We give way to the great story behind the baseball cap, also known as “baseball cap” or simply “baseball cap”, an accessory that has become a classic in sports, but also a garment still very relevant today.
This cap model is as typical as baseball itself, a sport that, according to legend, was formally invented in Cooperstown (New York) in 1839 by Abner Doubleday.
But the truth is that the practice of playing with a “stick” and a ball is millenary. Records show that ancient cultures practiced these games as a form of ceremony, although also for fun, and later it spread throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. Once a similar game was popularized in England, it moved to the United States where it reached its peak.
The first rules of the game, previously known as Knickerbocker, were finally published in 1845 by Alexander Cartwright, who founded the “Knickerbocker Base Ball Club” in New York. These rules became the basis of modern baseball.
Thus, baseball has mainly developed in the United States, so much so that for many years it was also referred to from its beginnings as The New York Game. It is, in fact, the national sport of the country, and the fans of its major league teams are comparable to football fans in Spain. The competitiveness is huge!
Hence, just like in football, baseball team fans began to wear some garments in support of their city teams, which were professionally formed over the years.
But… What came first? Baseball or the cap?
Ball games older than baseball (like cricket) already used improvised hats to cover from the sun, and in the case of the sport in the United States it was the same. At some point, baseball players in the USA had the power to choose which hat to wear for competitions and showed their creativity by creating prototypes of hats with visors.
The first team to get a suitable cap prototype was the Detroit Tigers, who were also the first to display their emblem on their caps, and from then on, teams followed this dynamic.
Of course, manufacturers set out to create the ‘perfect’ cap for the ‘perfect game’, and managed to hit the legendary design of the baseball cap we use today, which was sold not only to players but also to consumers, for its utility and because with the attached emblem they supported their favorite teams.
One of the most legendary cap manufacturing companies in the United States was New Era, originally founded in 1920 by Ehrhardt Koch, who started with almost nothing the “E.hoch Cap Company” in Buffalo, New York.
Koch was an American of German origin who knew what he was doing. After working more than 15 years at the Miller Brother’s Cap Company, he gained enough experience to start his own business and produce about 60,000 baseball caps annually with only 14 employees. Years later, in 1934, it became “New Era” and got its first contract with the Cleveland Indians, officially entering the baseball world.
Thus began the paradox of the game and the baseball cap: Companies producing caps, professional and non-professional teams needing to wear them, and sports fans eager to have their own cap to show off with the logo, initials, or mascot of their favorite teams.
From then on, society did its work. The cap, which from the beginning is a useful garment invented to protect us from the sun - and which has existed since the Egyptians and other ancient civilizations covered their heads with artifacts to escape sunburn - gradually stopped “belonging” to baseball players, and became popular in itself to offer urban fashion a new way to express personality.
And it is that baseball caps say a lot about us. From the model you wear to the badge it carries. They are a cap model that also did not stop there. In their time, the famous trucker caps were also developed, which were also used to display company logos as a form of advertising and which today, along with baseball caps, are part of culture and urban fashion.
What differentiates baseball caps from the rest is that they do not have a fastener on their back and also incorporated flat visors instead of curved ones over time. Today, caps of this style, or with adjustable fasteners, have been used in many sports such as tennis or golf, as well as part of the attire in other artistic disciplines, such as film directors (replacing their classic berets), always as a method of protection against sun rays, but also as a way to differentiate from the rest.
There are countless models on the market, which have mass-produced and popularized this garment for its utility, comfort, and style. Currently, many urban outfits wear this cap as part of their ideal looks, to add a unique and personal style to each individual who wears them.
The truth is that it is a fascinating story. Baseball caps have indeed evolved in a special way over time, improving their styles, and allowing us cap fans to find the one that suits and identifies us best. And you, are you a fan of baseball caps?
