A general view of the Monument to boxer Joe Louis "The Fist" by Robert Graham on August 12, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Paul Marotta/Getty Images)

If there is one thing that is sure to get the attention of Detroit Pistons’ fans, it’s any kind of announcement about new uniforms or merchandise.

Pistons Twitter just about exploded yesterday over some grainy “leak” of next year’s uniforms which will allegedly feature the return of the dreaded teal. I hate to break it to you guys, but those leaks are never really leaks and some random fan on Twitter doesn’t have access to uniforms that haven’t even been chosen or designed yet. Sorry, Teal Crusaders!

But the Pistons did announce the release of a new merchandise line as part of their rollout for Black History Month, which also includes gear honoring Rosa Parks.

The newest merch will celebrate the long history of boxing in the Motor City, specifically heavyweight Joe Louis, whose contributions to the United States extended far beyond the boxing ring.

Here is a sneak peek of the new merchandise line, which comes out today at all of the Pistons’ team stores:

The Pistons will be releasing some new merchandise inspired by Joe Louis. The team with the Louis family and Mitchell & Ness on storytelling, strategy and design for the new merchandise line. pic.twitter.com/wpNRAdFv9Q

— Lauren L. Williams (@WilliamsLaurenL) February 22, 2022

Anyone who has lived in or visited Detroit is surely familiar with “The Fist” statue that acts as a monument to Joe Louis, but younger fans might not know his history.

Louis was hated by Nazis and racists around the world, as the “Brown Bomber” was not only a dominant Black fighter but spoke out against the evils of bigotry.

He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and was undoubtedly one of the most influential Black athletes of all time.

Please, read more about him here, as the man really did live an amazing and admirable life that deserves more attention.

Many of us have been waiting for the Detroit Pistons to shift to city edition uniforms that better represent the city, so hopefully this line of merchandise is the first step towards a boxing or Motown themed city uniform.

They did manage to work some teal into the line (see how much better it works as a complementary color?) but I do think some of the gear is a little too busy for my taste and wish it had a simpler and more powerful message.

But it’s cool that the Pistons are honoring a Detroit legend while giving fans more options for team merchandise.

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