The other night I was subjected to watching two College Football teams go at it.  Normally, this would not be an issue so long as one of the teams had a Texas A&M logo.  However, this was not the case.  I was there to celebrate a friend, but found my mind wandering as we watched the game.  Not that it’s the rule, but when I get tired, my brain wanders.  Oh let’s be honest, it doesn’t just have to be when I’m tired, but any time something shiny or interesting catches my eye, my brain wanders.  In this case, my brain wandered to fashion as I watched the game.  You would think I would be admiring the fashion at the party, but instead I found myself dissecting the outfits I saw on the TV screen.  No, not the clothing in the commercials, but the outfits being worn by these two college teams.  That’s right, I was checking out the player’s uniforms, the band, the coaching staff, and so on.  Between happy birthday and the appetizers, I noticed that I really liked the coaching staff polos and was trying to decipher if the helmets were sparkly or if they were just wet?  Turns out they were sparkly.  The player’s uniforms didn’t really catch my eye unless you count the sparkly helmets.  The band uniforms were horrific, but then again that’s not a surprise.  I’ve yet to see a great looking band uniform.  And if they do have a coolish uniform, the shoes, oh God, there are no words to describe those band shoes.

I’m not sure why this type of wandering surprises me so much, I’m extremely picky about the soccer uniform I will wear for our outdoor league and I chose my new soccer shoes purely based on looks.  Seriously, my reasoning for the shoes i bought is that they had a worn vintage feel.  Maybe if my team members saw that my shoes looked “well worn” they wouldn’t automatically register my lack of expertise in the sport.  Regardless, sometimes I’m surprised that I see fashion or that I even consider it when it comes to sports.  The thing about it is, had you keenly observed that I critique fashion in almost any arena, I would have denied it.  As a matter of fact I have.   Once a co-worker of mine told me – “You know, I can totally picture you running in a race and pausing as someone runs by to say, oooh, cute shoes. ”  What?!?!?  Are you kidding, I would never, ever do that.  Seriously, who does that?

Several years ago, I was playing indoor soccer.  Though I never played growing up, I’m super competitive, so I really get in to the game.  Despite this unwavering focus on the game, as I was trying to get the ball away from this girl, I noticed her shoes – at that very moment, I internally verbalized, “Cute Shoes”.  Ugh, I am that person that notice shoes, accessories, etc. whether it’s on a field or on the runway.  Oh well, I’m not so off the mark, right?  I mean if people didn’t care what the uniforms looked like, the likes of Nike and Adidas wouldn’t be so successful, right?  I mean does anyone really believe that a compression shirt will help you perform on the field or is it all about sucking your gut in so you can look good in the jersey.  And ladies, those players’s booties look good because the pants they are wearing are the male version of Spanx.  Fashion doesn’t stop with college football, it permeates every sport on so many levels.  Truly, it’s too much to discuss in one blog entry, so I’ll save my thoughts for future entries.