FSU Football: Change back to white numbers ends long, odd debate

FSU Football is going to be going back to a look that a passionate group of fans have been pleading them to do for going on the better part of five years.

For much of the offseason leading up to what hopefully is a much better 2019 campaign, the FSU football fan base has been asking themselves about everything from how safe is head coach Willie Taggart’s job to whether it’s going to be James Blackman or Alex Hornibrook that is starting things off next week against Boise State.

Yet another section of the fanbase has been talking non-stop about something that has nothing to do with anything on the field: the segment of fans that have been passionately trying to get the school to switch the color of the numbers on the home uniforms from gold to white, which they were for seemingly decades before.

It’s a debate that, on the surface, seems beyond weird because I’m pretty sure that a uniform number color didn’t win or loss a game. Nonetheless, these FSU football loyalists continued to go on and on and on about it – and Friday, they got their goal.

During the annual football luncheon event, Taggart announced that starting in the 2020 season the white numbers would be making a comeback on the garnet jerseys.

Florida State Seminoles Football

Now, this is a personal debate for me because earlier this summer I posted a column in which I criticized the intensity behind those who made it their life goal seemingly to go back to white numbers – just a personal opinion of mine and not one that even reflects the Chop Chat family, many of who are on team white numbers.

The debate was met with serious venom from those in the FSU football fan base, namely Tallahassee based rapper and Seminoles fan Tareef Knockout, who has made white numbers one of his goals on social media and decided to go after me by calling me Spiderman’s real name (since we share the last name).

Well, Tareef, I am here to sincerely congratulate you and the rest of the fanbase that got this done. You have spent the better part of five seasons trying to correct what Nike and those in charge of the athletics department did in changing the look of the Seminoles starting with the 2014 athletic seasons.

I think you’re still wrong not for the intent of trying to get it changed, but – and I’m going to say it again – for the fact of associating the changes with the downfall of the program. Gold numbers didn’t lead to 5-7 last season…a former coach that stopped carrying and a new coach that underestimated the problems are what did.

Nonetheless, the number change was not something that truly was a big deal to those who agree with me – but for those who did, it was something that they made a big enough deal about and used their power to get it changed back to the look that was worn for two of the three national title games, countless bowl wins and other great moments.

Was it a debate that was that big of a deal? As a FSU alum and fan of the FSU football team, I personally don’t think so because I am going to stick with the Noles no matter what color they are. But for those who are passionate about the subject, it was a huge deal and today ends that long road to getting change.

My own uniform issue? Stop with the all black unis – we’re 3-3 in them all time, so they don’t work. Besides, our colors are garnet and gold, so let us just stick with tradition, okay?