Visual Rhetoric in Sports:

A Visual Analysis of NFL Logos

The purpose of the Logo

Sports Teams use Visual Rhetoric to associate
themselves with powerful or predatory symbols.
Common themes in the NFL are birds of prey, large
feline predators, or mythical figures. The color choices
often serve to reinforce a connection to the city in
which they play.
The logos of sports teams also provide the basis for any
mascot they have as well as providing a symbol for
their fans to rally around, or ornament themselves
through team jerseys, tattoos, or other merchandise.

Informational Content in
Logos
Logos are expected to be immediately apprehensible.
From an Information Design standpoint they only have
to communicate limited amounts of actual content. The
colors are meaningful as is the commonly abstract
nature of the logo. The primary function, as a signifier
of belonging to a specific in-group, is accomplished
better by simplicity, an easily and quickly understood
symbol that represents allegiance to a geographical
area (commonly), a specific identity in regard to sport
(toughness, skill, blue collar), and in many cases the
values that the fan base commonly hold.

Bird of Prey
Here we have the logo for
the Atlanta Falcons. The
color combination of red
and black calls to mind
martial associations,
blood, death, and
fearsome opposition. The
lines are focused and
abstract, emphasizing the
predatory nature of the
Falcon. It also forms a

Bird of Prey II
The Philadelphia Eagles
use a less abstract design,
focusing on the signature
curved beak of the bird of
prey. It appears to be in
the act of releasing an
eagles cry, associated
with the act of diving on
prey. There are also the
patriotic associations of
the Bald Eagle and

The Big Cats: King of the

Jungle
The Detroit Lions use the
pouncing lion logo to
represent fierceness. The
colors of the team (blue
and silver) echo the
baseball team, the Detroit
Tigers color scheme of
blue and white. Also the
team names are both
jungle cats, representing a
theme for the citys sports.

Are there panthers in the

Carolinas?
The Carolina Panthers are one of
the newest teams in the NFL.
Along with the usual associations
of lethality, speed, and power that
go with the big cat theme, the use
of a light blue/teal color scheme is
extremely common among teams
that were created after the 1990s.
The immense popularity of the new
NHL team the San Jose Sharks logo
likely contributed to its adoption by
many teams since then.

More Felines: originality not required

The Jacksonville Jaguars
are another relatively new
team, and also adopted
teal in the team colors. I
can only assume focusgroup testing is
responsible for the
prevalence of this scheme
in more recent teams.
Jaguars are associated
with the swamps and wilds

Anthropomorphic: A
comparison
The old New England Patriots logo. A very literal
representation of the teams identity. New
Englands association with the original 13
colonies and the revolutionary war give us this
mascot.

Here we see the new logo. Highly stylized

and abstract, it more directly references
the USA flag while removing any
personality from the figure. Simple,
direct, and an appeal to patriotism and
the history of New England.

Geographical and Cultural

Elements
In many logos a form of cultural appropriation is seen. The
Pittsburgh Steelers, named after the citys steel worker past,
appropriates the image and association of the blue collar worker
as a means of conveying a hard working, no nonsense, everyman
kind of image. This relates to Pittsburghs past industry, yet also
plays into geographical elements. As a northern USA team playing
in an outdoor stadium, these qualities are revered not only from a
cultural perspective, but as necessity in regards to the sport. In
snowy, windy weather a team should favor the hard-nosed
approach of running the football and tough defense as opposed to
the more finesse approach of a high powered passing attack. These
qualities are in line with the image projected by the Steelers and
the reality of the conditions for success .

American Mythology: Cowboys and

Indians
Here is the Dallas Cowboys logo. Simple,
Iconic, a reference to the Lone Star State and
the famous Texas Rangers badge of office. The
5 pointed star is also associated with the USA
flag, emphasizing the broad appeal of the
Cowboys. In the 1970s the Cowboys were
dubbed Americas Team by the media after
winning 4 championships in the decade.

Easily the most controversial logo in American sports,

the Washington Redskins depict a noble savage idea
of a native warrior. Unfortunately the team name is a
slur to many Native Americans and the original team
owner was a noted racist. We are seeing a rapid
disappearance of Native associated names in sport
across America, but many still remain: Cleveland
Indians, Atlanta Braves, and any number of teams
calling themselves Warriors with a Native Mascot.

A bit more on the Anthropomorphic

names
The use of Native American associated symbology to
represent a team used to be very common. It was an
attempt to connect with the nations past and the
original people who live(d) here. The qualities it was
thought to represent were bravery and relentlessness.
With growing recognition of the horrors visited upon
these people we are seeing this connection disappear in
sports. Other anthro-centered logos such as the
Steelers (a reference to the city of Pittsburghs former
steel industry) or the Minnesota Vikings (a reference to
the background of many of the people that settled

And MY Favorite NFL Logo:

The Browns
The Cleveland Browns are unique in
the NFL. Named after the first
coach, the legendary Paul Brown,
they have never had a logo other
than the iconic plain orange
helmet. The Browns have never
had a logo on their helmet (the
only team this is true of) since their
inception in 1945. The uniforms
recall the beginnings of the sport,
and were modeled on Paul Browns
first Head Coaching job at Bowling
Green university in Ohio.

The logo used in the media is simply the helmet itself. The
color scheme recalls Autumn leaves, pumpkins, and the brown
of trees shedding their leaves. As football is played in the fall,
these associations make sense. The lack of logo is, oddly, the
exact claim to uniqueness that separates it from all the other
teams. Its simplicity is its virtue, and the history of the team
and region goes back to he very beginnings of professional
football.

We usually dont consider the rhetorical arguments

being made with respect to sports teams and logos. But
thinking about the colors, the symbol chosen, and the
population it is trying to reach (and their history) gives
greater insight into the way the team is trying position
and represent itself. A great number of teams use red,
white, and blue as a color scheme; an obvious attempt
to draw on the American flag. Teams are interesting for
the way they follow the rules: Birds of prey and jungle
cats are extremely common. But also for those who
break the rules: The San Diego Chargers (not even a

Desire, Envy, and Belonging

As in all facets of life, people like to identify with a
winner. The statistically improbable number of
Pittsburgh Steelers fans in Albuquerque are a good
example of how far this is embedded in Human Nature.
The Steelers have more Super Bowl wins than any other
NFL team. Despite being on the other side of the
country from New Mexico, Pittsburgh logos, jerseys,
tattoos, and bumper stickers are ubiquitous. As a city
(and state) with no professional team of its own, the
Bandwagon effect is in full force. As humans we desire
to belong, and we desire to belong to a successful

References
Information Design Workbook, Kim Baer, Rockport Publishing 2008
(in particular Chapter One, Overview of Information Design)
Practices of Looking: An introduction to Visual Culture M.Sturken
L.Cartwright Oxford University Press 2009
(Images and ideology [pg22] and Envy Desire and Belonging [pg275])
Metaphors We Live By G. Lakoff M. Johnson University of Chicago Press
1980
(most relevant chapters: Ch 7 Personification and Ch 22 The creation of
similarity)