What this thread is for:
- to discuss the good, bad, and ugly of player fashion
What this thread is not for:
- Uniforms (I love baseball uniforms a lot! But this is not that thread!)
Was talking about this recently, specifically because most players are young and monied, but until relatively recently having any kind of persona; style seemed to be reserved to the few and not the many. "It's cos they're all hicks and probably think caring about clothes is unmasculine."
I believe this is now changing, due to younger players having social media and seeing what their peers in other sports (in particular NBA and football*) are doing. Bryce Harper tags at least three brands in posts he makes of his time off-field. At the All-Star game there was a red carpet & The Athletic even chose the best looks:
https://theathletic.com/3436222/2022/07/20/all-star-game-mlb-red-carpet/
https://i.imgur.com/N8dltyc.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/yDRCb6K.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/98UGeFr.jpg
Three different looks, but all tell you something about the individuals and their tastes. And it makes them more human and relatable. You forget how young and normal some of the guys are, and it's nice to see some of them take an interest in something other than hunting.
There's other stuff like jewellery, like Joc Pederson's necklace, and hair (they've all got flow now, Tim Lincecum got harassed by Phillies fans all the way back in 2010 for this!) and cleats - all of these things show you how the game is moving away from the forced conformity to give the players some more room to breathe and be themselves. When Bruce Bochy retired from the Giants and all his players showed up for him, to a man they all said "he let me be myself."
It's something to think about. And who knows, players having a little fun with their looks on and off the field isn't the worst thing for the modern relevance of the game.
Alek Manoah's Sandlot #OpeningDay fit pic.twitter.com/LB0i6x9oW8— MLB Life (@MLBLife) March 30, 2023
This is fun, and it seems to be driven by the players themselves.
I read this article written a decade ago and, well.
https://www.vanityfair.com/style/photos/2013/04/photo-hottest-baseball-players
Though Jeter always looked great, and Longoria was a man ahead of his time** with the sockless loafers look.
My beloved WS-winning SF Giants well, they weren't interested in all that.
https://i.imgur.com/CHvyBC9.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/vQWtnMT.jpg
Which is fine! But I am always interested in how people dress themselves and what they choose to convey through this.
I can't finish this thread without mentioning Aaron Judge, who always looks good and even sleek, and has hisown clothing line where he wears a mix of looks convincingly. He has spoken before about howhis size and shape makes clothes difficult for him, but he always looks very put together and comfortable! He's had fun with it too: six years ago, a Sandlot-themed shirt he wore sold out.
Has he got a challenger? WELL.
Stylin’ and profilin’ pic.twitter.com/krPGKVbQK4— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 27, 2022
*association football, not NFL
**for baseball
― limb tins & cum (gyac), Friday, 31 March 2023 19:27 (two months ago) link