By Cory Fallon
There is nothing like going to a game and seeing someone rocking a random player’s uniform on the concourse.
I was at Yankee Stadium last week and was in line to get some food when I noticed someone wearing a very faded Peyton Hillis Cleveland Browns jersey. Remember that dude? He had one above average season and then ended up on the cover of Madden 12?
Last time the Browns beat the Patriots:
— Everything Cleveland (@everythingcle_) October 25, 2019
Peyton Hillis ran for 184 yards & two rushing TD’s along with 36 receiving yards & a receiving TD. pic.twitter.com/4zKVlhS2K6
My jaw almost hit the floor, not from seeing a random Peyton Hillis jersey in the wild, but seeing it at Yankee Stadium of all places before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays put my brain in a pretzel.
A week later, I was again at Yankee Stadium for a matchup against the Cleveland Guardians. (Not the game where right field turned into a warzone, don’t worry)
All hell is breaking loose in The Bronx after the Yankees walk off the Guardians pic.twitter.com/psScQN5eTt
— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) April 23, 2022
Again, while wandering the concourse, I saw a trio of young men wearing a Dennis Eckersley Oakland Athletics jersey, Shane Victorino Philadelphia Phillies jersey and a Max Scherzer Washington Nationals jersey. I gave a verbal “what the hell?” and immediately thought back to seeing the Peyton Hillis jersey a week prior, a million thoughts rushed into my head about fans wearing jerseys to games.
I tried to rationalize why someone would throw an unrelated jersey on before heading to a stadium and I just couldn’t do it. I literally spent the next couple of innings classifying the types of jerseys you’ll see at a sporting event. Those being:
For the Teams Playing
As you should. Fans showing support for their favorite teams is always encouraged, but you have to be careful when your team is the visitor. It could be a superstar or an obscure player from years ago, but you’re still showing your support. Some cities and rivalries are not kind to opposing fans, but as long as you’re not rude or disrespectful then feel free to cheer on your team behind enemy lines.
Personalized
If you’re above the age of let’s say 14 and wear a personalized jersey to the game, then you need to be thrown out. The only exception is if you’re an elderly couple with a “Together Since” combo, that’s just adorable.
Old Jersey For a New Player
This one always throws me for a loop. This is like going to a Yankees game and wearing a Joey Gallo Rangers jersey, or a Broncos game and seeing a Russell Wilson Seahawks jersey. As long as what you’re wearing has some relation to the game you’re attending then that is acceptable.
Unrelated Random Jersey
This is the type I have a beef with. Just wearing a jersey to a game that has no relation to what’s happening on the field boggles my mind and you shouldn’t be allowed in the stadium in my opinion. If you’re going to attend a game that you don’t have a rooting interest for or don’t have a jersey for either of the teams, then just go dressed as a regular person. If you really want to show support, then try to match your outfit with one of the home teams’ primary colors, otherwise there is no shame in going to a game in jeans and a hoodie. Just wearing a jersey because you’re going to a sporting event is lazy and it needs to be stopped.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk, and let me know the most obscure jersey you saw at a game in the comments.
Picture Credit: Saurabh13
