Boxed In: Best sports uniform to wear casually — Basketball vs. Hockey
On today's Boxed In, Yahoo's sartorial scholars Liz Loza, LaJethro Jenkins and Hannah Keyser debate the merits of the best sports uniform to wear in public. While Hannah defends the impeccable hockey sweater, LaJethro argues the basketball jersey is the best choice to wear in public. Watch or listen to Boxed In every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on Yahoo Sports, YouTube or on your podcast provider of choice. Subscribe: https://apple.co/39UC09o https://spoti.fi/3aVpV56
Video Transcript
LIZ LOZA: Hello, and welcome to Boxed In. This is Yahoo Sports' debate show. I am Liz Loza, and I will be presiding over today's argument, which is what's the most acceptable sports uniform for an adult to wear casually. We have Hannah Keyser arguing in favor of hockey sweaters, and LaJethro Jenkins bringing it home for basketball jerseys. Let's get going. Hannah, you start.
HANNAH KEYSER: OK, so I'm going to surprise everybody here. Because I can count on one hand the number of hockey games I've been to in my life, and I don't own a single hockey jersey. But hear me out.
I think that this is a testament to how unbiasedly correct this claim really is. I do not wear hockey jerseys, because I am not a fan of hockey. But after several days of thinking about the stylistic considerations, I might start collecting them, because they'd look good.
They look good, and here's the thing. Looking good is key here. I understand that the premise of this question, which sports jersey looks the most acceptable, not shirseys. All shirseys are cool. You can rock a shirsey. I know that kind of implies that most sports jerseys are lame or at least sort of incongruous, if you're trying to sartorial convey that you both care about your favorite team and also have a 401(k). But I don't want to just consider which ones are the least bad.
LIZ LOZA: Hold on. Hold on. Pause it. Jesus Christ, Hannah, like you are already-- good luck, John Nichols.
HANNAH KEYSER: You know I don't like this.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I'm stressed. I am stressed.
LIZ LOZA: Please talk about you're going to convey that you have a 401(k) while you're racking up Philly Flyers jersey. Get ready bro.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: When she said sartorial, I'm like, all right, it's a wrap, but go ahead.
HANNAH KEYSER: All right, let me just-- OK, so a lot of them are not bad. A lot of them are not bad. So I was thinking for the least not bad, maybe you got like a soccer kit. They look fine. They're pretty nondescript.
But I don't want to talk to that guy who's wearing a soccer kit. He's going to tell me all about how he studied abroad and how the Premier League is really on to something with relegation. Hockey sweaters are actually cool. They're bold. They're graphic. They're usually a little retro looking. That's super in style right now.
They prominently feature the team's logo. And team logo, that's why everybody wears a baseball hat. Because logos are visually exciting and we like them. Put that on a big ass sweater, and it looks great.
Hockey sweaters fit this really, really crucial sweet spot for sportswear. They're not trying to be professional, so here's the problem. I love baseball, but you can't be wearing a button up sportswear. Like that's not cool. You can't wear like a cashmere button up.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Wear it unbuttoned.
HANNAH KEYSER: Yeah, see, now that's actually-- if you like got a tank top, your girl eats like a summer cardigan, you got me there for baseball. But they also don't automatically look like you're about to participate in a middle school gym class, like most pennies do. They just look like cool, casual team branded athleisure. You would wear a sweatshirt. You would wear a sweater.
LIZ LOZA: OK, well, Hannah, I mean, I don't know if I need to drink today. Because my head is already scrambled from all that, but--
LAJETHRO JENKINS: A lot of information.
LIZ LOZA: Girl, hashtag smart girls unite. I am loving this. Can I with Hannah more? John Nichols, good luck. It's your turn.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I say basketball jerseys. I'm not here to argue. I'm merely just here to tell the truth. I actually like hockey jerseys, but it's basketball by far. Basketball is the most popular sport, has the most popular athletes, and sells more merch. You only see hockey uniforms worn by people who are fans of the city or fans of the team.
You see basketball jerseys worn by many different people. Well, you see many people wearing different basketball jerseys, because people are fans of basketball stuff. Because basketball stuff is cool. You know what I mean?
And that's at all levels of the sport. My first basketball jersey was a Georgetown Iverson jersey. You know what I'm saying? College jerseys, are they even sold for hockey? You know what I'm saying? I've never actually seen one in real life out in the wild. I mean, by far on all levels, it's basketball jerseys.
LIZ LOZA: What do you think, though, John, about the whole tank top situation for basketball jerseys? Because then--
HANNAH KEYSER: Thank you, Liz. Thank you.
