Does anyone remember Merle Harmon's Fan Fair? It was the first store I can remember that sold team jerseys. They were located in a mall in Milwaukee and and a group of friends nd I stopped by there on a road trip from St. Louis to see Michael Jordan play for the Bulls against the Bucks in the mid-80's. I thought at the time that it was a great concept. Kind of like a TV network that showed nothing but sports. Who'd have thought it would explode into what we have today?
Wear the Jersey ! Love it! Go Canes~! 2 MT. Improbable (Knicks, Canes @ the beginning of the seasons) Championships! And Joe -- You Wrote about 'em! And you liked it! Plus, loved the word "Baffling!". Really opening up that Thesaurus! Good Article - Thanks.
Another fan/jersey experience. I live in KC, and the World Cup is here. My cousin and his Wife (of Argentinian descent) and their two children were visiting and staying with us to see Argentina play in the World cup. (They dominated Algeria today, with Messi scoring all three goals.) I got a chance to be (with them) at an official fan gathering of Argentinians the night before, and the energy was infectious. Jerseys and face paint everywhere. Camaraderie. Excitement. A sense of community. And it wasn't even the game.
I wasn't at the game, (My cousin and his family were) but the excitement was palpable even on TV. The amount of fun they must have had (They are not back to the house yet.) Experiences like this last a lifetime.
Just finished reading Big Fan. Great read with something for everyone. My favorite story was the one about the blind NASCAR fan even though I don't count myself as a NASCAR fan.
I have a lot of team themed shirts, mostly tees and a few polo shirts but no jerseys. Player the med gear always reminds me of the Celtics retirement of "Jungle Jim" Loscutoff's jersey. He wore number 18 and played on 7 Boston NBA championship teams. Jim agreed to be honored but asked that "18" not be retired so future Celtics could wear it. 18 was later retired in honor of Dave Cowens. If you look at the banners of retired numbers you will see 23 numbers and one square that simply says "Loscy".
Did Michael Schur ever figure out who was sending him NBA jerseys a while back?
Was it on the Poscast where Joe and Michael's buddies proposed a jersey company that would allow you to get say a Mets jersey with #8 Anunoby. Or a Raptors jersey with Guerrero Jr on the back.
I've been wearing a Knicks jersey pretty much every day throughout this magical run and it brings joy to me and I'm pretty sure everyone around me. Wandering through the farmers market or going for coffee down the street from my work I get equal parts Brunson 3 hand gestures and Go Spurs directed at me as my mid-size Canadian town claims Kelly Olynyk as one of its own.
Logan Stankoven is also one of ours, so there are plenty of Canes jerseys popping up , but I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in town wearing a Knicks jersey and I don't see any adults wearing NBA jerseys.
Embrace the jersey. It really does open people up.
A few of you noted the price of "authentic" jerseys and the money grab. I initially wanted to get a Knicks jersey ordered with #36 Chambers on it, but at the time the NBA store and Lids and any other official retailer wouldn't do it due to copyright. Then I tried to get no name but 19 on the front and 10 on the back, but it was too difficult for anyone to wrap their head around.
This was about a decade ago, and I believe you now can get personalized custom name and #, but I don't know about 2 different numbers.
So I took a chance on ordering a knock off with 2 number and got it and have no complaints about the quality.
Hi Joe. I would dearly love for you to write about your recent USTA mixed doubles match with Maddy, as well as your experience trying to return Greg Rusedski's serve. I am looking forward to hearing about your Djoker-esque shapeshifting exploits on the courts.
Thank you for sharing the article about a Dinner with Abraham Lincoln! That was amazing! I know you do enough books for many but I would read a whole book on unit about baseball.
I almost never wear ball caps. Very occasionally in the past my IU Hoosiers basketball cap. Main reason for wearing a cap is when I very occasionally play tennis outdoors.
