Why is the pink hat hated?

Tag : red cap

Don Martelli of Revere not only dislikes pink Sox hats, he thinksanyone who wears them should be banned from Fenway Park.
"Pink is not a part of the Red Sox palette," he said. "And whilewe're at it, ban the green ones and the camouflage ones, too. Thosearen't the team's colors."
Martelli has banned pink hats and any other untraditional Red Soxgarb from his own home, much to the dismay of his two youngdaughters, who love anything pink.
"Am I saying everyone in a pink hat isn't a fan? Of course not," hesaid. "But in my experience at Fenway, whenever I see someonetalking on a cellphone, not watching the game, it's usually someonein a pink hat or some other color."
For some, it's not so much the pink hats as what they represent. Infact, the whole "nation" concept reminds some people of that otherteam.
"I don't want us to become like the Yankees," said Matt Trocchio,27, of Brighton. "When they were winning, you'd see people all overthe country wearing Yankees hats and shirts. That's what I thinkabout when I see pink hats. I hate that."
Gillin believes that anti-pink hat sentiment is likely the resultof an identity crisis, the growing pains of a fan base trying toredefine itself.
"Some of the problem is the old calculus: To be a true Sox fan, youhave to suffer. Generations of fans have to suffer. Now, as awinning team, we have to find a new way to suffer, and we're doingthat by blowing small things - like the color of someone's hat -out of proportion," he says.
Hierarchies are seen in most subcultures and Red Sox Nation is noexception, says Michael Ian Borer, a sociologist and author of thenew book "Faithful to Fenway: Believing in Boston, Baseball, andAmerica's Most Beloved Ballpark." Longtime fans may see themselvesas the keepers of the flame. But the support of newer fans, hesays, is just as valid.
"The pink hats are simply another way of expressing one's devotionto the team, not a lesser devotion to the team," he said. "They'rean article of faith, like the green hats for St. Patrick's Day, orthe Puerto Rican or Dominican flags worn on some hats. All fans aredifferent, so it makes sense that not everyone worships in the sameway."
Some believe that singling out pink hats for scrutiny is reallyabout gender stereotypes, and speaks to bigger issues in theculture surrounding women and sports. Making assumptions aboutsomeone's devotion based on what she (or he) is wearing is justplain silly, they say.
"I think everyone needs to take a deep breath and relax with regardto the whole pink hat thing," said Sara Faith Alterman, 28, anon-air personality with WFNX-FM (101.7) and correspondent with theBoston Phoenix. "If pink is your thing, then you should be able tosupport your team with pink. What's the big deal?"
Maggie Magner, a lifelong Red Sox fan, started the web site GirlSoxNation.com specifically to quash the notion that women can't be bothsports-savvy and feminine.
"We were tired of all these stat-wielding bullies saying real fansdon't wear pink. Who decides what a real fan is anyway?" Magnerasked. "Women represent half of the ballpark attendance today andare buying more merchandise every year."
Magner's site has taken heat for its "Pink Hats" section, whichfeatures discussions about ballpark fashion and invites readers tosend in photos of themselves with Red Sox players.
"We were dismayed to find on various blogs that people were'skeptical' about the site because of the Pink Hats section," saidMagner, who doesn't own a pink hat but says she reserves the rightto buy one should the mood strike her. "It's meant to be fun andwhimsical and is geared toward women fans who don't take theentertainment of baseball too seriously - even though they are realfans."
Magner said she's taking the pink hat backlash as a challenge tosupport female fans of all hat colors. As for Anne Houseman, she'sstarting a backlash of her own: She's brought her pink hat out ofretirement.
"I like pink. I like the Red Sox," she says. "I'm going to put onmy hat and wear it proudly."