If there’s one thing that can be agreed upon, it’s that the world loves sports. The question is not whether not any given country loves sports — it’s what the sport that particular country loves is. For much of Europe, soccer is the sport of choice. In the United States, by contrast, not as many people love soccer. But many, many people love football — a sport that Europeans don’t watch at all. If you love a sport, chances are that you have a favorite team. Certain teams have been iconic, and with them their uniforms. Team uniforms make a much bigger difference to morale and branding than most would think. In many ways, team apparel is just as important as the personalities of the players. It’s no wonder that many devoted sports team fans end up buying the jerseys of their favorite players. Let’s look into some of the many sports that have become synonymous with the uniforms their teams wear. Once you learn a bit more about these sports, you’ll understand why they’re so beloved, and why the uniforms of their most popular teams are flying off the shelves.
Softball: More Than What Meets The Eye
Some of us may not be able to think of iconic softball team uniforms off the top of our heads. But certain softball team uniforms are very popular — among them those of the LSU Lady Tigers, Texas AandM Aggies. Softball team uniforms are unique in that they’re largely, unlike many other team uniforms, meant for women. This is because softball is, in the United States at least, now a sport largely populated by women. This doesn’t make it lesser by any means, though. Softball is a slightly modified version of baseball in its most basic definition. As softball hasn’t entered the popular culture in quite the way baseball has, its fans are a bit more devoted on a cultlike level. The good softball teams are iconic, and have a fierce following. With that being said, those that can recognize softball team uniforms are usually the types that follow their sport of choice on a fierce level.
Tennis: A Sport For Everyone
Tennis has a form of athletic apparel that has become iconic outside of the sport. Athletic uniforms in tennis have morphed into more wearable forms, with many women wearing tennis skirts casually as a fashion choice. The thing about tennis is that it is truly for both genders. As tennis players don’t rely on a big team, their uniforms can become more individualized, and several tennis players the world over have become iconic for their performances and personalities alike. Venus Williams is known for her speed. With a serve of 205 kilometers an hour, she became the fastest server in women’s tennis. Her sister, Serena Williams, is widely seen as the best women’s tennis player of all time. Women’s tennis has drawn headlines for years. Famously, Billie Jean King played against Bobby Riggs in the fabled “Battle of the Sexes” to see if a female player could beat a male player. King did win. At the same time, many male players have gained international fame, for multiple reasons. IN 1932, Henry Austin was the first person to wear tennis shorts at Wimbledon — apparently shocking Queen Mary. Wimbledon is so widely watched the balls at Wimbledon changed color to yellow in 1986, so that people would better see them and follow the gameplay.
Soccer: The World’s Sport
Soccer may still be slowly gaining momentum in America. But across the world, it is much more popular. Europeans and South Americans alike follow soccer with great intensity. Players like Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. are showered with attention, and are paid tens of millions of dollars a year. A high point of soccer is the World Cup, one of the most widely-watched sports events in the world.
No matter what sport you follow, one thing is for sure — you’ll never forget the uniforms of the teams you love most.