LIZ LOZA: It's big. Like you got some hairy armpit action.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I will say this. Do not wear a basketball jersey without anything under. It does look musty, but it's so versatile. And we will get into that later.
LIZ LOZA: OK, OK.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: But there's so much versatility with basketball jerseys.
LIZ LOZA: You were teasing.
HANNAH KEYSER: But here's my thing.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Unless you're like Coachella or a music festival, like things like that, people wear basketball jerseys all the time.
LIZ LOZA: That doesn't make it right.
HANNAH KEYSER: If you look good in a basketball jersey--
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I mean, it's cool.
HANNAH KEYSER: If you look good in a basketball jersey, more power to you. You are almost certainly someone who could wear anything.
LIZ LOZA: You better have a fly--
HANNAH KEYSER: Right, exactly.
LIZ LOZA: If you're in a basketball jersey, you better about fly rib tattoo that comes up, like a big old jaguar or something on the side of you. But let's talk about the stylishness though. I'm going to kick it back to Hannah, because you mentioned the logo being prominent in hockey jerseys. And logos are visually stimulating, and I agree with you there.
I'm thinking like, what's your favorite? What's the most visually stimulating? I'm immediately thinking the San Jose Sharks, because that teal is hot.
HANNAH KEYSER: That's a good one.
LIZ LOZA: But what other ones could you wear? And is it considered-- I mean, where do you where do you put fashion over repping a geographic area? Because like I don't care about the San Jose Sharks. I'm a Blackhawks fan, but I also have some issues with wearing that jersey all the time.
HANNAH KEYSER: So consider this. I came prepared. Think about Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Do you remember what Cameron is wearing in that movie? That is a great movie. That is a classic. That is also iconic--
LIZ LOZA: Hannah.
HANNAH KEYSER: --of the late '80s--
LIZ LOZA: Someone did her homework.
HANNAH KEYSER: --which is an era who's fashion are coming back in style. For most of that film, Cameron is wearing a Red Wings Gordie Howe jersey, and it looks great. It also doesn't look too out of place. It doesn't scream like, wait a minute, why are you wearing a Gordie Howe jersey in Chicago? It doesn't look out of place.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Because it's a movie.
HANNAH KEYSER: But it looks-- that's a great-- like you asked which one would I wear. Like you could wear that red and white Red Wings jersey, and it's like a throwback. It feels very--
LIZ LOZA: Classic.
HANNAH KEYSER: --of Ferris Bueller's. Yeah, and it doesn't look out of place at an art museum, a high school, or a baseball game. They go to a baseball game in a hockey jersey, and it looks cool.
LIZ LOZA: Cameron's like not really who I want to emulate vibe wise.
HANNAH KEYSER: I mean, yeah, I'd rather look like Sloan. Her style, she's got the fringe jacket and everything. Let's come back and do an episode about that.
LIZ LOZA: All right, well, you're from Philly. Would you rock a Flyers jersey?
HANNAH KEYSER: See, now that's-- you might have got me. Black and orange is though. I'm not going to lie. Orange is a tough color. I would rock a Rangers jersey. I live in New York now. I'd rock an Islanders jersey. They've got good ones.
LIZ LOZA: OK, all right, I'm feeling this. This is a very interesting argument. John?
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Yeah.
LIZ LOZA: Give me the colors. Like obviously--
LAJETHRO JENKINS: OK.
LIZ LOZA: You know, the Lakers weren't-- you and I live in LA. So the Lakers logo jersey, synonymous, very acceptable at this point. You're walking around Los Angeles. You see someone in a Lakers jersey. You just know it's fine.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Yeah.
LIZ LOZA: But what are you doing if you're like-- like you love the-- what's that Greek player's name?
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Oh, Giannis, the Bucks.
LIZ LOZA: Yeah, I know you play, but what? Are you going to walk around in the Milwaukee Bucks jersey or a Pacers jersey?
LAJETHRO JENKINS: That's exactly what you do. That's exactly what you do, because basketball jerseys are just cool. People, you don't have to be a fan of the team to actually wear the jerseys. Like I have Grisly shorts on. I've never been to a Grizzlies game. I don't care about the Memphis Grizzlies. You know what I'm saying?
These are actually the Vancouver Grizzlies shorts, and that's one thing about basketball is we have like 50, 60 years since the beginning of the league that shows people wearing judges from-- like throwback jerseys from back in the '60s and '70s as well, you know? Like Raptors and Grizzlies jerseys, I mean, those are some of the better jerseys.
