The NFL’s 300-Pound Fashion Victims

Nike’s New Form-Fitting Jerseys Make Big Guys Feel Tubby

Pondered in the NFL locker room this season, as some players try on their new tighter, sleeker Nike uniforms, is a question usually reserved for Nordstrom fitting lounges: Does this make me look fat?

“I hate them. They are built for thin guys,” said Alex Boone, a 300-pound starting guard for the San Francisco 49ers. “It makes me look like I have big old love handles.”

After a decade of wearing Reebok-made jerseys, NFL players this year switched to Nike, which unveiled a new model that has what it calls a “body-contoured fit.” While it looks great on Adonis-like players such as Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Miami running back Reggie Bush, it’s a bit less popular among those who are a bit more full-figured.

“I don’t really care for the new jerseys,” said Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Terrence Cody, who is 349 pounds and 6 feet 4. “I feel like they should put different material in for the big guys.”