What is it, in the human psyche, that compels people to wear apparel of any kind, representing a sports team. It has to be as big an industry as the sports themselves. I guess it is nice to be a fan. Our lives must be rather mundane and empty, and that makes us "associate" with someone else.
The various teams assist the clothing manufacturers, "Let's see a sea of red in the stands today!" Everyone goes out and purchases a shirt, and a hat, and perhaps more. So, there are 100,000 shirts sold, some revenue of which, of course, filters back to the teams.
I am not sure what school the above girls represent, I use them only as an example of ..... school color clothing .... it is some State University, somewhere, and they are obviously .... fans.
I have heard people say that they "live and die" by a sports team. I remember years ago, son Brad and I visited the HOF, the professional football hall of fame, in Canton, Ohio. Displays and all sorts of memorabilia in the building. The busiest place was the "gift" shop, shirts and hats being sold all day long.
When Johnny Manzeil signed with the Cleveland Browns, they could not make shirts fast enough, and stores sold out of them. Recently, when one player had a problem, the team offered to exchange his shirt for that of another player, thousands showed up.
Shopping in Kroger's yesterday, saw a local very successful businessman, wearing a Manzeil shirt. I just had to wonder why. I knew he was not Manzeil, and the ironic part, Manzeil probably only wears a shirt with his name on it, on game day, or at practice, not while shopping in Kroger's. So, what was it, that caused this successful, rational man, to wear such a shirt?
