Every time I watch my son work on his baseball training, I can still hear the strains of “Take Me Out to The Ball Game”. Baseball caps are the number one type of cap worn not only in the USA but in other countries as well. Caps come in many different styles and colors. You can look almost anywhere and find a cap bearing the logo of your favorite team. Caps can also promote a company, program or specific brand name. Even football teams wear baseball style caps to tout their victory in a playoff game or the almighty Super Bowl.
But I’ll bet you didn’t know that they are for more than looks, though, did you? Truth is that these popular caps have a relevance to training and drills. Seriously, drop by any baseball training session and every head on the field has a cap on.
Did you ever wonder why baseball players wear caps? Obviously, the cap tells you what team the player is with as well as show fan loyalty in the stands. But this is not the primary duty of the cap. Caps have the primary duty of keeping the sun out of your eyes when you try to catch that pop fly. They can also keep sweat off of your forehead and from rolling down into your eyes.
Technology has caught up with baseball caps these days. Caps now are designed to keep the head cool using evaporative cooling technology. This is important especially on those lazy, hazy summer days during baseball games as well as baseball drills. Evaporative cooling technology helps keep the player cool in the sun so his concentration is greater and he has less stress. A player with his head in the game is as good as gold. A moment’s distraction is all it takes to miss a grounder or a pop fly.
This cooling effect is also important when wearing batting helmets. Batting helmets are worn when a player is at bat and at anytime that they are on base. This is for safety reasons and stems from an injury sustained by Tony Conigliaro many years ago before helmets were required in the MLB. He was hit in the head by a pitched ball and was severely injured. During baseball training, the baseball cap is worn under the helmet for a couple of reasons. One is to keep the player cool and focused. The other reason is to keep the helmet steady on the head.
Besides their value as a part of the uniform, caps are used by many companies as a marketing tool. Free caps are given on sales visits as a way of promoting the company’s name and/or brand. There are shops that will actually custom design a cap for you with just about anything you want on it. Whether you wear one during baseball drills or just to shade your eyes as you watch from the stands, baseball caps are a great way to show your team loyalty or advertise your company.
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