By: Amanda Lecky

Gain inspiration from the use of color throughout history in sports.

There’s color inspiration to be found balancing on beams and leaping every hurdle in athletic events. From the gold medals to the athletes’ uniforms, the use of color throughout sports history is a mosaic of enticing hues. Here are some surprising facts about color in sports history that will help inspire winning design ideas:

1. Medals weren’t always gold, silver and bronze.

In fact, at first, there were no medals at all: Winners of the ancient games were presented with an olive wreath, in honor of the god Zeus. The first modern games, held in 1896 in Athens, Greece, kicked things up a notch. The winner still got an olive branch — plus a silver medal; second place received a laurel branch and a copper medal; and third place got laurel and bronze. Gold, silver and bronze medals were only awarded in 1904, when the U.S. was a host city of the games for the first time.

2. Red wins gold.

When two opponents are equally matched, the one dressed in red is more likely to prevail, according to a study published in the journal Nature. British anthropologists Russell Hill and Robert Barton of the University of Durham based their findings for the study on the outcomes of the 2004 games in Athens, Greece. “Where there was a large point difference — presumably because one contestant was far superior to the other — color had no effect on the outcome,” Barton said. “Where there was a small point difference, the effect of color was sufficient to tip the balance.” The occurrence of red wins was frequent enough that it could not be attributed to chance, Hill and Barton say. Go for a splash of winning red in your next project with one of these shades, from lively to luxe to oh-so-livable:

3. Rio — the 2016 host city— and the U.S. share three colors in common.

Although the colors of the Brazilian flag are green, yellow, blue and white, the flag for the city of Rio de Janeiro is red, white and blue, just like the American flag. Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, explained the origins of the American flag’s tri-color combo: "White signifies purity and innocence; red, hardiness and valour; and blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice."

4. Locker room and exercise room colors matter.

In athletic training facilities, a lot of thought goes into which color the rooms should be. Experts have found that bright colors increase heart rates and breathing, which is why red and orange make great colors for cardio-heavy rooms. Blue, associated with productivity, has been found to help people lift more weight in weight-focused rooms.

On the same note, home team locker rooms are generally painted a mix of bright colors and blues to get athletes’ in a competitive mindset, while other design elements may include natural features like wood or neutral colors to give athletes a space to rest and recoup. On the other hand, visitor locker rooms are sometimes painted strategically for a home team advantage. For instance, certain football stadiums have painted their visitor locker rooms pink, which is thought to put athletes in a passive mood…right before they are supposed to be amped up for the big game.

Sources:
1. Why are Olympic medals gold, silver and bronze? (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2016, from http://www.columbiatribune.com/editorial_archive/why-are-olympic-medals-gold-silver-and-bronze/article_52cf89e2-93f8-11e3-b7cf-10604b9f6eda.html
2. In Sports, Red Is Winning Color, Study Says. (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2016, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/05/0518_050518_redsports.html
3. USFlag.org: A website dedicated to the Flag of the United States of America - What do the colors of the Flag mean? (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2016, from http://www.usflag.org/colors.html
4. Flag of Rio de Janeiro. (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Rio_de_Janeiro
5. Locker Room Design Details. Retrieved July 22, 2016 from http://www.athleticbusiness.com/locker-room/locker-room-design-details.html