Sports Patches and Team Logos

Sports Patches and Team Logos

Virtually every major professional sport in the United States includes patches as part of the official uniform. Ranging from the name of the team to the city the team hails from to the team mascot, the patches feature a variety of designs.

Let's take a look at some of the sports patches and team logos each sport has to offer.


National Basketball Association uniforms feature several different patches. Beyond the patches that show a player's name and number on the back of the jersey, NBA jerseys include a small patch with the NBA logo. During the playoffs, a special patch featuring that year's playoff logo is also attached to the back of the jersey. Beginning in 2014, teams that have previously won a championship also include a special gold patch on the top back of the jersey.


Professional and college football teams include plenty of patches on their uniforms. Every player in the National Football League wears a patch with the organization's logo. Team captains wear a special "C" patch that shows their status as team leader. The team captain patches are normally gold, but during certain months they may have a special theme, such as camouflage for a military appreciate game or pink for a breast cancer awareness campaign.


Professional hockey team uniforms feature large patches of the team logo on the front chest area. National Hockey League uniforms also sometimes have smaller patches of the same logo or the team mascot on the shoulder. As with most other sports, during the playoffs, special patches will be made for the teams, usually featuring the Stanley Cup or the official playoff logo.


Professional baseball players possibly wear the most patches of any sport. With patches not only on the uniforms, but on players' hats as well, there are plenty of different patches in Major League Baseball. Some teams in New York City wear police and fire rescue patches as a way to pay tribute to public safety employees. Other teams wear military patches for a special military appreciation game. Teams often wear patches with a famous player's number as well, as a way to pay respect.

Patches are an important part of sports uniforms for many different sports in America. Game-worn patches are highly sought-after collector's items, and even replica patches are popular with fans. As long as professional sports are played, patches will be an integral part of the game!