Antre Stephenson
Staff Writer

There’s always some type of allure to wearing your favorite team on your chest. I personally like to wear sports apparel because, it represents my liking for that specific team. For instance, I am a New York Jets fan therefore I have a Jets’ toboggan, shirt and hoodie as well. I wear it to support that specific team that I like. I also recently went to a Carolina Panthers football game for the first time, so I did purchase a shirt with a Panthers’ logo on it as well. With it being my first time ever going to a NFL football game, I got the shirt for memories. I spoke to a few students about the reasons they wear sports apparel and why they decide to wear specific teams.

Quadre Thomas, freshman said “The reason I wear Cowboys apparel is because that’s my favorite team, I like watching them play and because that’s my dad’s favorite team as well.” He continued, saying “I currently have a Dallas Cowboys hat and an Ezekiel Elliott jersey!”

There are others who wear jerseys, hats and a number of other clothing items because they use to go to that school or play for that specific team. There are others who will wear sports apparel because of the color. Team uniforms, especially in the past few years, have worked more to stand-out for a buying public. I remember when I was younger I use to like watching the UCLA Bruins just because of their colors. I’ve never worn any of their apparel, but that made me want to buy some of their apparel just because of how I liked the way it looked. I asked John Lewis, a junior here at UNCG, on why he decides to wear sports apparel.

“I wear sports apparel because it’s comfortable, and it shows others who I like to watch and who my favorite teams are. I personally like wearing my Carolina Panthers hat. Not because we live here in North Carolina but because I’ve always been a fan of the Panthers” he said. “I remember watching the Panthers play the Patriots in the Super Bowl when I was a little kid and ever since then I’ve been a fan and have been buying their apparel.”

That reminds me so much of when I was younger; all I ever did was buy basketball jerseys. Not because I liked that particular team but because I liked those players. But as I got older, my focus seems to be only on my favorite team and the school I currently attend. As we’ve seen there are many different perspectives when it comes to why people wear sports apparel. Some people wear it for the colors, others wear it because they like that particular team, or because that particular team is where they are from. Regardless of the reasons, people wear sports apparel, it still brings everyone together as one when you see someone wearing a jersey or a particular team that you may like.

Sports can be a social gathering for many people. And they wear that apparel to show others who they root for or what team that they like. Sports apparel is a unique way of showing others either where you came from, what team you like or what player you like. Personally, I find it very cool when you see others wearing sports apparel that goes with a particular team or league you like. It’s a way to start conversation with others in which both can relate and talk about each other’s favorite team or why you like a certain team. I’ve done that with numerous people that I do not know very well, but after the conversation it shows each other who, why and what we like about that particular team.