Can Short Shorts and Long Socks Ever Outclass Custom Baseball Pants?
Did short pants help the Cincinnati Red Stockings bag a perfect season in 1869?
Aside from the players’ need to show their signature red stockings, they definitely felt more comfortable playing wearing this type of clothing. The 57-0 record the team showed that year seemed proof of concept. To answer this interesting coincidence or thought-out plan, it's important to take a look at how the modern custom baseball pants and jerseys came to be.
Baseball historians believe that the Red Stockings were innovators of their time, particularly in their choice of clothing. Pants (or pantaloons at the time) have been the standard uniform for baseball players as early as the mid-1800s. Ironically, the pioneer of this standard were the New York Knickerbockers.
It wasn't until 1950 when the leagues decided to cut it even shorter by wearing shorts. Teams in the Brooklyn system adopted shorts in an effort to enhance comfort and speed while playing. It didn't catch on, but the Chicago White Sox followed suit in 1976. Despite the Sox's 5-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals, the Sox players didn't like it.
They switched back to pants in their second game against the Royals, which resulted in a 1-7 beat down by the latter. So it seems that shorter is better.
However, it's important to look at how baseball is played, which involves a lot of sliding. Without proper protection, wearing shorts in a baseball game can be a hazard when you slide to safety. In fact, the Red Stockings were still practically covered from waist to ankle with knee pants and red socks, which offered better protection than the Sox's skimpy shorts.
In the end, as much as a pair of shorts enhances a player's mobility, pants provide a balance between mobility and protection, especially from friction of sliding. Players must compensate for their tight trousers with intense training, particularly hip and groin drills. Furthermore, many pants are made out of polyester, which is more durable than the pants of old.
Perhaps the Red Stockings' uniforms played a role in that historic victory of 1869. Nevertheless, the type of quality customized baseball jerseys you wear doesn't matter as long as you have proper training. If you want to know more, check out "Dressed to the Nines: A History of the Baseball Uniform" online at exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org.
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