A few days ago, the Well Dressed Girlfriend and I were sitting at an evening baseball game. We sat watching the local squad under the lights, sipping on a couple of brews and chatting. We noticed that a large number of the fans in our section looked like total geeks. Oversized t-shirts, jerseys for teams that weren't even playing or for players long since traded to other squads, and various shades of hideous pink logos.
On the other hand, we also saw a fair number of sports fans who looked pretty good. A nice looking jersey, cool hat, and matching jeans made single guys look attractive. If a cute girl wears the right hat, she can look extremely sexy. Certain ballparks have become the "hot" place in town to meet people. Some parks even feature "Singles Nights".
Don't get me wrong, we aren't fashion or design professionals. I'm just a huge sports fan that often says, "Hey, how does this look?" before walking out the door for the day. The Well Dressed Girlfriend seems to appreciate this and since it encourages her to keep dating me, which is always a plus.
Plan on meeting a girl or guy at the stadium? Only go to ballgames once a year and always wonder what the heck you should wear? Are you a hardcore spots fan that wants to show off your loyalty to your team? This is a good blog to bookmark.
Let's get started by talking about hats, aka "caps".
One of the first things I notice about sports fans are their hats. I collect hats like crazy, so I can be a little particular about how they look on people. A poorly fitting hat can make you look like a 70 year old skipper. This works when you have Hall of Fame credentials, but not when you're trying to pick up chicks at the stadium. A poorly fitting hat on a hot girl just looks like a missed opportunity.
Let's say you are a casual sports fan. You go to a couple of games a year and want to avoid looking like a total geek when you're at the ballpark. Invest in a Twins Enterprises "The Franchise" hat. A few years ago, people would have called these hats, "crushed" or "broken in". These hats are good for new sports fans for a couple of reasons. First, they come in only a few sizes. Small, medium, large, xl, etc. The caps that baseball players wear on the field come on sizes based on the exact size of your head and are harder to break in (which is the subject for another post). A "fitted" Twins enterprise hat ("fitted" meaning they don't have an adjustable strap on the back) already looks broken in and fits closer to the dome of your head than the official caps. In this shot, the guy on the left gets the fit right and the guy on the right rocks the hat with a nice casual sweater.
Rock this cap with a solid color polo shirt and some jeans or khakis and you will look like a well dressed, but casual fan. If you're going for the more hardcore look, match the hat with a jersey (we will get into matching hats to jerseys later on).
If you're buying this as a gift for someone, go ahead and grab an adjustable version of the cap. You can't tell the difference from the front and both look just fine. Girls tend to like to versatility of adjustable hats, since they can wear ponytails through the opening in the back.
Well Dressed Girlfriend's take: All crushed hats remind me of that Boston Red Sox fan who is comfortable with spending a little time on Saturday night picking out the right Oxford, but likes to watch ESPN and drink a beer on Sundays. Wearing the crushed hat, of course. Note: this hat is versatile and not overbearing, but you lose all style points if it's not impeccably clean. You're not 12 anymore, even if you still love that hat as much as you did then.
Keep in mind these hats fade in the sun. This can look really great if you keep it clean and clear of sweat stains. Hand washing the hat with warm water now and again should keep it smelling clean and free of stains. Avoid throwing hats in either the dish or clothes washer.
Think about picking up a crushed hat before heading to the ballpark, but be sure to try on their sizes in a store to make sure it fits properly on your dome. Match it with a solid t-shirt, polo, or oxford, to achieve the preppy look, but don't over do it. A long sleeve tee, crew sweatshirt or oxford will look more like Nich Lachey than a 70 year old manager. While we encourage you keep it simple (and to keep your hat clean!) the crushed hat can help you ease in the world of the sports fan.
Click here for a few more tips regarding crushed hats.