Houston Comets, Cynthia Cooper back when she played for Houston, oh, those jerseys were crazy. The purple Lakers Showtime's jersey, that looks like desert. If they sold it at Cheesecake Factory, I'd purchased it off its dessert menu. You know what I'm saying?
It's delicious. I mean, I already talk about the Georgetown jersey. UNC powder blue, that is timeless. The UConn jersey Diana Taurasi played, pinstripe Bulls jerseys. You know, like people have multiple charges. You don't have to wear-- people don't wear jerseys [INAUDIBLE] with the team. They wear them, because they like the colors and how they look.
LIZ LOZA: And they're also like attached. As you're talking about this, like I'm thinking about the Supersonics jerseys when you're talking about--
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Right, the throwbacks.
LIZ LOZA: --throwbacks and Washington Bullets. My husband's from DC, and obviously, they're the Wizards now. But like, if I saw somebody in a Bullets jersey, I'd respect. That's a cool thing.
HANNAH KEYSER: But you'd also think, where you go into that penny? You'd be like, that's a cool Bullets jersey.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: It depends on how you wear it. It depends on how you wear it. You know what I mean? There's multiple ways to rock it, and we could talk about that when we get into versatility. But there's multiple ways the rock it, so it doesn't look like a penny, like you said. It doesn't look musty with your armpit out and all that.
LIZ LOZA: Also, I love that you're throwing out the WNBA jerseys and stuff too. I hadn't even considered that, but let's go to versatility. Because I think now, you know, it's not just-- and you make a good point about the basketball jerseys not just being NBA repping. Whereas hockey jerseys are just the NHL, like that's all you're going to rock.
Nobody's going to rock their university's hockey jersey, unless they were on the team, which is not about fashion. That's about go into practice. So Hannah, tell me then how are these hockey sweaters socially versatile? How are you wearing them? I mean, are you going to put a big one on with some leggings and cinch it?
HANNAH KEYSER: Yeah, why not? That's the thing.
LIZ LOZA: You are?
HANNAH KEYSER: I actually think you got me on the appeal of basketball jerseys, the fact that they conjure something up. I'm with you. That sounds great. Like if I go into a vintage store and I see an Allen Iverson jersey, because I'm from Philly, I'll buy that. That's cool. But like, where am I wearing that?
I'm not wearing that to work. I'm not really even going to wear that to lie around the house, because you know, you've got to put a bra on under it. And it shows on the side. It doesn't work.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Not convenient.
HANNAH KEYSER: Like a hockey sweater, it's an article of clothing. You can throw that on over whatever you're wearing. It's warm. It's truly versatile as an article of clothing. Like if you want to buy a basketball jersey and get them framed, that looks great. I think it looks cool. You could have them behind you right now, and I would think, that's a cool piece of nostalgia and--
LIZ LOZA: Memorabilia.
HANNAH KEYSER: --and sports memorabilia. I just don't think-- I think, if you're wearing a basketball jersey, it is the epitome of not versatile. I think you're going to play a basketball game. If I see someone wearing a basketball jersey, I'm like, that person's going to play a basketball game or they're going to a rap contest.
LIZ LOZA: Like legit though-- a rap contest. Legit, though, where are you rolling up in a hockey sweater?
HANNAH KEYSER: I would wear it to work. I think that'd look cool. You could tuck it into jeans. Here's my ultimate final argument about where you can wear a hockey sweater. NBA players wear hockey sweaters. I did some research.
I did some Googling, and I found Donovan Mitchell, Russell Westbrook wearing hockey sweaters before basketball games. And they look cool. They look so cool. They wouldn't even wear-- and you cannot find me even one instance of a hockey player wearing a basketball jersey.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: They can't pull them off. Hockey players aren't as cool as basketball players.
HANNAH KEYSER: That's totally true, but I'm not as cool as a basketball player either. I can't pull it off.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: You could pull it off.
LIZ LOZA: But maybe that's the point is that none of us are as cool.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: You have on a Gucci sweater. You could pull it off.
HANNAH KEYSER: Oh, thank you. Thank you. If any one of us could pull up a basketball jersey, we'd be wearing it right now.
LIZ LOZA: Well, John, there's your opportunity to rebuttal.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: OK.
LIZ LOZA: How is the basketball jersey versatile? Because she has a point. You see a guy in a basketball jersey. You're like, oh, they're probably going to play some pickup or something. They're not necessarily financially stable.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I've never actually seen anybody play basketball that doesn't play for a team in an actual basketball. We just play in t-shirts. We just play in t-shirts. But throughout pop culture, you know what I'm saying? Music videos, you see like-- I mean, you see basketball players wearing other players basketball jerseys, like throwback jerseys, to basketball games too. You know what I'm saying?
