I am a big fan of a good sports jerseys. A good jersey makes a team look just a little bit more put-together. A bad jersey makes a team look that much sillier when they make a mistake.

Of course, sometimes on-field success really makes a jersey “iconic” – like how the early 2000s Toronto Raptors jerseys are beloved by fraternity brothers far and wide because of Vince Carter’s earth-shattering performance in the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest, or the Yankees pinstripe has become a canonically classic jersey more because of the team’s perennial success than the stripes actually looking that good. But a good jersey often can simply stand alone.

And good sports jerseys are not limited to the pros: our own Washington University Bears have a number of really choice uniforms. I would like to think that I have developed a pretty well-rounded opinion of the sartorial choices of the various Wash. U. teams over the course of my career as a sports reporter and editor, so briefly presented are four of my favorites. This is far from a comprehensive list; it’s just the four Washington University jerseys that I think are the cleanest and best looking.

Women’s basketball home

These narrowly defeated the men’s basketball home jerseys for the fourth spot on the list. They are both classic white basketball jerseys; I just think that there are some subtle touches to the women’s jersey that push it over the top.

I like the full “Washington University” on the front; I think the red letters are really clean and classic. I also really like the little green and red accents and the little Bear logo on the shorts and the back of the shirt.

Overall, it’s a very classic basketball jersey with some nice modern touches. Also in the “success makes a good jersey better” paradigm, the women’s basketball team made it to the Elite Eight this year, which counts for something.

Football home

For a team that is unofficially called the “Red and Green,” very few Wash. U. squads consistently actually play in red or green at home, generally opting for white when they are on the Danforth Campus. Most teams have perfectly good white jerseys, but there’s something to be said for a strong red jersey, and I think the jersey that the football team played most of their home games in this year is just that.

It is a nice shade of red, which is bright in the sun but not overwhelmingly fluorescent or obnoxious like an Oregon jersey. Not strictly part of the rankings, but I do quite like the choice to use the bear logo as the helmet decal.

Overall, it’s a very enjoyable football jersey.

Women’s soccer home

This is probably the best example at Wash. U. of success fueling how good the jersey is. The women’s soccer team is, of course, a powerhouse that won every single game of the 2018 season until the Final Four, and they did much of that winning in their very crisp white jerseys.

A couple things of note here: First of all, the numbers on the front of the jersey are in the upper left, and the “Washington U.” is in the center, which is the opposite of how things normally are, and it’s a choice I like. That logo doesn’t look quite as good when it is shrunk down, and it looks pretty good blown up.

Other than that it’s a pretty unremarkable jersey, but I personally love a classic soccer jersey, and I think these are the best jerseys currently in the rotation for either the men’s or the women’s soccer teams.

Baseball home

I think these are the best jerseys of any Wash. U. sports team. Overall, I think it hits all of the notes that a good baseball jersey should. The script “Washington” looks great and the “St. Louis” underneath means that it doesn’t look too floaty by itself across the chest. I also quite like the number placement.

I don’t really have an opinion on the pants or the belt, though I do always find it kind of amusing that baseball is a sport that you play in pants and a belt. If I could change one thing about the uniform it would be the simple “W” on the hat, which I think could be something a little bit more creative, but this is a bit nitpicky of what is overall a really excellent ensemble.