This past weekend, the Tennessee Titans, formerly the Houston Oilers, wore arguably the most gorgeous uniforms in the history of professional football. I've already professed my love for these throwback Oilers uniforms, so I won't wax poetic about them here as well. Instead, I present a legal update regarding the University of Houston football team's use of these uniforms that bare a striking resemblance to the “Luv Ya Blue” threads donned first by the Houston Oilers, courtesy of the Houston Chronicle and Front Office Sports.

Now on the one hand, yeah, this is a pretty clear-cut example of “blatant copying.” There's no possible way that the University of Houston football program could respond in earnest and be like, “Well, actually, what's happening here is…” No, it's clear what they're doing here, and if both the NCAA and NFL weren't concerned (perhaps rightfully) with squeezing every last dollar out of every possible piece of merchandise, then the two entities could've probably come together and released a statement like this:

The NFL and the University of Houston have come together to partner on a merchandising deal, paying homage to a long, rich, and successful era of football in Houston, Texas. The “Luv Ya Blue” uniforms, first worn by the Houston Oilers during their time in the AFL, all the way until the team moved from Houston to Tennessee in 1997, are synonymous with some of the greatest football players in the sport's illustrious history, such as Earl Campbell, Bruce Matthews, Warren Moon, and Mike Munchak. A portion of all proceeds will go to the Legacy Fund of retired NFL players. 

See how easy that is? Everyone wins, including the fans who would get to see these oh-so-perfect uniforms far more often than we do right now.