Sports apparel has become big business as the majority of sports fans flock to a sports outlet to snatch up Jersey’s, hats, and other types of memorabilia in order to show support for their favorite team. It is rare thing to see a gathering of fans that doesn’t have at least one individual wearing some type of sports wear. Sports fashions however have not always been a lucrative business.
In days past shouting from the couch with a group of friends was considered supporting the home team. Fans could also make a trip to a stadium to catch a home game or throw parties in honor of a big game, which was also a way to support your favorite team. Make no mistake, sports apparel has been around for as long as professional sports have, however the selections and quality of such apparel used to be extremely limited and expensive.
As a boy I remember baseball caps being a huge deal in my circle of friends. In those days however these caps where often one solid color with a team logo embroidered on the front. I also remember these hats wearing out rather quickly as the stitch would often unravel and the bill of the cap would often warp. One might argue that the sports apparel of yesteryear was not as durable as today’s because children are more active and therefore wear things out at a much quicker pace. In reality however it is fact that many types of clothing from decades past where made using smaller budgets and less resilient materials.
As sports fans looked back at the 80’s and turned their heads towards the 90’s they saw both the birth of the Superfan and a wider variety of options when shopping for sports apparel and memorabilia. Though many major league sports sought to appease the veracious appetite of the Superfan, it was NFL Apparel that really took hold first and helped make sports apparel big business. The shark toothed, and paint stroked hats propelled this industry forward and proved that fans would go to great lengths to support their teams.
It was also during this era that the companies responsible for manufacturing hats and jersey’s took a big step up in terms of the quality of apparel they produced. Over the last fifteen years, the sport apparel business has continued to grow and thrive as fans become even more involved with following and supporting their teams. The internet too has helped take the business of sports apparel to the next level as fans can now shop online for jersey’s, caps, and the like even during the off season. Where this business goes from here is anybody’s guess, but if I where to guess, I’d guess the sports fans will drive it up and help it grow larger.
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