Kansas Jayhawks football: Will there be a blackout in the Booth this week?

The Kansas Jayhawks will don black jerseys for the first time since 2012. But with it not being a traditional school color, can Kansas football fans blackout the Booth this week?

Kansas football released some new-look threads earlier this week ahead of the crucial matchup between the Kansas Jayhawks and Illinois Fighting Illini. But unlike uniforms in the past, these jerseys feature a color that isn’t typically associated with the University of Kansas.

That’s right — Kansas is wearing black jerseys tonight. It is the first time they will wear black since 2012, though this combination is far more appealing to the eye.

Wearing black is not something Kansas has done often in the past. After all, the school’s alma mater song is titled ‘Crimson and the Blue.’ And to take things up a notch, Kansas football players are promoting the Jayhawk faithful to ‘Blackout the Booth’ against Illinois, signifying that they want everyone in the crowd to get on board with sporting a dark color.

Head coach Lance Leipold mentioned that Kenny Logan Jr. himself was the man who suggested black uniforms in the first place.

Players love the brand switch-up. Recruits do, too. But calling for a stadium blackout less than seven days before the contest seems like a far-fetched goal.

In the past, it’d be considered a win if the fans just showed up. The Booth was less than 90% filled for the team’s first game of 2023 following the program’s most successful season in 15 years.

The KU Athletics social media page announced black rally towels will be handed out to the first 10,000 fans through the gates. Additionally, the first 5,000 students attending the showdown will receive a ‘Blackhawk’ shirt.

Although it is great to see them encouraging the blackout, that makes up a small portion of fans at the game. Most fans don’t own Jayhawk gear in black because they probably never needed it in the past.

Ultimately, we don’t know how many people are willing to buy a Blackhawk shirt they’ll likely never take out of their closet again. If they really wanted a total blackout, at least give shirts and towels to half of the stadium’s capacity. There will still be 40,000 patrons deciding whether or not to make the purchase. Not to sound pessimistic, but I think Kansas football players and fans will be a bit disappointed at the turnout of attendees who wear black.

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