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The Cleveland Cavaliers Embrace Cleveland’s Roots With Their 2020-21 City Edition Uniforms

This article is more than 3 years old.

In the 1950s, Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed started to play the rhythmic and soulful songs that made the kids dance in the aisles at the local Record Rendezvous store, and with that, he popularized African American music called “rhythm and blues” to a new audience craving the vibe.

Freed coined the latest musical innovation as “rock and roll”.

Freed went on to organize the Moondog Coronation Ball, which featured a lineup of R&B artists that drew an estimated 20,000 fans outside and inside the 11,000 seat Cleveland Arena on March 21, 1952. Considered the first-ever rock and roll concert, it foreshadowed a city that was passionate about its music.

Fast forward to the 70s and Cleveland’s impact grew with the emergence of progressive rock station WMMS and the Agora concert venue - who are both credited for shining the spotlight on little-known artists like Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and many others. This further solidified the city’s reputation as a breakout destination for music’s rising stars. Cleveland is also home to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a shining glass pyramid that sits on the shores of Lake Erie where music lovers from around the globe come to celebrate the power of the music it represents.

Last season, every single detail of Cleveland’s City Edition uniform embraced the 50 years of Cavaliers basketball. This year, the team shows love to the city it calls home as today the Cavaliers in a partnership with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame introduced the team’s 2020-21 City Edition uniform. The jersey features a design and style that reflects the grit, attitude and spirit of Cleveland’s rock and roll roots.

“At its heart, Cleveland is a rock and roll city in a passionate sports town,” said Tracy Marek, Cavaliers CMO. “The Cavs new City Edition uniform brings together what makes us move and groove in the streets and on the court.”

The creation, in collaboration with Nike, is intended to embody a long desire for excitement and individuality as fans of rock and roll turn to the music that continues to define generations as a unifying force and form of self-expression. A black uniform shell and gritty design highlight the attitude and influence of rock and roll through fashion. Then there’s the irregular type that spells out Cleveland, with eight of those nine white letters inspired by fonts of various iconic bands, posters and album graphics, which takes center stage on the front of the jersey, accompanied by a bold, sharp player number. A thin wine and gold trim accents the uniform, adding a textured pop of color.

Above the jersey jock tag reads “LONG LIVE ROCK” in bright red type, a nod to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s anthem and the iconic sign that guards the entrance of the museum in Cleveland.

"We are thrilled to team up with the Cavaliers to amplify Cleveland’s rock and roll heart through the City Edition uniform,” said Greg Harris, President & CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “This allows us to tell our exciting story throughout the Cavs basketball season.”

The back of the uniform shows the player’s name and number centered in white with the NBA logo above the lettering of the last name. On the back center collar, there’s a small gold square patch, which displays the number “1” positioned inside of the Larry O’Brien trophy to represent the Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA championship, a standard feature on the uniforms of all teams who have won a title.

The waistband of the black shorts features a silhouette of the Cleveland skyline within a white guitar pick. A large weathered Cavaliers “C” is plastered on the left shorts panel. On the right is an array of Cleveland badges inspired by tour pins and jacket patches to increase the bond between the Cavaliers, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the city.

The Cavaliers also have a specially designed court, built by the Cincinnati Floor Company, that will only be used during City Edition theme nights. It features the weathered Cavaliers “C” at center court on a smoky gray hardwood floor. The black perimeter has a rare design inspired by the Record Rendezvous storefront sign. “Cleveland” is centered on each baseline in the same white irregular font from the chest of the uniform and those tour-pin-inspired Cleveland badges, along with the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse logo, are placed at different spots on the floor.

Not only are the Cavaliers embracing the city’s deep-rooted history with rock and roll, they are also giving back to the community as well. With the purchase of any item from the City Edition collection at the team’s shop fans can also choose to donate $1, $5 or $10 to the local Save Our Stages campaign dedicated to preserving the ecosystem of our local independent live event venues and promoters. The Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse organizations will also match every fan donation to Save Our Stages through this platform.

"Music and our local stages and clubs are an important part of the fabric of life in Cleveland and something we have a natural connection to,” said Tad Carper, Chief Communications Officer and Executive Vice President of the Cavaliers. “With the launch of this partnership with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the City Edition uniforms being so musically-driven and inspired, we felt it was important to help promote that effort."

Northeast Ohio remains a major market for popular tours hosted at concert venues, including Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and is something the city takes pride in. The Cavaliers, who call Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse home, will wear that pride with these special rock and roll inspired uniforms this season.

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