The Phoenix Suns' Jerseys Are a Big Shout-out to the History of Their City
Published July 20 2021, 6:55 p.m. ET
It may not seem like it, but sports teams get a lot of attention for their uniforms and jerseys. Teams go out of their way to make them stand out on TV screens. Bright contrasting colors are almost everywhere, but there are smaller details that people notice and pay attention to.
For the Phoenix Suns, fans have noticed that on the Pixel City Edition of the teams' jerseys, there are bright colors against the black background. And on top of all that, the words "The Valley" are splashed across it. But why do the Suns' jerseys say "The Valley?" It turns out that almost every aspect of the jersey represents something that the team loves and stands for.
Why do the Suns' jerseys say "The Valley?"
According to the team's website, "The Valley" on the jerseys is short for "The Valley of the Sun." That phrase has become a nickname for the Phoenix metropolitan area, which is where the team is based. It was part of a 1930s campaign to bring more people to cities located in the Salt River Valley in order to boost the local economy. But this isn't exclusive to the Pixel City Edition, a number of other Suns jerseys have "The Valley" written on them as well.
The team's website continues to say that the campaign for expansion in the area worked, and the nickname stuck. As a result, professional sports teams were brought to the area, and the Suns became Arizona's "original franchise" in 1968.
To the team, "The Valley" refers to "the heartbeat of the Suns' organization – a community of rooted natives and recent transplants alike, who reside in a diverse collection of cities all united under one name."
What do the other features of the Suns' jerseys represent?
On the Pixel City Edition, "The Valley" on the Suns' jerseys is a big throwback to where the team is from, but what about the colors? The bright purple, orange, and yellow hues on the front are representative of Arizona's Camelback Mountain, as well as of the scenic sunrises and sunsets in the area. But there are even more references to Phoenix on the jerseys.
"PHX," which stands for Phoenix and is also the airport code for the city, is featured on the front of the shorts' waistband. The Suns' jerseys' also have other aspects to them like the suns, seen on both legs of the shorts. These suns and the sunbursts around them represent the support of their fans, the commitment the team has to its home city, and their passion on the court.
The team's website says the overall design of the Pixel City jerseys was inspired by "The Valley's breathtaking scenery" and luckily, the look is no longer just for the players.
Right now, fans can buy their own Pixel City Edition jerseys – as well as other editions of the jerseys, plus hats, shirts, hoodies, sweats, and more – on the team's official store.