Blast From the Past: Bowling ShirtsWhen one thinks of bowling shirts, a barrage of possible images comes to mind. For some people the idea of a bowling shirt is simple: a blue T-shirt with your name stitched in the front pocket and maybe a team name on the back. Others may think of old time bowling shirts with garishly bright colors and a polyester look, something that reminds them of a specific Simpsons episode. That comment is not a knock on bowling shirts. Quite the contrary, for many people an odd looking assortment of colors and designs adds to the fun. Bowling shirts, unlike most other areas of fashion, can get away with having a completely vintage and old time look. In few other places can public dress be expected to be so odd or off beat, a strange cross between the sensibility and somewhat down to earth simplicity of the "I Love Lucy" era, to the semi-preppy, to the "lounge lizard" attitude and all be equally accepted without a second glance. Appearance, while important, is not the main concern with bowling shirts, however. Apart from the obvious need to have shirts unique enough to tell different teams apart, designs for bowling shirts need to be made with the athlete’s competitive needs in mind. Shirts need to be the proper size, be comfortable fitting, and allow a person to remain relaxed. Light materials are better, because bowling alleys have many people in a small area and can become extremely hot even before all the actual bowling itself. Most teams prefer loose fitting short sleeve shirts, because they tend to not only be cooler and more comfortable, but also fit well and allow free movement for the bowlers themselves. The shirts need to allow enough movement so as to not interfere with any particular bowler's style of follow through, otherwise their score might be affected in a negative way. Tight shirts also become extremely uncomfortable when a player begins to sweat. This makes loose T-shirts critical for most bowlers to remain comfortable. Bowling shirts can often be bought locally, or online, and can be custom made for a team’s preference. From old school fifties flannel designs with oversized pockets, to patches of virtually any team design desired, to real company team logos, or fake sponsors just for the fun of it. The options are limited only by the desires and imaginations of the bowlers themselves. Seeing as how estimates say over fifty million Americans bowled at least once last year, and that bowling continues to thrive even in small towns where not much else does, bowling shirts are a business that are in no threat of going anywhere any time soon. Whether it is simple and traditional with a player's name embroidered on the chest, or wild and wacky with eight different shades of purple, the bowling alleys will be sporting a whole array of various team bowling shirts for a long time to come. |
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