And I no longer had my IU shirt. But this last year when IU won the football championship I couldn’t help myself and bought 2 different championship shirts: “IU Beat Everybody” and “16-0 Indiana National Champs”. I think mostly to convince myself that this actually happened. Some days I still think I am dreaming or I woke up in a parallel universe. Have worn both a couple of times to the club where I play Tennis & Pickleball. Considering that I live in Vancouver Washington it’s a unique item.
I think he wrote about transitioning to fully at-home work to a separate office a while back, but I don't remember any details. But with all his travel and research and writing and appearances and the website, I imagine he employs at least a small staff to keep it all going. In this day and age that doesn't necessarily mean having everyone physically at one site, of course.
Back in the 1960s my friend miraculously found a place to send away for OFFICIAL Major League Baseball hats. The way you could tell is that they had exactly 7 rows of stitching on the brim. No other hats had that. My memory is that they cost $13, in an era where the “souvenir” caps available at stadiums were $5. Owning one of those was the coolest I ever felt as a kid.
My wife likes to make fun of me for it (and complain about the smell of sweaty polyester), but I'm a dude in upstate NY who's not yet been to London and still loves Arsenal Football Club dearly, so oftentimes when I go out for walks or hikes I'll wear one of my...uh, five?...Arsenal shirts.
Why? Partly it's just the pride thing or whatever (especially now, after they finally won the Premier League again), but also, as Joe said, because I want someone to say something to me! Would I like to meet and befriend some Arsenal-loving fans (especially those who enjoy nature)? Sure! But in the past few weeks there have been a couple moments of tiny connections, not even conversations, where I've felt a spark that's different than what you normally get in life. One was just a look from a younger guy with his Airpods in, wearing an Arsenal shirt of his own. Like, yup, we did it. And another was a guy who I presume is a fan of a different club who looked at me and smiled and said, simply, "Congratulations!"
I said thank you and kept moving, but in that moment felt that tiny sense of pride, as if I'd accomplished something—all just because I was wearing the jersey.
Wow, five? Impressive. I only have two, both pretty old -- one is Cesc Fabregas, the other from the JVC sponsorship days, with the old crest. I thought about getting the Black Arsenal alt a couple of years ago, but didn't pull the trigger. Go Gunners!
I have been wearing the cap pretty much everywhere, but so far since the title the only recognition I got was from a young guy at Home Depot, after the title but before the Champions League final. He gave me a high five but turned out to be a PSG fan!
Ooh, a Cesc one would be nice. Actually one of mine is a used JVC one. I've just liked this current iteration of the team so much I've decided to get one each of the past few years, starting with that black one with Saka's name on it, then Odegaard, Rice, and this year Eze in the white third kit.
I've seen pictures of next year's dark blue, reverse bruised banana kit, and I looooove it, so I think I need one more...but maybe then I can stop!
A PSG fan! Thank god it was before the Champions League final.
Oh, definitely wear the jersey/sweater/kit. We weren’t allowed to wear baseball hats in high school back in the early/mid-‘80s … but pretty much the most recent half of my adult life, I’ve had a hat affixed to my noggin. I’m a Sawx fan, so … some kind of Red Sox hat in the spring, summer, and into October (late October, on some occasions), and then Pats hats. Sometime around the turn of the century I picked up a Sox jersey … number 9. I wore it occasionally, but was pretty self-conscious about it. Now? I have either a jersey problem or not enough jerseys. Some with matching hats. Not every day, but lots of days.
I live and work in a small town of 800 or so people … and on many occasions I’ve had complete strangers pull over on the side of the road while I’m out on a walk and want to talk about baseball. It could be an old guy who sees me in a Detroit jersey who wants to talk about The Bird, or someone sees the Tequila Sunrise Astros jersey and wants to talk about Houston’s 2026 thin chances. And, of course, people want to fuss about the Sawx.
I’m sure you have no shortage of strangers who want to talk sports with you. But still … wear the jersey.
I like stood on his ear better as a hockey goalie saying up here in Minnesota
You go to an office?
