When Did Fans Start Dressing Like Players?

If you search out this question using AI then it will spit out the answer that the practice started in the 70’s. I can tell you as a 50-year-old many who went to games in the 80’s that it just was not that prevalent at all.

You may see a handful of guys with the team’s hat on. You may even see a teenager or two with a sort-of cheap jersey t-shirt hybrid. But you simply did not see that many people wearing jerseys and ballcaps of their favorite home team.

I remember going to see Dan Marino and his Dolphins play against the Jets in the 1980’s and people were just dressed in what they would normally wear. Shorts, t-shirt, pants, polos.. the standard outfits of the day.

If you look back at photos of the 1940’s-50’s and before, you will see people dressed in suits, gowns and top hats. The ballgame was a reason to get out, and society back then wouldn’t dream of doing that in jeans and a t-shirt.

The 1960’s ushered in a more casual approach to being out in public. Men stopped wearing ties and fedoras and women stopped wearing their favorite sleek dress. Jeans and a button-down shirt with the collar open became the norm for men. Mini-skirts and a nice shirt was the new norm for the ladies.

It wasn’t until the late 80’s to early 1990’s, when companies started making pretty good replica jerseys that we saw the shift. It started with fans wearing Starter jackets which featured their favorite team’s logo and colors. It quickly grew into wearing entire outfits that featured the color scheme and/or logo of their home team and even the jersey of their favorite player.

These days it seems almost criminal to go to a game in order to support your team and not wear something team related. Heck, you may even get criticized for it by other fans.

Below you can see Cubs fans from the 1970’s