The Tired Trend of Pink Apparel

When we first moved to Boston in 2001, the Boston Red Sox were in a decades-long swoon. As a baseball fan, their swoon was my gain, because I could literally walk up to the box office on the day of any game and get a ticket or two without any problem. That would change in 2004, making a Red Sox ticket more elusive than an entry into the Boston Marathon. 

My first year or two of attending games in Fenway Park were almost always about who the Red Sox were playing, rather than about watching the Red Sox. We didn’t have a lot of money as recent college grads – I was in grad school and Erin was working an entry level social work job – but I did have a desire to purchase some Red Sox gear and play the part of a good New England fan, even if I was still unsure about my allegiance to the team.

Eventually I purchased a hat, and wore it whenever the Royals weren’t in town. I was still loyal to the Royals at that point, but my fandom was waning (to be fair, the Royals were my team only because they were my dad’s team – oh, and they also had Jamie Quirk for a few years). 

As I researched what to buy in the summer of 2004, I came across a unique phenomenon – the collective hatred of Red Sox fans for the pink Red Sox hat. As proof, I present to you articles on the phenomenon that began in 2004:

1. https://www.boston.com/culture/fashion/2008/06/26/why-is-this-pink-hat-so-hated
2. https://www.golocalprov.com/sports/how-many-pink-hats-do-the-red-sox-have-to-sell
3. https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2007/09/06/the-pink-hats-are-taking-over-part-i/
4. https://www.bostonmagazine.com/2009/03/23/more-than-just-a-hat/3/
5. https://www.reddit.com/r/redsox/comments/2999gt/how_do_you_define_a_pink_hat_fan/

And that is just on the first page of the Google search! There is much more that has been written on this, but I am not one who is bothered by people wearing pink Red Sox hats. But I am bothered by something else. 

Yesterday was Mother’s Day – and MLB has made pink hats and socks part of the Mother’s Day uniforms (in addition to Breast Cancer Awareness month). But doing so for Mother’s Day, to me, feels trite. Why pink on Mother’s Day? It is certainly a way for MLB to make money. But as a practice wearing pink on Mother’s Day seems so boring – not to mention a bit behind the times in terms of gendering colors. 

Instead of wearing the color pink, might I suggest that MLB teams provide more opportunities for women to work in the game? The Marlins hiring Kim Ng as GM was a great start. And the Giants have Alyssa Nakken on the MLB coaching staff, which is great. I’d be remiss to not mention my Red Sox hiring Bianca Smith for their Minor League staff. But the sport is dominated by men, and for no reason other than historical precedent and misogynistic practices that limit opportunities for women who are qualified and ready to get to work.  

So instead of honoring women by wearing pink, my hope is MLB will begin honoring women by continuing to create pathways, to remove barriers, and to normalize the hiring of women into all facets of the game.

That would be an excellent way to celebrate Mother’s Day. Way better than wearing pink. 

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