Atlanta Braves: The Cap Debate
Jun 24, 2013; Omaha, NE, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs and UCLA Bruins baseball caps are on display at the merchandise shop before game 1 of the College World Series finals at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Recently, Jeff Schaefer posted an article on The Jersey Debate, and I thought I’d throw up a kind of sister post, The Cap Debate. No, there’s no real cap debate going on. There has been a ton of rants and raves, tweets, and an explosion of opinions regarding the Braves’ news military jerseys, but a great deal less said about the new spring caps.
I thought it my responsibility then, to start the debate about the caps. I’m not really starting a new debate at all, but just attempting to bring it back to the surface to see what visitors have to say on the subject. The debate – is simply whether you or pro or con on flat billed caps?
My disdain for flat billed caps rose again to the surface after David O’Brien reported on Braves’ new cap for spring 2014. One of those nasty flat bills appeared in the article, which I’ve posted here as well, and several painful memories flooded my mind. I can just see that over sized lid on Kris Medlen’s head, and then I picture the stickers still on the bill, and the cap slightly askew on Medlen’s head, and I just want to explode! haha. I love the retro, lower cappped A, but that’s about all I love in that particular cap!
Oh, I guess I’m a racist, right? Wrong! I was called a racist a year or so ago when I commented, publicly, that I hate those flat billed caps. The guy said to me, “What are you, a racist?” Thankfully, in my advancing years, I’ve learned to cool off and walk away from stupidity.
I have found no definitive evidence to support a notion that the flat billed cap is owned by, copyrighted by, or invented by any specific race, creed, or religion. In fact, when I was a kid, caps came flat billed off the rack, and we had to curve them ourselves to that perfect shape. Now, however, many caps are specifically designed to be about as flat billed as possible, and are quite difficult to curve into a good shape.
The only evidence I’ve found is that the X-Generation, and specifically the skateboarders and snowboarders, etc., were some of the first to start wearing their caps with bills as flat as a pancake. Y-Gens are pushing the flat bills now, but I think it started with the X-Gens. To be honest, I didn’t spend hours on such research anyway, because in the end I don’t really care. I just don’t like them, think they look silly, and it has NOTHING to do with racism. To suggest such a thing, to me, is equally as silly as a flat billed cap.
Generally, cap companies still give people a choice in caps – flat billed caps that are very hard to curve because of the material used in the bill, flat bills that are designed to be worn flat or curved to the owner’s choice, and of course, curved bills. The shape of the dome is another issue – with some looking like a pot being worn on your head, some low profile, and those somewhere in-between.
My only hope is that there will be a choice in the cap type for the Braves, because it’s already bad enough to see Medlen or Schaefer, etc. wearing them. If I saw every brave with a flat billed pot on his head, I’d live, because in the end I don’t much care about fashion, but I sure wouldn’t like it.
Fans, what’s your take on this increasing trend toward flat billed pots and lids in baseball? I’d love to know what you think, whether you love them, hate them, or are indifferent. Answer our poll, but please share you comments below as well. Curve bill or flat though, Go Braves!!