The Ugly (Jersey) Truth

Adidas unveiled a special, lightweight line of eye-catching (to put it kindly) jerseys two years ago at the Big East tournament. But the Cincinnati Bearcats' duds, with the camouflage print and neon orange detailing, were not a pretty sight.

In 2009, the Montreal Canadiens brought back the "barber pole" jersey, first designed in 1912. The uniform (worn here by winger Sergei Kostitsyn) isn't too terrible by itself, but picture a whole team on the ice skating around. Dizzy yet?

Linebacker James Harrison and the Pittsburgh Steelers busted out stripes in 2012 to mark the team's 80th NFL season. The throwbacks were modeled after Pittsburgh's 1934 unis. One newspaper headline described the look as "jailbird bumblebee."

Because the Tampa Bay Rays joined MLB in 1998, there aren't many options for throwbacks. So last year, when shortstop Yunel Escobar and the Rays faced the Cubs on a 1980s-themed night, the club unveiled a fake throwback, or "fauxback." All we can say is, thankfully the decade is over.

"It looks like somebody had a Shamrock Shake and threw up on them," said ESPN commentator Jay Bilas when he saw the Notre Dame Fighting Irish wearing this hideous lime green camo two years ago.

Eight years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles went seriously nontraditional (and failed) with powder blue and yellow, the same colors as the Philadelphia flag. In the game, QB Donovan McNabb and RB Brian Westbrook beat the Lions 56--21. But let's not get any silly ideas.

The red-and-white checkerboard pattern on Croatia's national soccer team jersey is inspired by the country's flag insignia — unfortunately, it looks more like a picnic table. Midfielder Ivan Perisic's expression says it all.

Tight shirts with cap sleeves are the next big thing in the NBA? Really, Adidas? Stephen Curry let his feelings be known about the concept the day after the Golden State Warriors debuted the jerseys two years ago. He called them "ugly." Amen.

Even the rehabbing Derek Jeter looked uncool in this July 4-themed abomination for the minor league Trenton Thunder. Yankees GM Brian Cashman seized the embarrassing moment: He snapped a picture of Jeter in the patriotic getup and sent it to his big league teammates.

Think of the most heinous, tacky, unsightly, cheesy, and silly uniform possible — and then draw it for us. The most creative entry will be printed in the pages of SI Kids. You can download four different jersey templates at sikids.com/uglyuniform. Deadline for submissions is May 1, 2015!