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Writer's pictureCaine Novak

Ranking the 2022 AUDL Jerseys


Three jerseys with rankings below each.

Looking for our ranking of the updated 2024 UFA jerseys? Check out our tier list here!


Yes, the New York Empire won the championship. Yes, the New York Empire was the number one team in practically every category. Yes, I’m heartbroken that the Wind Chill lost to Chicago again. But you know what really matters? Who looked the best playing ultimate this season. In 2022, the AUDL saw a few teams added, and a few teams rebranded. Which means it’s time to discuss AUDL jersey rankings. Considering most ultimate teams follow the pattern of Home = dark color and Away = white, I’ve also added a few opinions and ideas that could give some variety to the mundane pattern the league has developed.


A few ground rules: I’m rating the front of the jerseys out of 10, and also how likely I would be to buy it or what conditions there would need to be for me to buy it. Despite the recent news of Tampa Bay and Ottawa being dissolved from the league, I am still honoring their time served in the AUDL, and am looking forward to seeing what Houston’s jersey will look like. We will start at jerseys that rank in the 0/10 category and work our way up to the 10/10 AUDL jerseys.


I worked as a men's fashion consultant for over two years, so obviously all my AUDL jersey rankings will obviously be 100% accurate. Any disagreements can be sent to my Venmo, @Caine13.


Let’s begin ranking the AUDL jerseys, from worst to best, and focus on what really matters.


AUDL Jersey Rankings: 0/10


Pittsburgh Thunderbirds - Away

Coming in dead last, I have the away jerseys for the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds. As a Wind Chill fan, I’ve seen the visiting Thunderbirds rock these jerseys in person and can attest to the fact that they really just look like plain white t-shirts. Good for a band name, bad for a sports uniform. They could have such a cool looking logo and design if they leaned into the lightning theme more and weren’t afraid to do something unique like put an actual thunderbird on the jersey. Unfortunately, they don’t do anything. I spilled lemonade on my white t-shirt once and it looked better than this. I wouldn’t buy this jersey even if you threatened to electrocute me. 0/10.


AUDL Jersey Rankings: 1/10


Pittsburgh Thunderbirds - Home; San Diego Growlers - Home; Portland Nitro - Home


In a very similar vein, we have the next three jerseys which I’m ranking together because they’re practically identical. Whoever designed these definitely took the phrase “everyone looks good in black” to heart.


The only reason I like these Pittsburgh jerseys more than their away ones is because I just think black generally looks cooler for clothes, and these shirts have a subtle feather pattern.


The San Diego Growlers jersey is slightly better, but mostly because their logo is slightly cooler than the word “Pittsburgh.” If the logo and accents were in the crimson color that the Growlers have on some of their merch, this jersey would be so much cooler.


I will say, the Portland Nitro jersey does have a unique aspect amongst these jerseys, in that a map of Portland’s streets is imposed under the name. Unfortunately, they chose to print this in black as well, meaning anyone not looking closely at every AUDL jersey would completely miss this. Several other teams go for a similar design (which I am hereby going to refer to as “street print”), and they execute it much more effectively.


I would actively avoid buying these even if I was a fan of the teams. All of these earn a 1/10.


AUDL Jersey Rankings: 2/10


San Diego Growlers - Away

Next up is the… yeah the Growlers again. The black-on-white contrast makes these exactly 1/10 better than the previous ones. Again, leaning into the red color the Growlers have could have really enhanced this and given it some more personality. Still wouldn’t buy, but not as violent a no as the previous ones. 2/10.


Chicago Union - Away

It brings me great joy putting the Chicago Union down in any way that I can. Unfortunately they’re just a better team than I’d like to admit. However, their away jerseys are lackluster enough to get a low rating. After observing all these jerseys for more hours than I’d like to admit, I finally pieced it together that the weird “Y” shaped thing across their chest is supposed to be a windmill, because they’re from the windy city. I think. Because it’s not obvious to me what it’s supposed to be, I don’t like it. I’m not sure why Chicago rebranded from the Wildfire, but in doing so they severely limited their usable colors. The Union, like so many others, fell into the trap of a basic and simple white away jersey. I wouldn’t buy a Union jersey on principle, but especially not this one. 2/10.


