What unifrom are the Titans wearing Sunday?

I think you can put a bad football team in white on a hot day all you like and they will still find a way to lose. I don't really think the methodology of those findings is quite spot on. I don't think the advantage is by any means clear in terms of wins. With that being said, Frank Wycheck is a former player intimately familiar with playing in dark navy jerseys. I don't really know how scientific it is, but the guy has to have a reputable opinion on the subject given his career experience and if he says it "feels" a whole lot cooler playing in white on a hot September afternoon in Tennessee I tend to believe him.

 

fwiw, I found a journal article, actual science,



that concludes that white polyester is cooler than black cotton. At least that's what I gathered from the abstract.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/r3613k0461g68j42/

 

I don't think anyone was questioning whether white fabric is cooler than black. Clearly we all know that (and that scientific paper proves it).

The issue is whether wearing a jersey that's a degree or two (or five) cooler gives football players any significant advantage. My hypothesis was that they will be hot as hell no matter what they are wearing and that it makes way more sense to focus your energy on things like conditioning and hydration than on what color jersey you wear.

Based on the study, it seems like my hypothesis was wrong and there is a (small but) significant difference between white and black.

Good to know, I guess.

 

In light of all that it's my opinion that the supposed "advantage" is by in large a psychological one. The significance of that will vary by the player I would think.

 

I don't think that the titans really put very much time or effort into determining which jersey to wear. I think they took the four seconds it takes to say "we'll wear white" and that that amount of thought and energy is justified, even for the relatively little benefit, real or imagined. Especially since they have to decide one way or another anyway.