I've been a hockey games and seen people wearing basketball jerseys at hockey games. And that speaks to the versatility. You can wear basketball jersey with a t-shirt up under it when it's hot. You know what I'm saying?
You could wear a basket jersey with a sweatshirt up under it when it's cold, and that's what people do when they go to hockey games. Oh yeah, it's cool. Look it up. It's cool. If you look up basketball players, you've seen them do the same, where they wear it up under long sleeve tees or sweatshirts. I've seen people wear basketball jerseys under flannels. I couldn't pull that off--
LIZ LOZA: Oh, under a flannel.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: --but it looks great. Under a flannel, under a flannel.
HANNAH KEYSER: Oh OK. I was thinking over too.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: But it looked great. It looked great. You know what I'm saying? Like I said, I don't advise you to wear it in the way that basketball players wear with nothing under it. And we haven't even talked about the shorts. Like I said, I have a pair of shorts on now, basketball shorts on now.
You know, I wear these to work. I wear them to work. I wore them to brunch. I wore them around the house. My little brother wants them. My lady tried to steal them from me. You know what I'm saying? Like they're easily the most versatile piece of clothing in my wardrobe by far.
HANNAH KEYSER: Oh man.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: They're as versatile as a t-shirt.
HANNAH KEYSER: I'm going to have to make a motion to have the shorts not considered.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Basketball uniform.
HANNAH KEYSER: Because I do love me some basketball shorts.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Thank you. Thank you. Basketball uniforms.
LIZ LOZA: I don't agree.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I mean, sports uniform. That's my uniform.
HANNAH KEYSER: I wore them yesterday. I got these vintage Nike ones.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Versatile, that's the thing.
LIZ LOZA: Yeah, but basketball shorts are fine when we're in week eight of quarantine.
HANNAH KEYSER: That's true.
LIZ LOZA: Like you cannot--
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I've wore them to brunch. No, I've worn them to brunch.
LIZ LOZA: Well, that's on you.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I get compliments. My lady likes them. Like I said, my little brother complimented me on them. I get compliments on especially these Grizzlies ones. I've worn these all over the place, and I'm not wearing like Nike hooping shorts that are actually made for hooping.
I mean, these are looked at as designer. When you look at LeBron James, he wears a particular-- there's a particular short that's worth $500 that people are paying $500. It's sold out that people are wearing.
LIZ LOZA: But John, you and LeBron, like if my husband rolled up in the house with those Grizzly shorts on, it's not-- I mean, well, we'd stay married, but that's it.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: This is the thing. Me and your husband, I can a workout every morning. We could do these squats, get them legs right. He wouldn't see-- get them calves up. You'd love him in these Grizzly shorts.
LIZ LOZA: I'm just saying. You got to be a certain-- because if you're like a 40-year-old dad rock basketball shorts--
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I'm 37. I'm 37.
HANNAH KEYSER: You look great for 37.
LIZ LOZA: My husband just did the-- yes.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: And I'm pulling them off. I'm pulling them off.
LIZ LOZA: OK.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I mean, like everything else, it's about confidence. If you see people wearing hockey jerseys, It can look goofy or clunky too, depending how you wear them. You can switch them up to look a particular way. The same thing with basketball shorts.
HANNAH KEYSER: Yeah, that's the thing. See, I love that you pull off those basketball shorts. I think they look cool on you. You make me want to wear them, and I say this as someone, who I have what could be described as a fairly occasionally extreme style. And I encourage everybody to cultivate their own sense of cool.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: There we go.
HANNAH KEYSER: And you cannot tell me that a mesh tank top is a universally flattering look. It is just not.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: It depends on how you wear it.
HANNAH KEYSER: It is one of the most niche style items of all time.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: For the last 30 years throughout pop culture, we've seen many different people wearing jerseys. We saw it in a NSYNC video. We see them in Dipset videos. I mean, that's the exact opposite of demographics. You know what I'm saying? I mean, we see them all over the place. That's why you see people wearing basketball jerseys so much. It's just so easy to pull off.
LIZ LOZA: I mean, John, you do have me a little bit with the under the flannel. I've been sitting on that one.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I wish I could find that video. I'll send it to you, the picture afterward. It looked cool. I never would have thought of it, but I was like, wow, that's dope.