AUDL Jersey Rankings: 3/10


Salt Lake Shred - Home

The Salt Lake Shred impressed the league this year with how crazy good they were. Unfortunately, I am not impressed at the lazy home jerseys they came up with. This is slightly better than a plain black shirt, because the yellow and blue contrast beautifully, and I like the asymmetry of the logo. I wish they’d lean more into the blue color as the body, or just enlarge the logo so it fills the shirt more and doesn’t sit like Ironman’s arc reactor. If Jordan Kerr signed one, I’d get it. 3/10.


Austin Sol - Away

The Austin Sol have one of the worst jerseys, and one of the best. Their away jersey is unfortunately the lesser of the two. With a name like “Sol” you’d assume the team would embrace the color scheme of oranges and yellow, instead of relying on a shirt that’s 90% white. I’d buy this if I were a collector and liked wasted potential. 3/10.


Montreal Royal - Away

Hey look, it’s the Sol Jersey with a different shade of blue! I think this blue looks a little nicer, and the team name across the chest makes the Montreal Royal edge out the Sol. Not by much though. Maybe if I wanted some mediocre looking clothes to wear around, I’d get this. 3/10.


Indianapolis AlleyCats - Home

Similarly, the Indianapolis AlleyCats fall short in producing a home jersey that I really enjoy. Some would argue that the “Naptown” on the front adds some character, to which I would respond that they chose gray as their main color— possibly the most droll color on the planet— when they have access to that lovely green. If they switched the accent color and body color around, these could be some of the coolest jerseys in the league. Wouldn’t buy one unless I was from Indianapolis and loved naps. 3/10.


Chicago Union - Home

Ah, Chicago. This is a blue shirt that says “Union” on it. I know you can see that, but I hope by saying it out loud you’ll come to agree with me that it’s incredibly lame. Yeah sure, blue is better than a basic white or black, but not much better. Whereas the Sol is this low because they have wasted potential, the Chicago home jerseys are this low because it seems they’ve reached their potential. I’m not even sure how they could fix their jerseys. Whoever thought of rebranding away from the Wildfire made a grave mistake. Again, not gonna own a Chicago jersey. 3/10.


AUDL Jersey Rankings: 4/10


Indianapolis Alleycats - Away

Green is a severely underutilized color in all sports. Hardly any professional teams have it anywhere in their branding, and when they do it’s always used incredibly sparingly. Increase the color, and Indy’s away jerseys have great potential to make them stand out on the visiting fields they play on. Plus, built in grass stain protection. But as it stands, their away jerseys rely on a unique logo and the accent color to carry them this high on the list. When Cameron Brock retires, I’ll buy that one. 4/10.


Ottawa Outlaws - Away

Copy and paste everything I said about the color green in the section above. The Ottawa Outlaws give us the smallest taste of how cool a green jersey could look with the right design. I truly believe if they had done the pattern all the way up the torso of the shirt, this would be one of the most unique and eye-catching looks in the league. Instead, they decided to give exactly enough color to keep us complacent. Big fan of green, but Ottawa would have to be good (and playing in 2023), and I’d have to be a die hard fan to buy this jersey. 4/10.


New York Empire - Away

Don’t check your eyes, I really put New York this low. Don’t worry, they’re number one at literally everything else they do. My hot take, this away jersey looks kind of stupid. It almost feels as if they’re trying to play off the success of the New York Yankees, which comes off as if the Empire is the little brother trying to piggyback off the coolness of the older brother. It doesn’t look horrible, and it’s certainly unique in the AUDL, I’m just not sure that’s a good thing. This could be cool to own if I was one of those people who makes living in New York their personality. 4/10.


