Hats

During this time of year, with the MLB, NFL, NHL, College Football, (and soon the NBA) in season, there are loads of people walking around wearing hats with team logos on them. As a sports fan, this is one of my favorite times of the year, but as an OCD man with a freakish set of self-imposed rules for myself and others, this time of year drives me up a wall.

.

Everywhere I go, I encounter people wearing hats with all types of team logos on them. To these people I will offer one pearl of wisdom. If you are not a fan of a specific team, don't wear a hat with that team's logo on it and masquerade as one. I realize there are some times when you just need to cover your head and you grab the first hat you see, but if you are going to rep a team, you better be prepared to carry on at least a superficial conversation with regards to that team. Otherwise, you look like a complete douche.

.

I'm a pretty gregarious person, and on more than one occasion, I have commented on a person's hat only to get a puzzled look and a "Huh? Oh, I don't actually follow the team" in return. WTF? Really? Why the hell are you wearing that hat then? Why is that okay? I'm not asking for a deep conversation on the team. I don't need to know the ERA of the team's ace, or how many yards the team's QB passed for that week. Maybe just a "Yeah, so and so is really tearin' it up" or "Yeah, they have a tough test next week against blank."

.

Plain hats exist. You can buy a hat in any color sans logo, and we will not have a problem. I blame stores like Lids for transforming team pride into a fashion statement. I long for the day when people only wear a team's logo if they are a fan of that team. Until that day comes, I can bank on getting more grey hairs and slowly taking years off my life by obsessing over things other people don't care about.