Sports Team Apparel - Fan or Fashion Statement?

[Robbie]

I guess one aspect that distinguishes hockey team uniforms from other sports team uniforms is that most hockey uniforms predominantly display the team logo in the front and centre of the jersey. I think the only NHL team that does not display their logo on the front of their uniform is the New York Rangers.

CFL and NFL uniforms must display the player's number on the front, and logos may be limited to just a shoulder patch. NBA and MLB uniforms usually only have the city or team name written on the front, but not the logo. Soccer uniforms also usually limit the logo to a small patch.

[sj-roc]

I guess one aspect that distinguishes hockey team uniforms from other sports team uniforms is that most hockey uniforms predominantly display the team logo in the front and centre of the jersey. I think the only NHL team that does not display their logo on the front of their uniform is the New York Rangers.

I remember the Rangers experimented with their shield logo on front of their jerseys in the late 70s/early 80s but I don't think it went over very well. I think they revived the shield as a 3rd jersey recently.

For me, the main distinction of NHL uniforms is that they usually identify the captain and alternate captains with Cs and As; you generally don't see that in other sports.

[Robbie]

I suppose when it comes to team apparel from North American sports leagues, it's uncertain whether it's a fan or fashion issue. But when it comes to international competition, I'd say it most likely is a fan issue. I haven't really observed one wear sports apparel from a foreign country simply because they like the design of that country's particular uniform. If they do wear that country's particular uniform, it is likely a nationalistic statement.

On the streets of Vancouver, I'd say that when it comes to international hockey team apparel, those of the Canadian national team are by far the most common.



Despite their presence on the Canucks and their success in 2006 with double championships, the Swedish team uniform isn't very popular in Canada.



And although I think the Finnish, Czech, Slovak, and Russian uniforms are kind of cool with their distinct coat of arms, they aren't very popular in Canada either.

[Robbie]

This article states that the most popular sports jersey nowadays is a David Beckham jersey. I'm surprised no NHL jerseys made the top 20 list.

http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/76481/the ... -20-jersey

[CartWheelFan]

I have to admit, I wear my Flames jersey around the lower mainland with pride, and even though I take some heckling, in the end, just about everyone agrees it's a very nice looking jersey. The black C on red just looks awesome. So not only do I get to make the statement that I am supporting my team, I also get the added bonus of my jersey being fashionably acceptable.

[Robbie]

I have to admit, I wear my Flames jersey around the lower mainland with pride, and even though I take some heckling, in the end, just about everyone agrees it's a very nice looking jersey. The black C on red just looks awesome. So not only do I get to make the statement that I am supporting my team, I also get the added bonus of my jersey being fashionably acceptable.

Do you wear your Flames jersey to Lions games?

And in your opinion, if at a Lions game against the Stampeders, you see someone wearing a Flames jersey, would you interpret that as the person supporting the Stampeders?

[CartWheelFan]

I have to admit, I wear my Flames jersey around the lower mainland with pride, and even though I take some heckling, in the end, just about everyone agrees it's a very nice looking jersey. The black C on red just looks awesome. So not only do I get to make the statement that I am supporting my team, I also get the added bonus of my jersey being fashionably acceptable.

Do you wear your Flames jersey to Lions games?

And in your opinion, if at a Lions game against the Stampeders, you see someone wearing a Flames jersey, would you interpret that as the person supporting the Stampeders?

Nope, I only wear my Flames jersey on Flames game days, to games when the Flames play at GM Place and to the pub when they play in Calgary. I wear my Lions #82 jersey and Lions hat to Lions games. I can't speak for another person, but to me wearing my Flames jersey means I'm a Flames fan, I generally wouldn't wear a hockey jersey to a football game. I would just think that person was a Flames fan, who went to the wrong stadium :lol:

[Leoninus]

At times sports apparel is definitely being worn as fashion, while at times it's obvious that it's being worn in support of the team.

I live in Saskatoon, and see a great many people sporting Riders gear. This is obviously Rider pride at work, because the Riders are the local team and because they (along with all their CFL counterparts) are not a fashionable team; their apparel is not worn by celebrities in the sports and entertainment world (i.e. you'll often see an NBA star or movie star wearing Yankees caps).

After the White Sox won their pennant, all of a sudden it seemed like everyone was wearing a White Sox hat, and it's become a fashion statement, as the Sox hats come in all the trendiest styles with the loud patterns that are the current fashion. There is absolutely no way there are hundreds of White Sox fans all over Saskatchewan!

Personally, I won't wear the logo of a team I don't support. I know that many people do, but I can't understand it. At the same time, the team needs to do more than slap their logo on a poorly designed shirt or jersey (NHL/RBK I mean you :x ). It's nice when fans of a team have reasonably fashionable clothing/accessories to choose from.