Oakland Spiders - Away

I’m not sure who designed the jerseys for this team, but whoever it was needs to be reminded of the one thing spiders do— build webs. The Oakland Spiders jersey could be a giant spider web, with their logo being more dynamic and showing some movement, or even be creating the web on the jersey. They even have the easiest cheat code because they wouldn’t need to use color to get the point across! I wouldn’t care that this jersey is 80% white if it had the design that the team is literally branded to have. Ball dropped, big time. Luckily the gradient is cool and the logo is sick. I’m a fan of the potential, so I’d buy one to show my kids what it used to look like. 4/10.


Atlanta Hustle - Blackout

This jersey is cool but not for its design. I’m aware it’s all black (it is called the “Blackout” jersey after all). I’m putting it this high because it was worn in Atlanta’s game on Juneteenth in 2022, and that is awesome. Special jerseys for special events or themes have a special place in my heart, because they usually have a more unique design. Unfortunately, this one didn’t/couldn’t do much more with its design. I’d buy one for sure if I were an Atlanta fan or if I knew the proceeds were going directly to Black-owned businesses. Sadly I’m not ranking social impact. 4/10.


Portland Nitro - Away

I’m not sure why all these teams are so afraid of letting their jerseys be colorful or fun. The Nitro use some peach colors here, which are a complete contrast to their home jerseys. And that’s awesome! But they don’t lean into it at all. They give us an asymmetrical gradient which is just enough to make them unique, but not enough to make anyone super excited. If I had a weird obsession with peach, I’d get one. 4/10.


AUDL Jersey Rankings: 5/10


Montreal Royal - Home

A lot of the AUDL jerseys suffer from the same thing. They’re just lackluster. Not ugly, not boring, and not obviously missing their potential, like the jerseys in 0-4/10. The jerseys in the 5/10 section are really all interchangeable. Of all the 5/10s, Montreal just hits the least hard for me. I wish they brought in some more of the orange across the torso. Insert some joke about Canada, and then I’ll buy it. 5/10.


Detroit Mechanix - Away

Would you look at that, the Detroit Mechanix aren’t in last! Jokes aside, I think this particular jersey is the definition of mid. Tops like Ottawa’s away jersey give us a taste of what the potential could be, and leave us wanting more. This jersey gives us exactly enough to be satisfied, but not thrilled. The asymmetrical lines are cool, but not crazy. The color of the logo linking back to the line is a nice little detail that keeps this looking cohesive. I will say, it certainly looks uniform and almost mechanical, which fits their name and branding super well. Unfortunately there’s too much white space to make these stand out. No one is looking forward to the Detroit away games to see these in action. Considering no one else is buying one, I probably shouldn’t either. 5/10.


Madison Radicals - Away

Lightning bolts are universally cool. The oversized one across the shoulder on this jersey is hard carrying Madison here. I’m not even sure what they could do to make it better, but if they did something crazy, something eccentric, something… radical even, then I’d get one. 5/10.


Montreal Royal - Alternate

Orange! Heck yeah, not black or white! But… that’s it. Just orange. The contrasting blue underneath is a great start, but it isn’t bold enough to land itself a place higher on the list, or in my closet. Make it have a more defined or dramatic contrast, and we’d be in business. 5/10.


Tampa Bay - Away


Tampa Bay’s away jerseys surprised me. When I first saw them while compiling this list, I thought for sure they’d end up at the bottom. But honestly the little bit of color across the waist and around the arms give this jersey just enough to keep me happy. The team name across the chest is simple but still looks good with the color on it. It’d be super interesting to see the stripes go all the way up the torso. That’ll never happen now that the team is defunct, so unfortunately I’ll never be buying one of these. 5/10.


Tampa Bay - Home


Street Print makes its first return on this list! Tampa Bay does it a little better than Portland, making the streets a lighter gray shade. Plus, they have the accent colors on the sleeves. If the Cannons made the streets on the shirt the same yellow color as the sleeves, or just a brighter contrast in general, it would make the jersey so much more interesting to look at, and I’d grab one. 5/10.