Does anyone remember Merle Harmon's Fan Fair? It was the first store I can remember that sold team jerseys. They were located in a mall in Milwaukee and and a group of friends nd I stopped by there on a road trip from St. Louis to see Michael Jordan play for the Bulls against the Bucks in the mid-80's. I thought at the time that it was a great concept. Kind of like a TV network that showed nothing but sports. Who'd have thought it would explode into what we have today?
Wear the Jersey ! Love it! Go Canes~! 2 MT. Improbable (Knicks, Canes @ the beginning of the seasons) Championships! And Joe -- You Wrote about 'em! And you liked it! Plus, loved the word "Baffling!". Really opening up that Thesaurus! Good Article - Thanks.
Another fan/jersey experience. I live in KC, and the World Cup is here. My cousin and his Wife (of Argentinian descent) and their two children were visiting and staying with us to see Argentina play in the World cup. (They dominated Algeria today, with Messi scoring all three goals.) I got a chance to be (with them) at an official fan gathering of Argentinians the night before, and the energy was infectious. Jerseys and face paint everywhere. Camaraderie. Excitement. A sense of community. And it wasn't even the game.
I wasn't at the game, (My cousin and his family were) but the excitement was palpable even on TV. The amount of fun they must have had (They are not back to the house yet.) Experiences like this last a lifetime.
Just finished reading Big Fan. Great read with something for everyone. My favorite story was the one about the blind NASCAR fan even though I don't count myself as a NASCAR fan.
I have a lot of team themed shirts, mostly tees and a few polo shirts but no jerseys. Player the med gear always reminds me of the Celtics retirement of "Jungle Jim" Loscutoff's jersey. He wore number 18 and played on 7 Boston NBA championship teams. Jim agreed to be honored but asked that "18" not be retired so future Celtics could wear it. 18 was later retired in honor of Dave Cowens. If you look at the banners of retired numbers you will see 23 numbers and one square that simply says "Loscy".
Did Michael Schur ever figure out who was sending him NBA jerseys a while back?
Was it on the Poscast where Joe and Michael's buddies proposed a jersey company that would allow you to get say a Mets jersey with #8 Anunoby. Or a Raptors jersey with Guerrero Jr on the back.
Crossovers or something?
I've been wearing a Knicks jersey pretty much every day throughout this magical run and it brings joy to me and I'm pretty sure everyone around me. Wandering through the farmers market or going for coffee down the street from my work I get equal parts Brunson 3 hand gestures and Go Spurs directed at me as my mid-size Canadian town claims Kelly Olynyk as one of its own.
Logan Stankoven is also one of ours, so there are plenty of Canes jerseys popping up , but I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in town wearing a Knicks jersey and I don't see any adults wearing NBA jerseys.
Embrace the jersey. It really does open people up.
A few of you noted the price of "authentic" jerseys and the money grab. I initially wanted to get a Knicks jersey ordered with #36 Chambers on it, but at the time the NBA store and Lids and any other official retailer wouldn't do it due to copyright. Then I tried to get no name but 19 on the front and 10 on the back, but it was too difficult for anyone to wrap their head around.
This was about a decade ago, and I believe you now can get personalized custom name and #, but I don't know about 2 different numbers.
So I took a chance on ordering a knock off with 2 number and got it and have no complaints about the quality.
Hi Joe. I would dearly love for you to write about your recent USTA mixed doubles match with Maddy, as well as your experience trying to return Greg Rusedski's serve. I am looking forward to hearing about your Djoker-esque shapeshifting exploits on the courts.
Thank you for sharing the article about a Dinner with Abraham Lincoln! That was amazing! I know you do enough books for many but I would read a whole book on unit about baseball.
I almost never wear ball caps. Very occasionally in the past my IU Hoosiers basketball cap. Main reason for wearing a cap is when I very occasionally play tennis outdoors.
