Should I or shouldn't I buy... (clothing item)?

[Kal Varnsen]

What's the difference between wearing the logo of a sports team vs a brand?

The team is supposed to represent the city you live in, and by extension yourself. The brand only represents itself.

 

[mak1277]

What's the difference between wearing the logo of a sports team vs a brand?

Supporting a sports team (and displaying that support with apparel) is about comradery. I don’t think there are any institutions that unite people across class/race/background like a common rooting interest in sports. You’re a member of a tribe.

I don’t think wearing the logo of a corporate entity brings with it the same emotional and interpersonal connection. I was serious up above when I said I’ve never seen anyone high five anyone because they’re wearing a polo or Patagonia logo. But I’ve been high fived and acknowledged by strangers in random places all over the world because I have a baseball or football team’s hat on.

 

[troika]

The brand only represents itself.

How is this even remotely true for major brands with history? In particular prep, heritage, and streetwear?

 

[dieworkwear]

Supporting a sports team (and displaying that support with apparel) is about comradery. I don’t think there are any institutions that unite people across class/race/background like a common rooting interest in sports. You’re a member of a tribe.

I don’t think wearing the logo of a corporate entity brings with it the same emotional and interpersonal connection. I was serious up above when I said I’ve never seen anyone high five anyone because they’re wearing a polo or Patagonia logo. But I’ve been high fived and acknowledged by strangers in random places all over the world because I have a baseball or football team’s hat on.

I suppose? I'm not saying it's bad to wear sports apparel if that's your thing. It just doesn't resonate with me because I don't watch or participate in sports (not saying this in a snobby "I don't like popular culture" kind of way).

Whereas I wear RL logo apparel because I love RL and identify with the brand, having grown up with people in a physical community that also love the brand. Friends of mine collected rare polo. There's a whole dance and music scene around Polo.

Regarding @Kal Varnsen's point above, I can't imagine wearing a sports team baseball cap cause I wouldn't know the first thing about the team if someone asked me a question. I wouldn't mind wearing a cap with my city on it though (or cities I've lived in).

I don't know. I don't think logos are a big deal.

 

[OccultaVexillum]

nvm

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I don't think logos are a big deal.

Come off it, Derek! Given your background and interests, I find it hard to believe that you really think this - it even contradicts what you just said a few sentences before. It's clear you understand that logos can be a massive deal - at least some logos, for some people, at some times and in some places. You know this stuff. So saying things like this is both glib and simply wrong.

 

[Patek]

Go generic sports team!


In all seriousness, I wear a bunch of my University's logo apparel as a way of supporting them financially and because it you get head nod and university catch phrases thrown at you. I actually think got hired in my current job due to the hiring manager being a graduate of the same school. I have never had anyone approach me about a brand. I tend not to wear external brands but people in the know still know. Nor do I think I would feel compelled to start a conversation with someone wearing a pair of White's boots, for instance.

 

[Kal Varnsen]

How is this even remotely true for major brands with history? In particular prep, heritage, and streetwear?

I'm not sure what one thing has to do with the other. Polo might have a long history, but you're still a walking advertisement when you wear a shirt with the little logo on it. I suppose that's also true of sports logos, but sports logos can also indicate where the person is from, and depending on where you wear it, can be seen as a provocation.

 

[Kal Varnsen]

Regarding @Kal Varnsen's point above, I can't imagine wearing a sports team baseball cap cause I wouldn't know the first thing about the team if someone asked me a question. I wouldn't mind wearing a cap with my city on it though (or cities I've lived in).

To be fair, a lot of people wear sports hats just because they like the logo, or color scheme. But there are iconic logos that are immediately identifiable with particular cities.

- The interlocked "NY" of the New York Yankees logo

- The red "B" of the Boston Red Sox logo

- The interlocked "LA" of the Dodgers logo

- The Gothic "D" of the Detroit Tigers logo

There is also one aspect that separates sports logos from clothing brand logos, and that's the inherent rivalry that is built in. You can be a Polo supporter, but you're not going to draw angry glances from Nautica wearers just for wearing something with the horse on it.

 

[dieworkwear]

There is also one aspect that separates sports logos from clothing brand logos, and that's the inherent rivalry that is built in. You can be a Polo supporter, but you're not going to draw angry glances from Nautica wearers just for wearing something with the horse on it.

