If clothes make the man, then my jersey collection makes my closet Yankee Stadium.
Sports jerseys are awesome. They are comfortable, they are colorful,
and they show off your love of sport, team, pop culture, or even your
country. My runaway favorites, of course, are my Yankee jerseys. I own a
large collection but the Yankees lay claim to my best represented team
in all of sports. By far.
Jerseys help fill the void now that the Yankees are done. I don’t
allow myself to wear the Pinstripes again until the New Year. My Yankee
hats don’t go anywhere. I rely on the remainder of my collection for
comfort.
The more unusual the jersey the better. I like minor league teams in
all sports, pop culture and comedy, but my favorite is the mash-up. I
love finding a jersey in a different sport than the team actually plays.
My absolute favorite is my New York Yankees hockey jersey. It has
become my signature piece. I found it in a store I never would have gone
into normally. I loved it right away, and had it lettered and numbered
for Derek Jeter. I even put the ‘C’ for his captaincy on it.
Before the purists start up, yes I know authentic Yankee jerseys do
not have player names on them. I own several. My reasoning was that this
wasn’t an authentic baseball jersey, and should follow the traditions
of hockey, the sport it pays tribute to.
I liked that the jersey was unique. I liked that it could represent a
Canadian Yankee fan. It never fails to delight others. It was a rare
design to find ten years ago let alone now, and I have never seen
another that was lettered and numbered.
Anyway, that one jersey has gotten a bigger reaction than any other. I
wore it for ten years to Yankee away games in Toronto. Even in enemy
territory, most of what was said was, “Man, I hate the Yankees, but that
jersey is awesome.” Yankee fans would practically fall over themselves
rushing over to find out where I got it.
When I returned to New York after years away and made my first trip
to the new Yankee Stadium, it was a beautiful sunny Labor Day and quite
hot. My wife, then my girlfriend, suggested I might not want to wear it
due to the warm weather. No. I had to wear this.
It took seconds for Yankee faithful to react positively. We spent the
day just chatting to fans and stadium staff who approached us. Robin
told me she felt like we were celebrities. Even now, walking around the
city, that jersey always provokes joyful outcries.
And sure, there have been negative reactions to jerseys. You don’t
have to tell me the Yankees aren’t super popular everywhere,
understatement of the year. But even if someone hates the team whose
colors you are flying, they don’t hate you. It’s a sign of respect,
really, that your team provokes such a strong reaction. Take it as a
compliment. Smiling and waving at insults is generally the best
response.
Jerseys are a great way to meet people. I have lost count of the
number of times random people reacted to me due to the jersey being worn
at that time. Normally, reactions from other people are not only
positive, but enthusiastically positive. It’s hard to have a bad day
when random people are not only happy to see you, but really happy to
see you.
With the Yankees done for the year, I turn to my jersey collection
for comfort. For now, I will wear my hockey sweaters and my football and
basketball shirts. They will hold me over until spring, when I can fly
the Yankees colors again.
Because after all, I may have put away my Yankees jerseys today, but I did not put away my Pinstripe Pride. I never will.
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Features Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants
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