Hoodies...

Sounds like a number of guys on this thread are older, and remember when we played we wore a uniform that looked all the same. Thus the term "uniform". Many of us wore sport coats, shirts and ties, slacks and dress shoes on road trips. Others more "lucky" wore polo shirts and slacks. Or, on short trips we were dressed and ready to play the game. Back when we wore pants that covered our knees. When we wore knee pads placed in sewn-in pockets of the pants. When we wore jock straps. When we wore belted hip pads with a tail bone pad kept in place by a girdle. When we wore thigh pads placed in sewn in pockets of the pants. When we wore cotton t-shirts under our shoulder pads. When we wore shoulder pads that our coaches personally fitted to protect us, and what we wore. No exceptions. No changes. Back when we wore neck rolls on the shoulder pads to help prevent whiplash. When our jerseys had to always be tucked in. (Some of us were "lucky?" to wear jerseys that buttoned under the crotch to keep the jersey tucked in!). When we wore suspension helmets with cloth chin straps. When many of us wore arm pads and hand pads. When we wore real cleats. When it rained/snowed we still played the game, in the mud, or on a rock-hard surface called Astro-Turf where we had to wear tennis shoes. When we wore those huge sideline capes to keep us warm.

Why? Because that's what we knew. That's what our coaches knew. That's what was expected and required. That's what we did if we wanted to be part of that team. That was the NORM, and all part of the sacrifice we made to play the game.