The birth of one growing spring fashion trend is pretty easy to nail down: On St. Patrick’s Day in 1978, at a Spring Training game, the Cincinnati Reds came out wearing green uniforms.
Since that day, other baseball teams — teams in all sports, really — have jumped on the Kelly green bandwagon.
“It all started with baseball teams,” says Scott Hagel, senior director of corporate communications for the Bears, who now sell green T-shirts, “but our fan base certainly embraces St. Patrick’s Day.”
“It’s a lot of fun,” says Howard Smith, senior vice president for licensing for Major League Baseball. “The fans love it, especially those fans who are Irish.”
The trend has grown so that a Chicago sports fan could build a snappy ensemble, all in green.
Shirts
All our local teams — the Sox, Cubs, Bulls, Blackhawks and Bears — offer some type of polo or T-shirt.
Underwear
Both the Cubs and White Sox offer shamrock-festooned boxers. Classy.
Jerseys
Take it up a notch with a jersey. The Hawks have a spiffy-looking one, and the Cubs offer a batting-practice jersey. (Bargain-hunters, take note: Last week, a green Bulls jersey sporting the No. 3 of long-gone Ben Wallace was cut from $74.95 to a recession-friendly $37.20.)
Outerwear
Keep off the chill with hoodies and sweat shirts (Sox, Hawks, Cubs) or track jackets (Sox and Cubs).
Pants
The Sox and Cubs offer cotton print shamrock-decorated Dublin pants.
Hats
And top it all off with a hat. The Sox, Hawks and Bulls all offer sporty baseball-style caps. But let’s go with the Cubs’ green knit stocking cap. It’s stylish for St. Paddy’s, but also a smart accessory for baseball in Chicago in April. And sometimes May.
Accessories
Pull on a green Cubs visor or wear green and white Cubs beads. Slip a green Hawks puck in your pocket.
