WEEI and Pink Hats
When I’m driving, I have a tendency to listen to sports radio. That is until the men just start shouting and talking over each other and it becomes too much noise to bear. Recently, I have heard them talking very disparagingly about the fans in the pink hats. It seems that the guys on WEEI believe that the people that wear pink hats are all new bandwagon fans.
Over the past couple weeks I have heard the pink hats brought up more than once and I never really gave it much thought. Then it struck me. They are actually labeling the new bandwagon fans as only women, since you don’t see men at Fenway wearing pink hats.
As I sat watching the game yesterday, that was delayed by five hours; I noticed many pink hats in the stands. Women and young girls that had toughed out the horrific weather to get a chance to see the Red Sox play. Are these the bandwagon fans that WEEI are referring to? The mothers and grandmothers with their kids and grandchildren, the little girls with their Wally’s clutched in their hands? .
I was born into Red Sox Nation in Hartford, Connecticut. In the early 60’s it certainly wasn’t easy to be a Red Sox fan in Hartford, but I didn’t have a choice. My mother raised her four daughters and one son to be diehard Red Sox fans. Yes, my dad liked baseball and the Sox as well, but it was my mother that instilled us with the baseball bug. I can recall her deciding one nice summer weekday that it would be a great day to see a ball game. As luck would have it, the Red Sox were playing the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. She wrote a note for my dad, and piled all the kids into the station wagon and off we went to Yankee Stadium for the day. I mention my mother, because if she was still alive, I can imagine her sitting in the stands sporting a pink Red Sox visor to shade out the sun. Pink hat maybe, but bandwagon fan…NEVER!
Back to the game yesterday, it occurs to me that non-traditional Red Sox head gear seems to be more prevalent than the traditional navy wool regulation caps. I spy many of the St. Patrick’s Day green caps in the home plate area. Now maybe those are acceptable, since the Red Sox do actually wear them on the field one day year. Then there are the locker room World Series caps that come in three different colors, the Wild Card caps and the ever popular light weight navy and denim caps that are so much cooler to wear in the heat of summer. Nope I haven’t heard any of these hats singled out by WEEI so they must all be fine. The bandwagon fans seem to be in the pink hats.
Well the more I think about these pink hat comments the angrier I get as a Red Sox fan and a woman. I personally don’t have a pink hat but I have diehard friends that do have them and they certainly aren’t bandwagon fans. As a matter of fact most of the women I know don’t even like to wear hats, but when you’re at the ball park it is a necessity if one is to be protected from the elements.
WEEI needs to take another look at all the hat styles at Fenway these days and should stop generalizing the bandwagon fans as the females in the pink hats. If they have a problem with non-traditional baseball caps and believe those that wear them are not “real” fans, than say that. It is a ridiculous theory in my book, as we all know you can’t judge a book by its cover or a “real” fan by their hat.
Over the past couple weeks I have heard the pink hats brought up more than once and I never really gave it much thought. Then it struck me. They are actually labeling the new bandwagon fans as only women, since you don’t see men at Fenway wearing pink hats.
As I sat watching the game yesterday, that was delayed by five hours; I noticed many pink hats in the stands. Women and young girls that had toughed out the horrific weather to get a chance to see the Red Sox play. Are these the bandwagon fans that WEEI are referring to? The mothers and grandmothers with their kids and grandchildren, the little girls with their Wally’s clutched in their hands? .
I was born into Red Sox Nation in Hartford, Connecticut. In the early 60’s it certainly wasn’t easy to be a Red Sox fan in Hartford, but I didn’t have a choice. My mother raised her four daughters and one son to be diehard Red Sox fans. Yes, my dad liked baseball and the Sox as well, but it was my mother that instilled us with the baseball bug. I can recall her deciding one nice summer weekday that it would be a great day to see a ball game. As luck would have it, the Red Sox were playing the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. She wrote a note for my dad, and piled all the kids into the station wagon and off we went to Yankee Stadium for the day. I mention my mother, because if she was still alive, I can imagine her sitting in the stands sporting a pink Red Sox visor to shade out the sun. Pink hat maybe, but bandwagon fan…NEVER!