Ottawa - Home

Somehow just putting the green highlight on the black background makes these jerseys that much cooler. Again, I wish they continued the pattern all the way up. Even without it though, a nighttime game with these would look sick. Once I move to Canada and join this team, I’ll get one. 5/10.


AUDL Jersey Rankings: 6/10


Colorado Summit - Home


All the Growlers have to do to make their jerseys better is copy the Summit and introduce the red color. Such a simple dual tone design, that provides perfect contrast. Replace the “StarBuds” with the team logo, and I’d snatch this up like it’s a fresh brownie. 6/10.


Boston Glory - Away


Bold. Simple. Effective. The waist on Boston’s jersey is unique, but doesn’t ruin everything they got going on on the chest and sleeves. Red, white and blue is a tried and true color scheme in this country, and I think they use it really well. Switch the blue and white, or the red and white, and this would be a gnarly shirt. I’m not sure how they’d do it, but if this felt less like a hockey jersey, I’d get it. 6/10.


Carolina Flyers - Away


Despite being gray, I’m kind of digging this jersey. Overall, the pattern is unique and fits the team name. The blue sleeves and waist leave a little to be desired. Switch the white accents in the stomach area to be blue, and this would be top 5 jerseys. As soon as I get my pilot’s license, I’m buying this. 6/10.


Colorado Summit - Away

Similar to the Boston away jerseys, Colorado uses red white and blue pretty effectively. I’m a big fan of the gradient, and the accent lines coming down from the neck across the collar. I wish they had the logo or name a little bit bigger in the chest, so there wasn’t so much empty space. If I were as faded as the blue gets, I’d snag one. 6/10.


Toronto Rush - Away

Lots of white space, but the angular red stripe matches the design of the logo and that looks dope. If they added some more to the collar area, it’d make this jersey look much more complete. I have a friend who lives in Toronto, so maybe I’ll buy one for him. 6/10.


Dallas Legion - Home

Look, I’m not sure what exactly I enjoy so much about this jersey. I think the Legion’s logo is the tackiest in the league, and their name rivals “The Union” for lamest. But this jersey is pretty decent. The yellow on black provides nice contrast, and the actual design is honestly pretty cool. Get me a lion, a sword, and a shield, and I’d be more willing to grab one of these. 6/10.


Salt Lake Shred - Away

I wish this exact design was on the Shred’s home jersey. It’s a great design, and doesn’t leave a ton of open space. I even like the one sleeve having the blue band around it. It could do with something around the waist, but something simple like a bar of the orange color. Seriously, imagine this design on black. Make this jersey black and I’ll buy one, please. 6/10.


New York Empire - Home



New York really has to do better with their jerseys. They’re like, the team in ultimate. All they’d have to do is change the letters and numbers to be green, and this jersey would pop that much more. I also wish they’d embrace the “empire” aspect of their team more, and try putting that logo on a more prominent spot. If they give Minnesota Ben Jagt back, I’ll buy a jersey. 6/10.


Dallas Legion - Away



Hear me out. This jersey looks athletic. The way the yellow comes back up on the sides makes this look more trimmed. The pattern across it is subtle, but still noticeable. I’m not the biggest fan of yellow on white, so this couldn’t score any higher. Change the team back to the Roughnecks and give these out for free, I’ll take one. 6/10.


Detroit Mechanix - Home



Just switching from white to black makes this jersey so much cooler. This is one of the few teams that uses the same design twice, and it definitely looks better on black. If Detroit wins a playoff game, I’ll buy one. 6/10.


Minnesota Wind Chill - Home



It’s simple, yes. But similar to Colorado’s, simple is effective. The blue on black was a risky color choice that paid off super well. Plus, the logo takes up a decent amount of the chest, not leaving a ton of unused space. I want more than anything for them to put the forest silhouette across the waist, like they have on the Wind Chill away jerseys. Do that and… wait I already have one of these. 6/10.


