Traverse the expanse of the University of Michigan’s campus and the evocative reminders that sports pervasively seep into every facet of American life are relentless. The recent Super Bowl encounter between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs epitomized the all-encompassing stranglehold athletics perpetuates on American culture. Athletes have been in the limelight for decades, yet the advent of social media has catapulted athletic figures into the realm of worldwide superstardom. The first and second most subscribed Instagram accounts belong to professional athletes – their overwhelming influence on our culture is undeniable, including fashionable trends.
Regardless of your perspective on popular culture’s function as a microcosm of American life or an aspiration, the lifestyles of affluent celebrities elicit a broad spectrum of discussions across social classes. Professional athletes, an increasingly noticeable segment of influencer strata, are instrumental in the proliferation of new trends. The digital sphere is awash with discussions around TikTok trends and the divergent fashion stylings of celebrities. Dismissing these discussions as superficial, is to disregard a substantial segment of popular culture. My endeavor is to explore a novel class of fashion icons – the male professional athlete.
The trajectory of men’s and women’s fashion diverges significantly. Male-centric fashion bloggers ordinarily target conventional classic wear embodying elegantly tailored suits and ties, or the urban, athletic-inspired streetwear culture. More often than not, the professional athletes elegantly amalgamate these diametrically opposite cultures. Recall Twitter’s flurry of reactions to LeBron James’ Thom Browne suit – a deluge of humor, analogy, and dialogue arose simply from an athlete’s divergent fashion choice.
Beyond merely exemplifying his sartorial audacity, James’ suit symbolizes the evolution of the professional athlete into a public entity whose fashion choices bear the brunt of intense scrutiny, just like that endured by actors. Yet this wasn’t the narrative for NBA players in the 1970s or even early 1980s, whereas today, the professional athlete’s image and fashion have become public domain. The astounding global expansion of the NBA is largely credited to the efforts of David Stern, and the meteoric rise to fame of Michael Jordan. Still, this transition also reflects our evolving perception of athletes as celebrities.
When professional athletes become the epitome of the public’s ideals, the fashion brands consumed by the public inevitably adapt to meet the changing desires of consumers. When Pharrell Williams unveiled his first collection with Louis Vuitton,James was an esteemed guest – clear evidence of the luxury fashion and athletics realms amalgamating. Our societal aesthetics continue to evolve, and the figures we idolize must reflect these changes. Influential athletes are those many young men emulate, giving luxury fashion houses a golden opportunity to capitalize on this dynamic.
A figure of James’s stature deserves the adulation he receives, but the influence of athletes as style icons extends beyond just famous figures. Considering the unlikely event of P.J. Tucker, a career role-player, being profiled in Esquire or his stylist interviewed in a leading pop-culture magazine like Complex, was nearly unimaginable two decades ago.
The world of sports seamlessly encapsulates the diverse facets of our society. Unanimously loved or detested, the centrality of sports to the American way of life is indisputable. The NBA is merely a fragment of the numerous sports leagues cultivating stars who transcend their respective arenas to secure a foothold in the previously inaccessible realm of pop culture. The role of professional athletes as style icons not only reflects the burgeoning popularity of sports figures as global brand ambassadors but also demonstrates the symbiotic interplay between haute couture and streetwear. This permeability paved the way for the late Virgil Abloh undertaken the historic mantle of leading Louis Vuitton’s menswear line. So, the next time satire around an athlete’s fashion choices emerges in your social media feed, ponder – how did we arrive here?
Contact Rose Iorio, Daily Arts Writer, at iorio@umich.edu.
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Vocabulary List:
- Stranglehold (noun): Complete control or power over something.
- Perpetuates (verb): Causes something to continue indefinitely.
- Influencer (noun): A person or thing that influences or has the power to affect behavior or decisions.
- Amalgamate (verb): Combine or unite to form one structure or system.
- Scrutiny (noun): Critical observation or examination.
- Symbiotic (adjective): Involving a mutually beneficial relationship between different elements.