Back to the game yesterday, it occurs to me that non-traditional Red Sox head gear seems to be more prevalent than the traditional navy wool regulation caps. I spy many of the St. Patrick’s Day green caps in the home plate area. Now maybe those are acceptable, since the Red Sox do actually wear them on the field one day year. Then there are the locker room World Series caps that come in three different colors, the Wild Card caps and the ever popular light weight navy and denim caps that are so much cooler to wear in the heat of summer. Nope I haven’t heard any of these hats singled out by WEEI so they must all be fine. The bandwagon fans seem to be in the pink hats.
Well the more I think about these pink hat comments the angrier I get as a Red Sox fan and a woman. I personally don’t have a pink hat but I have diehard friends that do have them and they certainly aren’t bandwagon fans. As a matter of fact most of the women I know don’t even like to wear hats, but when you’re at the ball park it is a necessity if one is to be protected from the elements.
WEEI needs to take another look at all the hat styles at Fenway these days and should stop generalizing the bandwagon fans as the females in the pink hats. If they have a problem with non-traditional baseball caps and believe those that wear them are not “real” fans, than say that. It is a ridiculous theory in my book, as we all know you can’t judge a book by its cover or a “real” fan by their hat.
13 comments:
Once again, Cruiser, you hit the nail on the head!
I don't wear pink gear, but if other woman choose to, that doesn't mean they aren't real fans.
WEEI needs to be called out more often for the chauvinistic attitude they promote over there!
'EEI=Dennis & Callaghan='nuff said!
Since I live in the Borough of Queens in NYC, I see whole slews of people, donning yankees caps;
Yet, I wonder how many of them would know where the Bronx is, let alone go near yankee Stadium;
This just in from Al-Yankeezeera;
Oakland Athletics 6 & ny yankees 5.
Cabrera & Damon collided causing an Inside The Park Homer for Nick Swisher.
Well said, sister!
I, myself, just can't pull off pink, so I stick with my navy blue, but I sure as shit harbor nothing but respect for ALL who sport the Sox paraphernalia with pride.
Hot damn! and that's all I have to say.
It's simple - pink doesn't belong in sports. And I'd safely bet that most girls wearing pink at games or anywhere aren't real fans. Any game I go to, the women wearing pink aren't even paying attention to what's going on. They're either talking about some player's behind or what they're doing later that night. Are you there for the game or a social date?
SoxCruiser, you and I both know the only reason you don't have a pink hat is because I stole the one you had hanging in your house. :-D
It's absolutely stupid to refer to bandwagon fans as "pink hat fans" since we all know there are some woman who are far more knowledgeable than some of the men sitting in the stands, especially ones using their corporate seats.
Women happen to like matching their hat to their outfit and if they want to wear pink to the park, what's wrong with wearing a matching hat?
Is a pink hat any worse than a camo hat?
BTW, I've never worn the pink hat I took from your house to a game but I also sit in the shade during spring training and don't need a hat. If I ever need a hat and am wearing pink that day, I'll proudly wear my pink Sox hat.
With all due respect CJF, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever read.
"Pink doesn't belong in sports"
Ah, but drunken fights in the stands...those are good. And if one of those women wants to flash the cameras, I bet that would be good too.
No wait, maybe all the people who don't have penises should just stay home and bake cookies for those who do?
As a woman, who goes to MANY games, I can tell you there are just as many MEN there who don't have a clue what is going on at the game as there are women. Actually, at Fenway, there are MORE men than women who are clueless in the stands.
But you keep yourself warm with all that stereotyping.
right on! I myswelf don't like the color pink so I don't have a pink hat but what about girls who's favorite color is pink? It's not uncommon you know. I have a light blue hat because that's my favorite color am I a bandwagon fan too? I have a camo one too how about that. these people are out of their minds
How about the Pink Red Sox hats that were sold for Breast Cancer?
Are those people Bandwagoners too?
obviously
I own a pink red sox hat with the breast cancer ribbon on it.
I'll probably never wear it, although after all this hub-bub about it, I am very tempted to wear it the next time I hit Fenway.
Some of these callers to 'EEI, probably believe themselves to be great Red Sox Managers or GMs';
Bwahahahaha!
I once carried a traditional NY Yankees Cap for Undercover Investigations in The Bronx, just to make it easier to get information out of Informants about a particular Location;
But, root for TDYankees? Bwahahahaha!
Hoever, in Latino Areas now, in The Bronx, particularly Dominican ones, A Red Sox or Mets Cap, may just do the trick.
Wear THAT Cap, in Fenway, Cyn:
It's for a worthwhile cause;
Peace!
& who cares what "Dennis & Callahan" says!
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