Oakland Spiders - Home



Okay imagine this jersey, but with a freaking spider web on it. Make it all yellow, with a giant web going across, and the spider logo crawling on it. Oakland, you can send the check (and a free jersey with the new design) to my home address. 6/10.


AUDL Jersey Rankings: 7/10


Atlanta Hustle - Away



Paint splatter is the single most unique design among AUDL jerseys. It’s a great color combo that literally no other team has. Spatter the design across the top right shoulder, and this is instantly top five in the league and I’m getting one just for how unique it is. 7/10.


Boston Glory - Home



Alright, Boston’s home jerseys are sick. Not a ton of color, but the Street Print works super well with Boston. Similar to before, I wish they increased the contrast. If the map was red like the accents, it would make this jersey pop like no other. Plus, it doesn’t look like a hockey jersey. If I ever have a tea party to go to, I’d get this jersey. 7/10.


Chicago Union- Alternate



Why don’t they wear these?? If Chicago showed up in baby blue jerseys, I’d cry. No matter what the score is, baby blues win. Of course, Chicago missed the opportunity to make any contrast, so the white words, logo, and numbers all just look lackluster. Put those as their dark blue and this would be a jersey I might begrudgingly get if the Wind Chill ever disbanded. Just kidding, I’d never buy a Chicago jersey. #letsgochill 7/10.


DC Breeze - Away



Asymmetry is a great way to make a unique style jersey. Again, this is a super simple design. I personally think it’s super effective. Personally, there’s only one way to make this better, but we’ll get to that later. I’m actually a pretty big fan of the Breeze, so I’d get this if I were a better fan and also had money to spend. My Venmo should be linked somewhere on this website. 7/10.


Minnesota Wind Chill - Away



As you can probably tell, I’m a Wind Chill fan. Hopefully no one thinks this is too high. Personally, I think the blue on white is a beautiful color combo. The logo takes up enough space, and the forest silhouette is a great way to add some personality. It’s great as is, but could you imagine if there was a subtle background pattern of snowflakes on the white part?? I’m getting this jersey next year no matter what. 7/10.


Los Angeles Aviators - Away


This is what I mean by leaning into the branding. There is an airplane on this jersey. It’s unique, it’s fun, and it looks sick. The only thing holding it back is the fact that it’s mostly white. But they’ve even negated that a bit by using a gray accent. If the lines were red, this would be up a few spots for sure. 7/10.


Philadelphia Phoenix - Away



Orange once again. Yes, I still think it’s underutilized, but this is much better. If the little pattern went across the whole torso, it’d be much more interesting to look at. But honestly I think this jersey is a bit underrated, and it certainly stands out because of the color. Call me Dumbledore and I’ll get one. 7/10.


Seattle Cascades - Home


This jersey perfectly captures the Duality of Man. Utilizing light and dark blue just fits the name “Cascades” so well. If this color scheme had the logo as their away jerseys, or the little lines on the shoulders and stomach were gray, it’d be top three no contest. If I were a Seattle fan and loved Sweden, I’d buy one. 7/10.


Atlanta Hustle - Home



Imagine this jersey, but with the paint splatter pattern instead of the black and orange stripes on the bottom. Even without that, this is one of coolest the jerseys in the league. Purple and orange are a great contrast, and the black keeps it looking dark and sleek. If I lived in Atlanta, this is the one I’d get for sure. 7/10.


AUDL Jersey Rankings: 8/10


Austin Sol - Home



Very similar to the Hustle’s home jerseys, the Sol’s home jerseys just hit the nail on the head color-wise. The logo on the chest breaking up the lines looks sick, and the lines themselves break up the textured orange beautifully. It stands out in a league of largely monochromatic jerseys. I’m not sure why the neck is white and not purple. Change that and give us blue arm bands, and I’m buying this jersey because it’s so bright and unique. 8/10.


