True American Pride - Real Things to Celebrate About This Nation (#8)
An iconic piece of American fashion
“Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn." ~ Orson Welles
Day 8 of my true American Pride celebration this month. Today I'm celebrating the baseball cap. Classic American style. If you ever travel overseas, it is the one thing that distinguishes Americans from anyone else in the world. As you can see, I am kinda a big fan of baseball caps. Have a few of them.
My hats (Spring 2024) - and Izzy watching over them!
Sometime in the late1980's , the cap started to become became the ubiquitous fashion accessory for everyone: practical, easy to wear, could put any message on it; worn by the rich and every common Joe (and Diana)
Most golfers played bare-headed or wore visors. But then in the 1990’s sponsors of golf equipment realized that baseball-style caps were great for advertising! And so “baseball” caps became multi-sport.
And sports sponsors weren’t the only ones to discover the advertising value of that 6 inch space above the bill on baseball caps. They soon became prime territory for messages of all kinds and an easy place for one to show their support not just for a team, but for political causes and notables (as my wife so stylishly demonstrates)
I don't think a day goes by that you won't see me in a cap...and honestly, probably will have worn at least 3 different ones throughout the day, depending on my mood and what I'm doing or wearing. No matter the season or the activity, I’ll have one on.
At the beach in Bandon OR March 2024
Or on a snowy winter walk with little Izzy several years ago…
And to end, some fun facts and trivia about these All-American accoutrements…
The Brooklyn Excelsiors in 1860 were the 1st team to wear what we recognize today as the baseball style cap. Thus, they were called “Brooklyn caps” for a long time.
Baseball caps have become standard issue for many police forces around the world because they are cheap and comfortable. In Finland, it’s illegal to wear a baseball cap unless you’re in law enforcement!
Like most athletes, baseball players have superstitions about how they need to play, prepare, or dress for a game. The most common one is to “properly flatten” or “curve” the cap bill (depending on the mojo desired!)
The legendary Yankee Babe Ruth was famous for placing iced cabbage leaves under his baseball cap to cool his head as he played.
January 15th is “National Hat Day” each year (though you don’t have to wear just baseball caps then!)
So cheers to baseball caps as a unique feature of American fashion and culture.
Guess it’s time to get a new one!