LIZ LOZA: There is a versatility there that I hadn't considered, but this is about the most acceptable sports uniform for an adult to wear casually. Hannah, last quick closing arguments before I make my decision.
HANNAH KEYSER: We want to bring it home. We want to bring it back to this idea of what is the most acceptable thing, if I'm walking down the street and I see-- let's say, 35. I'm talking, I pass a 35-year-old dude. And I want to think to myself, that guy's gainfully employed. Hockey sweater. It's the only uniform that the name of the uniform is an acceptable article of clothing.
They call them sweaters. They were hockey sweaters. You can go out and wear that. And you can tuck it into jeans. It doesn't look weird. It doesn't say anything specific. I think that that's really where-- like if the argument was, what is the most iconic uniform?
Oh, my god, far and away, a basketball jersey is an iconic uniform. That says sports to me. But if I wanted to not say sports, I wanted to say I'm a guy with a family, and also, I love the Red Wings, hockey sweater.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Not everybody wants to say they're a guy with a family. There's a lot of other people out there. That's why I say versatility, like a guy with the family will wear a basketball jersey. And then back in the day when I was in college, people were skipping meals, so they could say well for Mitchell and Ness jerseys that cost $350.
I don't think that's smart, but they found it worth it back then. You know what I'm saying? So that's why I feel like the versatility of it. That's why I feel like basketball jerseys are shown more. Like I think hockey jerseys are more of a novelty. You know what I'm saying?
We see a hockey jersey. We notice them, because we don't see them as much. You know what I mean? Basketball jerseys, everybody has basketball jerseys. Like if you see somebody with the basketball jersey as well, you'll see multiple jerseys in their closet generally.
HANNAH KEYSER: Why aren't you wearing a basketball jersey?
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I didn't think it was appropriate for the courtroom. But yeah, you see multiple basketball jerseys, because people wear them like baseball hats. You know what I'm saying? It doesn't necessarily mean you're a fan of the team. You just think it's cute. You know what I'm saying?
Well, hockey, like you said, you're a fan of the Red Wings, if you wore a hockey jersey. And yes, if you're a family man, too, you want to show the family as well. But yeah, I mean, I think the fact that all demos and all age groups wear basketball jerseys can show basket jerseys and adults in particular too.
I mean, we're not like the past generations, where we grew up, and we wear hard bottoms now. We go to the club wearing shirts and ties. You know what I mean? We wear jerseys still. We wear some Jordan's as well. You know what I'm saying?
We still dress similar to how we did as a child. I still think the same things are cool. A lot of use still play video games, so I think that's one of the things that came with this. You know, we still wear basketball jerseys.
LIZ LOZA: All right, I think I'm ready to decide. I will say, Hannah, I am going to applaud you on an excellent, creative, well thought out, and researched argument. The fact that a hockey jersey is referred to as a hockey sweater automatically does, you are correct, make it socially acceptable.
However, John, I'm stuck on the-- I'm stuck on the flannel. I'm stuck on the fact that basketball does evoke a bigger feeling, and you're right, Hannah. It's not about what's most iconic, but basketball and the NBA have been able to corner the idea of fashion. Now whether it's a narrative that should be disposed of or not remains to be seen.
But right now, when you're talking about the whole thing, you're talking about the jerseys, and the shorts, and the shoes, and the sneaker heads. Like that is a thing that is having a moment right now. It is a player driven league that is about personality, and you can build socially acceptable fashion, as you already said, Hannah, around personality. So I'm going to have to give this one to John Nichols, as long as he promises never to leave his musty ass armpit out when he wears a jersey to the office.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I promise. And Hannah, that was a great argument too.
HANNAH KEYSER: No, you what what?
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I was surprised, because hockey is difficult. Hockey is difficult to sell.
HANNAH KEYSER: Liz, you really-- you brought that home at the end there, Liz. Because you got me with the NBA is cultivating like a particular style that's really seeping into the rest of the culture. That sold it for me. You know what? I will concede that basketball players are having a greater impact on fashion these days. And for that reason alone, I accept this loss.
LIZ LOZA: Look how we all got along. That's fantastic.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Right, right. I appreciate this.
LIZ LOZA: I think we should all put Supersonics jerseys on our corporate cards right now--
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Let's do it.
LIZ LOZA: --and call it a day. It's a quarantine gift.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Right.
LIZ LOZA: All right, thank you guys for tuning into Boxed In. Go ahead and smash that subscribe button. I'm Liz Loza. That's LaJethro Jenkins and Hannah Keyser. And we are done arguing for the day.
