Forum Blue and Gold Makes No Sense

[shiggins]

Not just because they are Laker fans and think that Andrew Bynum is a 1st ballot hall of famer, or the Lakers now play defense or any of those illogical statements coming from there...

But isnt that purple not blue?  I could have sworn yellow and blue were warriors colors?  Purple is that color for Prince right?  Blue is the color of the sky and the ocean?

Is there some hidden thing I'm missing because I think I have to be.  Can someone explain it to me?

[shiggins]

Just kidding, read it on their about section that Chick Hearn got confused...

Still kind of dumb though

[celticmaestro]

Is it just me or does this thread make no sense?

[Roy Hobbs]

For anybody who doesn't understand why that Laker blog is called "Forum Blue and Gold", here's their explanation:

Some Laker fans who come here may not be familiar with the phrase “Forum blue and gold.”

It is a reference to the late, great Chick Hearn, who, back when the team played at the Fabulous Forum, used to refer to the home uniform colors as “Forum blue and gold.” Why? I’ll let commenter Jon explain”

    Former Laker owner Jack Kent Cooke loved the color purple but, for whatever reason, refused to say that was the color he liked. He called it blue. So, to deal with the problem that the uniforms were clearly purple but the owner didn’t want it called that, Chick Hearn (or maybe Cooke himself) came up with calling the Laker purple “Forum blue.” And it stuck.

Gatinho adds to that:

    Heisler says that Jack kent Cooke called it that, not Chick. (Chick and Cooke also fought over who called it the “Fabulous Forum” first, as well.) He changed the color to purple, “forum blue”, when he bought the team and built the Forum. The blue is obviously from the Minneapolis days and early LA days. Witness the Lakes wearing the powder blue ‘56 uni’s this season.

Donovan Moore from the Society for Sports Uniform Research adds this:

    “Forum Blue” was the designation given to the Lakers’ Purple back when they played at the old Forum - as many here have stated. That said, the “Forum Blue” designation was dropped after the 1979-1980 season; from 1980-1981 on, this color has been referred to as “Royal Purple”.

    In addition, for a number of seasons starting around 1976-1977 through 2000-2001, the Lakers used a lighter shade of Purple for their logo as opposed to the Purple in their uniforms.

While the designation may have been officially dropped, Chick Hearn continued to use it all through the Showtime era and beyond. And, this blog’s name is a little tribute to him and Laker history.

[Atzar]

That site gets a pass from me for getting me through last summer's work.  Their Game 6 thread was must-read content for any Celtic or anti-Laker fan.