Shut up, haters: The classic Buccaneers creamsicle uniforms are badass

I’m a fan of the San Francisco 49ers, owners of the classiest jerseys in the NFL since forever, save for that time in the early-to-mid 2000s that we’re not going to speak of because lalalala I’m not listening to you. Anyway, there is a non-49ers jersey that gets a lot of hate from total jerks and I’m here to set the record straight:

The classic Tampa Bay Buccaneers “Creamsicle” jerseys are badass.

Widely regarded across the Internet as some of the worst uniforms the NFL has ever seen, I am of the opinion that they’re quite excellent. The NFL needs more soft colors (the first team that goes with a soft pink will be my new favorite team) and the creamsicles are every bit as cool as the well-respected (Los Angeles) San Diego Chargers powder blues.

The Buccaneers debuted in 1976 with the bright/soft orange jerseys and a logo with a suave pirate man holding a knife in his teeth, a rather impractical place to store one’s knife. That man was known as “Bucco Bruce” and honestly, I can take or leave him. I’m all about the jersey, not the logo.

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The uniforms are unjustly mocked because they belonged to a legendarily crappy team that the Buccaneers were for the first couple decades of their existence. While there are some who have come around to the (correct) side on this issue in recent years, there remain far too many who degrade the majestic creamsicles.

The Bucs used some form of those jerseys — occasionally getting more intense with the orange but mostly staying true to form for 21 years — until the Glazer family overhauled the look to the red, pewter, and black you see today:

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

I’m not super into the latest look, but sometimes the pewter is very striking and it works out well, but did the NFL need more red? Nahhh.

The Buccaneers have used them as throwbacks before, but they stopped in 2013 because of a new helmet rule. But there has to be a way they can still bring them back. The soft colors, the red outline around the white numbers, the creamsicle color on the shins — just beautiful!

And just know: anyone who drags the creamsicles are wrong, and I will fight you over these jerseys.