Baltimore Orioles
There are fans that bleed orange and black. Some people bleed purple and gold. Whatever colours you align yourself with, you’ve probably met fan that bleed them. Fan that support their team through everything. That have jerseys to match every season they’ve posted, no matter how badly they finished. The Baltimore faithful are that, and more. Since they started paying attention, they’ve been Baltimore Orioles fans. They understand win percentages about as well as they understand ballet, but drown you out when you try to talk booing during the seventh inning. If you’re shopping for one of them, you know this. Asking if they care isn’t the question. Finding something they’ll actually like is.
We put this collection together because we kept noticing how most Orioles merchandise was lacklustre. Either it was factory produced junk you’d find at the mall, or it was so obscure that only the person who hunted it down would care. We wanted something else for those looking for gifts. We wanted middle ground. Items that feel special and unique but are still well known enough that whatever the outcome of this season, you can safely gift them knowing they’ll be used. Whether it’s for a birthday or Christmas or just because.
We asked ourselves one question over and over again. Will they still use this in 5 years? A lot of official jerseys and team apparel look cool when you first get them but retire to the back of your closet by April. We didn’t want that. We wanted shit that becomes permanent fixtures in your life. The calendar that you actually use. The jersey that becomes “the only jersey”. The snapback that makes people ask you about it at work. Something that you reach for, instead of digging past to grab something else out of pure politeness.
The Orioles play at Camden Yards. It opened in 1992 and redefined modern ballparks everywhere. The Orioles’ history goes back even further; more than most fans remember. From Joe MOore to Tudor Smith. Cal Ripken to Nolan Ryan. We wanted Baltimore Orioles gear that recognised the history of the team and the fans that have supported them through multiple lifetimes. Gear that an Orioles fan would think about before throwing something generic together the week before Christmas.
With that in mind, we picked every single item for you. One person, in particular.