[Robbie]

Hi Leoninus, welcome to this board!

Thanks for your message. Since you are from Saskatoon, I'm hoping you can speak for everyone in that city regarding sports team apparel. Since the Roughriders are the only professional team based in the province of Saskatchewan (Regina), I think it's fair to say that sports team apparel of teams that are not based in Saskatchewan can only be work as a fashion statement. A few questions about sports team apparel in Saskatoon:

1. Is Saskatoon Blades apparel popular? In that case, it's obviously a fan statement.
2. What is the most popular NHL jersey?
3. What is the most popular NBA team apparel?
4. What is the most popular NFL team apparel?
5. You already mentioned the Chicago White Sox. What other MLB team apparel is popular?

[chimpy]

you do not see a lot of people wearing lions gear around town unless it is a playoff game or lions are in the grey cup. but it is also the same with the canucks unless it is playoff time you do not see many jerseys worn at all.

I think if there is a huge name behind the jersey people will were it, all over the world.

but when the lions are play at bc place they are everywere of corse. i think more than canuck games , of course there are also 15,000 more people at lions games too.

[Blue In BC]

If you see someone wearing a 'flying V' or "spaghetti bowl' logo Canucks jersey, you can be pretty sure it's because he's a fan... the only fashion statement those make is "Blind man walking!"

I wear those on dates.

Dates are over for you young lady. Now you have a serious relationship.

[Leoninus]

1. Is Saskatoon Blades apparel popular? In that case, it's obviously a fan statement.
2. What is the most popular NHL jersey?
3. What is the most popular NBA team apparel?
4. What is the most popular NFL team apparel?
5. You already mentioned the Chicago White Sox. What other MLB team apparel is popular?

1.Blades gear isn't very popular at all, but then neither are the Blades. Blades games don't draw very strong crowds as a rule, and hockey fans here generally concentrate on their favorite NHL team or teams.
2. I don't see too many jerseys, but there's quite a bit of fan apparel, and the most popular teams are the Canucks, Flames, and Oilers, followed by probably the Leafs and Red Wings.
3. I don't see much NBA gear at all around the U of S campus and at the pubs where I work/hang out, but I know basketball is popular in certain areas. I'd guess that without regional loyalties, basketball fans buy whatever team and player jerseys are trendy at any given time.
4. There are no real NFL trends here that I can really put my finger on. It's a big CFL town, and even some of the people who insist that the NFL is a better league make an effort to support the Riders.
5. I probably see more Blue Jays gear than any other single team (aside from the White Sox fashion thing which drives me crazy, as someone who has been to games in their park and wears my Sox hat to support the TEAM), but in general MLB is not that popular here, even though everyone plays baseball and softball in the summers.

[No Ordinary Joe]

It has always annoyed me to see people wearing sports gear because it's fashionable. To me, unless you're a fan of the team than you should refrain from wearing it. The only time I would ever make an exception is if you get a jersey because you're a fan of the player. For instance, I'm a fairly big fan of the USC Trojans, I'm not however a fan of the New Orleans Saints but I do still like Reggie Bush for obvious reasons. A Bush jersey in on my list of things to get, not because I like the Saints, but because I followed Bush's college career while he was with the Trojans. In most cases though, when I sport a jersey or a hate of a certain team, it's because I cheer for them.

[CatsEyes]

purrfect example of that NOJ. Saturday, guy comes in with his mom for dinner. He's wearing a Lions cap, so I say to him "Guess you're pretty happy with the game yesterday" (that would have been the Bombers game) He looks at me like I just materialized in a space capsule. "Huh?" OK, maybe he didn't hear me. "Guess you must be pretty happy with game yesterday!" Nothing. I point at his hat. He takes it off, looks at it, puts it back on, and says "Did they win?" :lol: I shake my head and walk away. Later on that evening, I see a guy come in with his family, and he's wearing a Stamps hat. I think "Should I bother asking?" I decide the hell with it and ask him if he's looking forward to the Stamps/Riders game on Monday. I steel myself for the vacant look. Surprisingly, he actually KNEW he was wearing a Stamps hat, and also knew there was a game coming up, as well as some history of the team. Moral here? Nothing really. I guess I presumed that because I am aware of the gear I wear, and most of the fans I know are aware of the gear they wear, that everyone is. Not so apparently!

[David]

General rule of thumb: 90% of people wearing a NY Yankee hat can't name a single player. 100% of people wearing colored Yankee hat as a fashion statement couldn't even tell you what sport they play.

DH 8)