The fans' loyalty to a teams colors stems from the colors that the team wears on their uniform. Uniforms go way back in history, when people wore them in religious ceremonies, and in the Roman Empire whose armies wore uniforms. For this purpose though, we will fast forward in history to the beginning of the 19th century, when team sports in America really began to pick up. The sports uniform began as a simple sweater with a letter or two on it...
Tampa Florida's first football team
Brown University baseball team, 1872
http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/University_Library/exhibits/sports/early_printable.html
http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/University_Library/exhibits/sports/early_printable.html
As sports evolved, so did the uniforms. In the 20's, 30's, and 40's, the jerseys began to look more like what we see today, instead of the big clunky sweaters. But were still very simple colors, and had few words or symbols on them...
Suncook New Hampshire 1940's baseball uniform
http://www.sportsartifacts.com/index.html
http://www.sportsartifacts.com/index.html
Horace Partridge 1920's-30's baseball uniform
Just a few short years later, in the 50s, uniforms began having more symbols and names.
Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodgers, 1950s
In the 60's and 70's, colors and designs became brighter and better, as technology to make them became better.
1966 Baltimore Orioles Brooks Robinson jersey
As everything did, uniforms changed again in the 1980's....
1984 San Diego Padres Tony Gwynn jersey
1985 White Sox Carlton Fisk
And finally, we got out of the 80's and things got better.
Chicago White Sox home jersey
San Diego Padres home jersey
So, through this evolution of the uniform, we have become devoted to the colors that are associated with the team closest to wear we live.
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