Fashion Forward: From Gary Player On

In November, I had the chance to interview one of my heroes, Danielle Green '99. In our conversation I learned that her former teammate Niele Ivey helped her pick out the dress she wore for the 2015 ESPY awards. I wasn't surprised. I follow Ivey, who is now Coach Ivey, the head coach of Irish women's basketball team is featured on social media. It's hard not to notice her—she has a dynamic presence, she is passionate and so often she looks like a million bucks. The color, the style is bold and it's beautiful. Danielle agreed. She said "fashion is huge in women's athletics." Her insight made me pause and take notice. I think it might be true for men, too. 

Much was made about a recent wardrobe choice of the San Francisco 49ers. Upon arrival in Philly before the Sunday, December 10, 2023 match up, several players set the tone by showing up to the game wearing all black.

On "Inside the NFL," all-pro left tackle Trent Williams said,

A couple of week ago, I already knew I was gonna come all black

I knew that was gonna be my mindset. My mindset was gonna be time to kill. We're going to a funeral.

The final score, Niners 42, Eagles 19 proved this was not a wardrobe malfunction.

Athletes find new, unique, playful and meaningful ways to communicate through clothing. While football requires a team uniform, athletes find ways to express themselves from My Cause, My Cleats to the duds they don pre and post game. 

Athletes who play an individual sport however, have (some) freedom to express themselves through their apparel. Yes, many have contracts with certain lines of clothing and their sport may require a dress code— but there is room to make a statement. They have been doing that for decades.

I'm sure many examples come to mind, but in the Winter USGA Golfer's Journal magazine I learned about a pair of pants worn by Hall of Fame golfer, Gary Player. Known for wearing all black, the South African wore these pants at the 1960 Open Championship to show his support for ending apartheid. Player stated the pants were "a quiet protest, of bringing white and black together." He wore them again in the 2000 Open Championship at St. Andrews. They are now up for auction. 

While golfers are not required to wear a certain color (like all white at Wimbledon), they don't vary all that much from a norm. There is no "bad boy" of golf in terms of apparel, as seen when Andre Agassi wore denim washed shorts and neon colors. Still, Player's pants made a strong statement. His message was clear. It still is. Simple, yet potent. 

I do enjoy the posts of Notre Dame women's basketball traveling to their next game. What they wear on the runway, albeit an airport, tells me a little bit about who they are and of course who they represent. They have made their own statement in the past when they were among the first to wear an "I Can't Breathe" t-shirt in their pre-game warm-up. 

Whether it's a team's collective decision to make a statement before a game or an athlete's decision to stand behind an important cause, sports are entertainment AND much more.

Photo Credits

Deebo, Gary Player