because that shit was difficult!
posted by Bethlehem Shoals @ 7/19/2007 10:05:00 PM
27 comments
27 Comments:
Shit, you already got my $16 for SWAG, now you're going to get $20 more for one of these.
You see, this is why I visit this site everyday.
Let's see - the Colonels, the Squires, the "Crabs", the "Spermatazoa"?
Kentucky Colonels
Spirits of St. Louis
Baltimore Claws
Memphis Pros
?
Why wouldn't the spirits of St. Louis be a plane though?
is a 'Tam' a kind of crab? hmm.
fun article on the St. Louis spirits here http://www.remembertheaba.com/Spirits-of-St-Louis.html
turns out the former owners are still cashing in on the NBA TV rights.
Go here if you want to make things easier on yourself as regards to guessing. I think I spotted a Virginia Squire in that last picture.
Okay, in that last picture it is definitely the Memphis Pros, Virginia Squires, Kentucky Colonels and Baltimore Claws.
Next to last picture: San Diego Sails, San Antonio Spurs is all I got so far.
Pacers and Nuggets are the other two in the second-last, Daniel.
Aren't the Nets in the last picture?
First photo:
Start from 12 o'clock and go clockwise ...
Lakers, Trailblazers, Supersonics, Warriors, Suns
Second:
Bullets, Rockets, Jazz (right?) and Cavaliers.
Third:
Kings, Bucks, Pistons, Bulls
Fourth:
Celtics (is the drum for the Celtic?), Knicks (K on his hat?) 76ers, ...Hawks? That Indian threw me off, and I guess the Blackhawks are a tribe.
ABA:
first:
Nuggets, Stars, Pacers (right?), Spurs, Sails/Clippers I think (San Diego),
Second:
Spirits, Squires, Claws, Colonels, Nets
These rule. When you say the new t-shirts will be based on these, does that mean you'll be reusing some of the images and adding new ones for the expansion teams in the same divisional format? Or will they be defined by less rigid categories? I'm not sure which I'd prefer.
In the last picture, I'm inclined to think the net represents the Memphis Pros. The Nets/Americans used a round basketball as part of their logo in the ABA days.
Ref scandal kinda pisses on everything. Stern finally starts to clean things up, durant & oden coming in, And then a zebra shi ts on the whole thing.
NBA say hello to the NHL.
Those pics were mindblowing.
The only one that us giving me trouble is the 4th one. It's Looks to the be the NBA's Atlantic Division. 76er's - Liberty Bell check, Buffalo Braves - The Indian guy, check, New York Knick - Fella with the K on his hat? Celtics- Guy on top of the Knick.But what the hell is up with that Drum?
I'm pretty sure this must be the 75-76 preview: a) San Diego only used the "Sails" moniker during the 75-76 season(1st ABA 7 o'clock) otherwise they were known as the Conquistadors or "Q's",b) because of the presence of the SD Sails that means the Crab(2nd ABA 6 o'clock) is the famed "Baltimore Claws" franchise who managed to change names (originally the Batlimore Hustlers) and fold before the season began. Oh and Shoals, A hoodie with one of these pics on the back would be killer... please?
That really thin basketball ghost is rad.
Is that supposed to be a Hawk in the 2nd image?
Additionally, it's nice to see that Houston' Jet-Propelled Dildo squad is represented in that 2nd image.
does the drum have anything to do with the nets trying to make the nba in '75?
Darkofan: Routing through 70's Sports Illustrateds needs no justification. It is the St.Louis Spirit[s] shown as the ghostly figure in the last picture.
Marvin (Bad News) Barnes was there, or schedule to go there, an ABA figure warranting separate exegesis.
Though the team identifications are all already done, I too would like to commit to buying a T-shirt when they're produced. I think I'd get the Midwest Division since I'm a stone's throw from Chicago and that anthromorphic Piston is also charming as all hell.
That would be the Kentucky Colonels, the Columbus Blue Crabs, the Pittsburgh Poofters, and the Cincinnati Sperm.
Isn't the indian character in the purple circle for the Buffalo Braves?
And also I think the drum is for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Oh dear God those are awesome! Would LOVE to see them on shirts. I think my guesses would be close ...
TOP (teal pic) -- Lakers, Trail Blazers, Suns, Supersonics ... not really feeling the knight though
2D (lime green) -- Cavaliers, Bullets, Jazz? Rockets?
3d (red) Kings, Pistons, Bucks, Bulls
4th (purple) Sixers, Knicks, Braves(?), Celtics?
ABA 1 (brown) -- Nuggets, Pacers, Spurs, Sails
ABA 2 (also brownish) -- Colonels, Spirits of STL, Squires, Nets. Not feeling the lobster ...
Please, make these shirts happen.
The drum has to be for the 76ers - as in, Spirit of 1776, Revolutionary War, etc.
Host Pay Per Head community and I are really into vintage stuff. I would love to get one of those things at least.
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