What NFL Teams Wear White at Home?

A look at which NFL teams prefer to wear white jerseys at home, and whether there’s any correlation between winning and jersey color.

The History of NFL Teams Wearing White at Home

Wearing white at home was once the rule in the National Football League. In fact, the league’s first rule book stated that “visiting clubs shall wear dark jerseys, and home clubs shall wear white jerseys.” This rule was in place for almost the entire first half of the twentieth century. So, why did NFL teams start wearing white at home?

The NFL’s “White House” Rule

In the National Football League (NFL), teams are required to wear uniforms at home that are “of sufficient whiteness to appear reasonably referee-friendly.” The rule has informally been referred to as the “white house” rule.

The rule was implemented in a memo sent out by then-NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle in October 1965, two weeks before the first Super Bowl was played. In the memo, Rozelle wrote that all NFL teams must wear white at home during regular season and playoff games “for the convenience of television viewers.”

The rule has been generally well-received by fans and players alike. Some believe that it makes players more visible on television and makes it easier for referees to spot penalties. Others simply enjoy the aesthetic of seeing white jerseys in their home stadiums.

There have been a few exceptions to the rule over the years. In 1984, the Miami Dolphins wore orange jerseys at home for one game to honor their 25th anniversary. In 2007, the New England Patriots wore red jerseys at home for one game to commemorate their 40th anniversary.

And in 2009, the Pittsburgh Steelers wore white jerseys at home for their final regular season game against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens were also wearing white, so Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger joked that it felt like an away game.

How the Rule Has Changed Over Time

The rule that NFL teams must wear white at home has changed several times throughout the league’s history. The rule was first instituted in the league’s inaugural season in 1936, when teams were required to wear white jerseys at home to make it easier for fans and officials to see the action on the field.

The rule was relaxed in 1959, allowing teams to wear white jerseys at home only if they agreed to also wear white pants. This led to a number of teams, most notably the Green Bay Packers, adopting what is known as a “white stripe” uniform, with white jerseys andgreen pants.

In 1994, the rule was changed again, this time allowing teams to choose any combination of jersey and pants colors for their home uniforms, as long as the colors were “clearly visible” to fans and officials. As a result of this change, a number of teams have since adopted darker-colored jerseys as their primary home uniform, including the Packers, who now wear green jerseys at home.

Why Do NFL Teams Wear White at Home?

The simple answer as to why NFL teams wear white at home is because it’s cooler. In fact, a 2011 study conducted by the University of Chicago found that teams who wore white at home won more often than teams who wore darker colors.

The Advantage of Wearing White

For teams, the decision of what color jerseys to wear at home games is usually based on a number of factors, including tradition, fan preference, and, believe it or not, science. Wearing white at home has become a tradition for many NFL teams, and there are a few scientific explanations for why this may be the case.

One theory is that white jerseys help keep players cooler in hot weather conditions. While black jerseys absorb heat from the sun, white jerseys reflect it. This theory is supported by the fact that teams who typically play their home games in hot weather climates (like the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals) are more likely to wear white at home.

Another scientific explanation for why teams wear white at home has to do with the way our eyes process color. Studies have shown that human beings are better able to see contrasting colors when they’re set against a background of white. So, if a team wants its players to stand out on the field, wearing white at home could give them a slight advantage.

Of course, there are also more practical reasons for why teams choose to wear white at home. White jerseys are less expensive to produce than colored jerseys, and they tend to show less dirt and grime than darker uniforms. For these reasons, many teams choose to reserve their colored jerseys for away games, when they can be sure they’ll make a good impression on fans of the opposing team.

The Disadvantage of Wearing White

While there are some advantages to wearing white at home, there are also some disadvantages. One of the biggest disadvantages is that it can be more difficult to see players in white jerseys, especially when they are crowding around the line of scrimmage. This can be a problem for both fans and officials, and it can lead to more penalties being called on the home team. Another disadvantage is that white jerseys tend to show stains more easily, so they may need to be washed more frequently.

NFL Teams That Wear White at Home

In the NFL, there are certain traditions and unspoken rules that teams follow. One of those is that teams usually wear their colored jerseys at home and white jerseys on the road. There are a few exceptions to this rule, however. Here is a list of NFL teams that wear white at home.

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football franchise based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference West division. The Cardinals were founded as the Morgan Athletic Club in 1898, and are the oldest continuously run professional football team in America. The Cardinals play their home games at State Farm Stadium, which opened in 2006 and is located in Glendale, Arizona.

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. They play their home games at M&T Bank Stadium and are currently members of the AFC North division in the NFL. The Ravens were established in 1996, when Art Modell, the owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced plans to move the franchise to Baltimore. In return for agreeing to take over the Browns’ operation and assuming debt totaling $538 million, Maryland Stadium Authority agreed to build a new stadium on 33 acres (13 ha) of land purchased from Lederer Enterprises for $600,000.

Chicago Bears

Since the NFL was founded in 1920, the Chicago Bears have been one of its most successful teams. They’ve won nine NFL championships, including one Super Bowl, and their players have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame more than any other team. The Bears play their home games at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.

While most NFL teams wear their colored jerseys at home and white jerseys on the road, the Bears buck this trend. They wear white jerseys at home and colored jerseys on the road. There are a few other teams that follow this unusual pattern, but the Bears are by far the most successful of them.

NFL Teams That Do Not Wear White at Home

In the NFL, there are a few teams that do not wear white at home. These teams are the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and Jacksonville Jaguars. Let’s take a look at why these teams don’t wear white.

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The team plays its home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.

The Lions began play as the Portsmouth Spartans in 1929 and joined the NFL in 1930. In 1934, the Spartans began sharing their home field with the Detroit Lions, who joined the NFL that year. Since 1957, the Lions have been headquartered in Allen Park, Michigan. They currently play four home games each season at Ford Field, which opened in 2002 to replace their outdoor home stadium, Tiger Stadium.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the third-oldest franchise in the NFL, dating back to 1919, and is the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team based in the United States. Home games have been played at Lambeau Field since 1957.

The Packers are the last of the “small town teams” which were common in the NFL during the league’s early days of 1922 and 1923. Founded in 1919 by Earl “Curly” Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun, the franchise traces its lineage to other semi-professional teams in Green Bay dating back to 1896. Between 1919 and 1920, the Packers competed against other semi-pro clubs from around Wisconsin and Michigan, before joining the American Professional Football Association (APFA), organised football’s first major professional league competition, in 1921. Although Green Bay is by far the smallest major league professional sports market in North America, Forbes ranked the Packers as the world’s 26th most valuable sports franchise in 2016, with a value of $2.35 billion.

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are a team that does not wear white at home.