It’s a popular trope in TV shows and classic movies to see the high school jocks sporting their school pride through letterman jackets, yet over the years it’s slowly dwindled.
School memorabilia and merchandise have become a thing of the past, so what’s the reason behind this? First, an important thing to know is when it all began. Letterman jackets and school apparel started much earlier than you think.
The idea of letterman jackets first emerged in 1865 when they were worn by the Harvard University Baseball team. It started out as a simple sweater embroidered with the school initials, eventually gaining its more well-known style in the mid-20th century.
Letterman jackets rose to popularity in the 50s and peaked in the 80s. However, they soon fell out of favor in the early 21st century.
Junior Rayana Hall is an athlete who participates in Junior Varsity Basketball, as well as both Varsity Soccer and Softball. She confirms what a lot of people have observed about our athletes.
“I think I’ve seen like three people wear them before. No one hardly buys them,” Hall said.
Letterman jackets are a sign of school pride. They are also a way to boost your confidence and show everyone you’re a star athlete. Not to mention they’ve been a tradition for over a century.
However, varsity apparel has begun to have a negative connotation to it. The jocks are seen as big, brainless athletes who only know sports. With this negative stereotype in place, that could be a reason for this recent downfall.
It’s also believed that these jackets are earned like a trophy. Because of that, many athletes keep their letterman jackets at home and rarely take them outside.
Another theory is that they were never that popular to begin with. Movies and TV shows have a habit of blowing things out of proportion, so perhaps they were never as big as we thought.
There are definitely a lot of factors, but the main one is the time. Trends come and go, so maybe these jackets will make a reappearance in the future.
