Baseball caps of today are a fashion staple, but there was a time when the baseball cap was not a fashionable cap to wear outside of the baseball field.
The baseball cap as we know it was introduced around 1858 by the Brooklyn Excelsiors. Its large visor was a practical way to protect players’ faces from the sun. It was soon adopted by most baseball players, but until the 1970s there was a stigma about wearing baseball caps anywhere but the baseball field.
Gradually, the baseball cap became acceptable to wear outside of sports. There are many theories on why this came about. Baseball became extremely popular on television in the States and this made the caps familiar. As child Little League players grew up to become teenagers, they liked wearing their baseball caps. For a while, the baseball cap was seen as headwear only worn by juveniles.
Tom Selleck wore a baseball cap as the character ‘Magnum P.I.’ on the TV drama series of the same name. He made wearing a cap seem cool and quirky. In 1979, the New Era company placed a mail-order ad for baseball caps in the Sporting News. The cap had become acceptable for everyday wear.
In 1996, film director Spike Lee wore a Yankees-themed baseball cap and he is credited with making the cap a street fashion item for hip people. The cap was adopted by artists and followers of hip-hop.
Today, at Flexfit, we make baseball-style caps that are accepted by everyone – young or old, male or female, conservative or liberal.