Detroit Mechanix - Memorial Jersey



I’m not sure why the Mechanix don’t use this jersey as their home jersey. Or at least this design. The detailing on the sleeve is awesome, and adds that extra flair that the previous two Detroit jerseys were missing. If they don’t want the words as the under pattern, they could just put the gear design instead. Plus, it would be a great way to honor the players who passed away that this jersey was specifically designed for. This jersey is practically perfect. If I lived in Detroit this would be the jersey I get as a way to support my team and those we lost. 8/10.


Madison Radicals - Home



It’s hard to find what I dislike with these higher placed jerseys, which makes coming up with jokes a lot harder. It’s just hard to find fault with the contrasting blue and yellow, and the iconic lighting bolt. With Madison’s home jersey, I think it’s missing some more yellow. If we had a yellow waist piece, and the collar was yellow, I’d probably get this. The Madison v Minnesota games are always fun and I wouldn’t mind supporting them as a second place team in the Central Division. 8/10.


Toronto Rush - Home



Perfect example of a jersey being mostly one color, but still being near perfect. If I saw someone wearing this, I would assume they could kick my butt both on and off the field. Black and red is such a classic color scheme, and they use the angular design really well. I think it could use something near the collar though. 8/10.


Tampa Bay Cannons - Heritage



Wow, these jerseys are gorgeous. They pay homage to Tampa Bay’s diversity and emphasize being proud of their heritage, which is awesome. Jerseys like this remind me that ultimate is a diverse, fun, and inclusive community. I love that the Cannons embrace that and channel it into their designs. I wish more teams did something unique like this, and got further from the more traditional looking sports jerseys. The one thing I’ll say is that I think Tampa could have done more. The black part of the jersey has the design continued, but not the color. Imagine that color and pattern as a full jersey. I’d buy it in a heartbeat. And then I’d move to Tampa. 8/10.


Seattle Cascades - Away


Oh how I wish it was the blue and blue color scheme of before. Even so, I just adore this dual color background. Plus, the Yeti logo is probably the coolest (pun intended) in the league right now. The lines going over the shoulders and down the back, then around the core just makes this feel like a sleek design. If I ever hunt a yeti, I’m wearing this. 8/10.


AUDL Jersey Rankings: 9/10


Philadelphia Phoenix - Home



Watching a Phoenix game is sometimes disorienting because of these jerseys. It’s wonderful. The orange stands out against whoever they’re playing, and it fits the brand of “Phoenix” incredibly well. If the design was a more obvious fire or feather, this would be a 10/10 and I’d buy one. 9/10.


Carolina Flyers - Home



Everything the Flyer’s away jerseys do wrong, the home jerseys do right. The accent color of the pattern is perfect, and the red on the waist and sleeves could only be improved if the collar was red. It’s an elite looking jersey, no questions about that. The design makes it look like the players could take off and start flying at any second. And considering the vertical ability of their players, I wouldn’t be surprised if this jersey actually granted flight. Wait, does it? Cause if it does then you know I’m getting one. 9/10.


Los Angeles Aviators - Home


Black and red is literally one of the best color combos in the world, and the Aviators use it perfectly here. The design is subtle but noticeable. It’s unique and leans into the branding of the team name. Even the subtle black pattern continuing on the sleeve adds to this jersey. I’m perpetually tempted to get one of these, and I will if Honey decides to work and give me a discount. 9/10.


AUDL Jersey Rankings: 10/10


DC Breeze - Home



I feel like I should stand and salute when I see these jerseys. The asymmetry is perfect. Once again DC utilizes the red, white, and blue color scheme, which fits the patriotic vibe of being from the Nation’s capital. The one white sleeve is a great touch, giving these just enough personality. There are currently 15 of these sent via express to my house because I cannot get them fast enough. 10/10.


These Jerseys, Coming to a Stadium Near You


I know my AUDL jersey rankings were just about perfect. Sure, we had some laughs along the way, and we all learned a little bit about fashion. But at the end of the day, we’re all just looking forward to seeing these jerseys in action, right? I’d love to hear your thoughts and compliments about what I got right and, well, that’s it, right?


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