A Brief History
Initially a craze of loosely organized bat-and-ball games, baseball established itself as the national pastime during the 19th century, as well as America’s first professional sport. As the game evolved, so did the fashion associated with ballplayers. Shield fronts and collars were shed from the earliest jerseys, hats with flexible brims for throwing into a back pocket were traded for stiff brims, and wool was replaced by polyester. Wool uniforms are an iconic piece of baseball history, donned by players competing in all levels - small town and factory clubs to professional leagues. They took on the hottest days of summer and the cold dampness of autumn well through baseball’s Golden Era. The advent of cheaper materials allowed baseball apparel to make its way into wardrobes of fans worldwide, but the quality and subtle individuality that appeared in each early garment was lost to the sterile consistency of mass production.
“There’s where I got my first baseball uniform. I was about fifteen, I guess. I was playing on some little amateur team and they got us uniforms. Boy, I’ll never forget it. I slept in it that night. They couldn’t get that thing off my back.”
