Yogi Berra says uniforms matter

June 30th, 2008

Yogi Berra, the superstar player and manager of baseball, has been sharing his views on teams and their appearance, but his views go further than sporting achievements.  Here’s what he had to say: 

• …you have a responsibility to those wearing the same uniform. Break a rule or do something foolhardy, you embarrass the uniform. You embarrass yourself and your team. Wearing a uniform — whether you’re a cop or a coffee shop waitress — carries a responsibility and dependability. To those one serves and those wearing the same uniform.

• When I played in the minors, we wore hand-me-down Yankee uniforms. I don’t know whose old woollen jersey I wore, but Charlie Silvera was always thrilled that he wore Lou Gehrig’s old trousers.  Nowadays, nobody wears baggy flannels anymore; there’s no more hand-me-downs. But anyone who puts on a Yankee uniform can’t ignore the history of it all.

• Uniforms are more than a fashion statement. They’re a team’s identity. It’s like what Jerry Seinfeld said about fans: They don’t really root for players, they root for a team’s laundry. I still like that the Yankees still don’t put players’ names on their backs. The team’s identity is more important.

And if Yogi Berra says it, it must be true! I don’t think he’d approve of this T-shirt though …

Anti-yankee T-shirt courtesy of ewan and donabel

Entry Filed under: Sport Related, T-shirts, casual wear, dress code, mens clothing, uniform