The Philadelphia Eagles will be guaranteed to wear their famed wing logo on their helmets when they run out onto the field at Arena Corinthians ahead of the first-ever NFL regular-season game in Brazil.
However, the Eagles won’t be in their primary color of green on Friday against the Green Bay Packers.
We examine why Philly is rolling out black in São Paulo for the historic game, and why the Eagles have black uniforms as a gameday option.
Meaning Behind Black Eagles Uniforms
The Eagles rarely wear black jerseys. But when they do, it’s never on the road but rather in front of their fans at Lincoln Financial Field.
Philadelphia took advantage of a new league rule passed ahead of the 2022 season that allowed teams the option of wearing a second helmet shell color. NFL teams additionally had the option of going with an alternate uniform three times a season.
After bringing back their famed Kelly Green look, the Eagles chose black as their third gameday look to help match the color of their stripes.
Though they’re traveling 4,754 miles south and past the Equator for their opening game, why are the Eagles choosing to wear the black helmet?
You’ve NEVER seen this combo before@FanDuel | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/LUf7ZH2JdU
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 30, 2024
As the designated home team, the Eagles were given the option to choose their gameday look against the Packers. They decided to ditch the green helmets for the black look. The gameday attire will feature a white-and-black color combination.
It turns out there’s a reason behind this inspired look ahead of Friday. Eagles insider for The Athletic Brooks Kubena shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) a week before the season opener that the team became inspired by the venue they’ll be playing in.
“Some São Paulo context for the Eagles’ black-and-white jersey combo. Corinthians, ‘the people’s team,’ wears black. Arch rival, Palmeiras, wears green. City laws prevent fans from wearing green at Corinthians games to cut down hooliganism. Black endears them to the home fans,” Kubena said.
“Traveling fans for the São Paulo NFL game can wear whatever jersey, color, etc., they’d like. Corinthians did not issue a ‘veto’ for this game. This is a cultural context that does not apply at all, in any rule for Eagles-Packers,” Kubena added.
Green Bay, meanwhile, is rolling out its green, yellow, and white attire, traditionally known as the Lambeau Field look, for this contest despite the apparent disdain for the color green in the Brazilian city.