And I no longer had my IU shirt. But this last year when IU won the football championship I couldn’t help myself and bought 2 different championship shirts: “IU Beat Everybody” and “16-0 Indiana National Champs”. I think mostly to convince myself that this actually happened. Some days I still think I am dreaming or I woke up in a parallel universe. Have worn both a couple of times to the club where I play Tennis & Pickleball. Considering that I live in Vancouver Washington it’s a unique item.
You go to an office?
I think he wrote about transitioning to fully at-home work to a separate office a while back, but I don't remember any details. But with all his travel and research and writing and appearances and the website, I imagine he employs at least a small staff to keep it all going. In this day and age that doesn't necessarily mean having everyone physically at one site, of course.
Back in the 1960s my friend miraculously found a place to send away for OFFICIAL Major League Baseball hats. The way you could tell is that they had exactly 7 rows of stitching on the brim. No other hats had that. My memory is that they cost $13, in an era where the “souvenir” caps available at stadiums were $5. Owning one of those was the coolest I ever felt as a kid.
My wife likes to make fun of me for it (and complain about the smell of sweaty polyester), but I'm a dude in upstate NY who's not yet been to London and still loves Arsenal Football Club dearly, so oftentimes when I go out for walks or hikes I'll wear one of my...uh, five?...Arsenal shirts.
Why? Partly it's just the pride thing or whatever (especially now, after they finally won the Premier League again), but also, as Joe said, because I want someone to say something to me! Would I like to meet and befriend some Arsenal-loving fans (especially those who enjoy nature)? Sure! But in the past few weeks there have been a couple moments of tiny connections, not even conversations, where I've felt a spark that's different than what you normally get in life. One was just a look from a younger guy with his Airpods in, wearing an Arsenal shirt of his own. Like, yup, we did it. And another was a guy who I presume is a fan of a different club who looked at me and smiled and said, simply, "Congratulations!"
I said thank you and kept moving, but in that moment felt that tiny sense of pride, as if I'd accomplished something—all just because I was wearing the jersey.
Wow, five? Impressive. I only have two, both pretty old -- one is Cesc Fabregas, the other from the JVC sponsorship days, with the old crest. I thought about getting the Black Arsenal alt a couple of years ago, but didn't pull the trigger. Go Gunners!
I have been wearing the cap pretty much everywhere, but so far since the title the only recognition I got was from a young guy at Home Depot, after the title but before the Champions League final. He gave me a high five but turned out to be a PSG fan!
Ooh, a Cesc one would be nice. Actually one of mine is a used JVC one. I've just liked this current iteration of the team so much I've decided to get one each of the past few years, starting with that black one with Saka's name on it, then Odegaard, Rice, and this year Eze in the white third kit.
I've seen pictures of next year's dark blue, reverse bruised banana kit, and I looooove it, so I think I need one more...but maybe then I can stop!
A PSG fan! Thank god it was before the Champions League final.
I'd like to "like" this comment, as it really nails something meaningful.
But I'm a Spurs fan, so #%!$ the damn Gooners and their fans. Sorry.
COYS!
Haha, that's fair!
Oh, definitely wear the jersey/sweater/kit. We weren’t allowed to wear baseball hats in high school back in the early/mid-‘80s … but pretty much the most recent half of my adult life, I’ve had a hat affixed to my noggin. I’m a Sawx fan, so … some kind of Red Sox hat in the spring, summer, and into October (late October, on some occasions), and then Pats hats. Sometime around the turn of the century I picked up a Sox jersey … number 9. I wore it occasionally, but was pretty self-conscious about it. Now? I have either a jersey problem or not enough jerseys. Some with matching hats. Not every day, but lots of days.
I live and work in a small town of 800 or so people … and on many occasions I’ve had complete strangers pull over on the side of the road while I’m out on a walk and want to talk about baseball. It could be an old guy who sees me in a Detroit jersey who wants to talk about The Bird, or someone sees the Tequila Sunrise Astros jersey and wants to talk about Houston’s 2026 thin chances. And, of course, people want to fuss about the Sawx.
I’m sure you have no shortage of strangers who want to talk sports with you. But still … wear the jersey.