YM Bape tho

 

[faue]

To be fair, a lot of people wear sports hats just because they like the logo, or color scheme. But there are iconic logos that are immediately identifiable with particular cities.

- The interlocked "NY" of the New York Yankees logo

- The red "B" of the Boston Red Sox logo

- The interlocked "LA" of the Dodgers logo

- The Gothic "D" of the Detroit Tigers logo

There is also one aspect that separates sports logos from clothing brand logos, and that's the inherent rivalry that is built in. You can be a Polo supporter, but you're not going to draw angry glances from Nautica wearers just for wearing something with the horse on it.

Tribalism is tribalism. Brands, like sports merchandise, are signals for in-group and out-group. Moreover, there are brands that have antagonistic relationships with each other (think Adidas vs. Nike), as well as sports teams that don’t have real rivalries.

 

[Dadacantona]

This might not be true of American sports teams, but football clubs in England, Scotland, Europe and South America largely predate the notion of sport as a capitalist endeavour and were, in the early days, literally clubs, of which the fans were members and in some cases owners. Support for ones club is a visceral, highly emotional experience, often acquired from a parent at a very young age. Fans will pour good money after bad following their team around the country or even continent, regardless of how good they are, spending not only money but in some cases the majority of their lives away from their families. There’s a lad who goes to Manchester United who has aa flag that reads “United, Kids, Wife. In that order.“ Whilst it’s largely tongue in cheek and pretty chauvinistic, I do think it’s a signifier off what football means to thousands of largely working class people. And this is without getting into football clubs as a signifier of sectarian division, fans dying in stadium disasters and teams with political affiliations.
On top of all this, people kick the **** out of each every single weekend for no other reason than the team they support, which I don’t think happens very often between people who wear Nike and people that wear Adidas.

 

[dieworkwear]

On top of all this, people kick the **** out of each every single weekend for no other reason than the team they support, which I don’t think happens very often between people who wear Nike and people that wear Adidas.

I think this describes CM?

 

[kjb]

This might not be true of American sports teams, but football clubs in England, Scotland, Europe and South America largely predate the notion of sport as a capitalist endeavour and were, in the early days, literally clubs, of which the fans were members and in some cases owners. Support for ones club is a visceral, highly emotional experience, often acquired from a parent at a very young age. Fans will pour good money after bad following their team around the country or even continent, regardless of how good they are, spending not only money but in some cases the majority of their lives away from their families. There’s a lad who goes to Manchester United who has aa flag that reads “United, Kids, Wife. In that order.“ Whilst it’s largely tongue in cheek and pretty chauvinistic, I do think it’s a signifier off what football means to thousands of largely working class people. And this is without getting into football clubs as a signifier of sectarian division, fans dying in stadium disasters and teams with political affiliations.
On top of all this, people kick the **** out of each every single weekend for no other reason than the team they support, which I don’t think happens very often between people who wear Nike and people that wear Adidas.

this is frankly why i really enjoy being a football fan in america (COYS!). while there are the general rivalries that carry over (arsenal, chelsea, west spam), i think it's fun and like getting up for those big matches, but it comes with none of the investment in those rivalries that you allude to, and frankly shouldn't. while i understand them from a historical and cultural perspective and can respect some of them, i'm not going to fight an arsenal fan and frankly anyone in america that's doing **** like that is verging on cosplaying, it's dumb and unnecessary.

 

[Dadacantona]

this is frankly why i really enjoy being a football fan in america (COYS!). while there are the general rivalries that carry over (arsenal, chelsea, west spam), i think it's fun and like getting up for those big matches, but it comes with none of the investment in those rivalries that you allude to, and frankly shouldn't. while i understand them from a historical and cultural perspective and can respect some of them, i'm not going to fight an arsenal fan and frankly anyone in america that's doing **** like that is verging on cosplaying, it's dumb and unnecessary.

I certainly think there’s some truth in the cosplay comment, however I would say I respect anyone that gets up at ungodly hours to watch their team from the other side of the world, and football is better for international fans, I think. As it happens, a daytime TV personality got into a spot of bother today for mocking an Indian Arsenal fan on twitter in a pretty racist way.