An Irrelevant Trend
As you walk down the streets of any highly populated area, you begin to notice commonalities among the strangers that you’re passing by. If you’re in a business district, everyone will look like the Agents from the Matrix – nice suits, prim and proper accessories and really, really ridiculously good looking hair. If you’re in a popular tourist spot, the individuals around you will be holding cameras, looking questionably at maps, or talking to John Law about where the best restaurant is in town…that isn’t a Dunkin Donuts. You get the point.
You don’t have to be a communications major, or even a “people person,” to open your eyes and take a look at what is going on around you. It’s observation, not rocket science. One of the things that I’ve noticed over the past few years is the increasing number of people that I see wearing baseball caps. You know, the things that people wear on their heads to keep the sun out of their eyes? Many of us have actually forgotten what a baseball cap is because of the huge burst in popularity they have received over the past few years. Believe it or not, you don’t see baseball caps worn the most by baseball players, instead, you see them mostly worn by those who are trying to look or act “cool.” Now, here comes the disclaimer…I’m not labeling anyone during this blog, I am simply stating my observational facts. I have no problem with people who dress differently than I or shop at stores that may not be my cup of tea. Don’t label me please, because I’m not labeling anyone else.
When wearing a baseball cap, there is usually a logo on the front of a sports team in which the individual supports or enjoys watching. Most caps that you see are, in fact, labeled with a Major League Baseball team’s logo. I’ve seen people sporting pretty much every team out there, from the Braves to the Blue Jays. Undeniably, the most popular team to place on your head would be the New York Yankees. Why? I don’t know, it just is. Could it be because of their outrageous bank account? Probably not. Could it be because of their 27 World Championships? Possibly, but not likely. Is it because of the social status that a Yankees logo brings you? You got it!
The trend began when the Yankees were winning the World Series every year, during the “hey day,” as some would state. The late ’90s were the Golden Years of the modern Yankees, with their numerous World Series championships allowing their popularity to increase year by year. Since the dawn of the new millennium, the Yankees have yet to win a championship but still have grown in followers. If you would notice, I have not used the word “fan” or “fans” once in this blog. The reasoning? Because a large majority of those that tote around Yankees hats are not Yankees fans, let alone even baseball fans. A symbol of success, of determination…of stupidity?
I am a Yankees fan, and have been for a majority of my young life. I did not join the bandwagon during the hey day, nor do I own an obsessive amount of Yankees gear. I’ve always loved baseball and played a few years when I was a youngster. The Yankees themselves are not stupid (contrary to the belief by most fans of any other baseball team). The misuse and misrepresentation of their symbol and status is what is classified as absurd.
To make my point a little clearer, I’ve provided some data below. The following data was collected from the top two baseball hat websites when searching Google for “baseball caps,” lids.com and newera.com, regarding all thirty MLB teams. I have calculated the total number of caps between the sites and arranged the data in descending order, starting with the team with the fewest number of caps. Now, these two sites may carry some of the same hats, but the data below is strictly when searching for the designated team hats on each site. The data may not be exact but it gets the proper point across.
As you skim through the teams, you noticed that the New York Yankees take up the last spot in the list with a total of 432 caps to their credit. Between two websites, this data is crazy! The Major League Baseball official store only carries 135 different types of Yankees hats, compared to both New Era and Lids that are carrying significantly more Yankees caps. Want more proof? Check out the difference between the number of Yankees caps and the number of Atlanta Braves caps. You aren’t imagining, it does come out to almost 200. And for even greater proof, check out the trend with the New Era selection. For 29 out of the 30 teams, New Era has only a fraction of the number of caps compared to Lids. But, for the Yankees, it has 40 more hats than Lids. This data truely shows the popularity and unbelievably ridiculous misuse of the Yankee name.
You can’t blame the hat manufacturers or distributors; they’re just simply keeping up with customer demand. Who do you blame? Simply blame the people who rock the NY symbol for status purposes, not for true support. Here’s a quick quiz that I’ve created for all of you who may be questioning whether you’re a fan of the Yankees or an individual that displays the logo but has no interest in the team or baseball. The quiz contains facts that a baseball and a Yankees fan should know without looking at reference material. If you’ve gotta cheat then you don’t deserve to be wearing that hat. Here goes…
1. What was the name of the Japanese pitching sensation that signed with the Yankees in the late 1990’s?
2. Name the former manager of the New York Yankees. Who is the current manager?
3. Which Yankee is closest to the top on the all-time home runs list?
4. Name the former Yankee that was once involved with Marilyn Monroe and also served in World War II?
5. Which family currently owns the Yankees organization?
If you answered all four or five of those questions correctly, you are worthy to call yourself a baseball and a Yankees fan. If not, tough luck.
The obsession with the Yankees is completely and utterly uncalled for, as the team should not be known for its social status, but rather its baseball legends and greatness. It makes me feel as if we don’t need the colors red and blue for the Bloods and the Crypts; all we need is the Yankee symbol and 40 million different kinds of hats. Even if you are a baseball fan but hate the Yankees, you can’t deny the facts that are in front of you. The misuse of any franchise is not only silly but also rude. Get it together and just start a new trend.
Quiz Answers:
1. Hideki Irabu
2. Joe Torre and Joe Girardi
3. Babe Ruth
4. Joe DiMaggio
5. The Steinbrenner family
