Please stop using pink to sell sports apparel to women.

Before I begin, an announcement: I graduated. Against all odds! People keep building up barriers, I keep breaking them down! I'm from the wrong side of the tracks and this kindly old professor must take me under his wing and teach me how to believe in myself. And when everyone said that I couldn't, I banded together a group of young toughs like myself and we put on a musical to raise money for "the arts" that just don't get any funding these days.

Nope, wait. That's not me. That's the plot to every movie ever. I went against zero odds, and graduated exactly when everyone thought I would.

BUT STILL, EXCITEMENT! AMIRGHT?!>?!!?>!

But really. Excitement. I shouldn't be downplaying this. I truly and sincerely thank my parents, my family and my friends that helped me, guided me and stuck through these last four years with me.

The thing is... I don't really want to talk about graduation. Being a recent alumna has left me quite emotionally raw. I'm to the point that I tear up when someone hands me a pitcher of beer that I won't be able to buy outside of Wisconsin.

Spotted Cow, I think I'll miss you most of all.

So instead of talking about any of that, I'm going to talk about something that has bothered me for quite some time: How sports apparel is marketed to women. 

I will start this off by acknowledging that women are not the primary target market for sports memorabilia distributors. Their main consumer is men, so most of their efforts go into men's clothing. Whatever. Whole other issue.

BUT THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE

Just because I am a woman does not mean 

1) That I like pink

2) That I want baby sleeves

3) That I need cleavage showing at all times

I would gladly buy a men's style jersey if it was just sized to fit me.

Lets have a little slideshow, shall we?

Why yes, that is Alyssa Milano.
Yes, apparently she designs Cubs apparel.
No, I don't know why.
No, I don't want to dwell too long on it.

Lets focus on the sleeves. Why? Why are the sleeve frilly? This is not a time for frills. This is a time for sports. It's a time to throw on a t-shirt and jeans and--

--oh. Oh I see. A white dress. A see-through white dress. Actually what I don't see is the Cubs logo anywhere or any indication of the team... no wait there it is!! At the bottom right. Next to the awkward blue swirl. It's like Where's Waldo up in here, up in here.

My biggest issue with women's style sports apparel is that for some reason the people in charge of manufacturing them (I'm gonna go ahead and assume it's mostly men) have decided that all women want is pink. Just make it pink Then the women-folk buy it. Which couldn't be further from the truth for me.

If pink isn't one of the team's colors, it doesn't need to be in my jersey. The Cubs colors are blue, white and red. I don't need pink. Don't make special concessions for me because you don't think I'll buy your jersey if it isn't girly enough.

After all, no one expects the Minnesota Vikings to make blue jerseys for guys just in case men don't want to wear purple. You know what color jersey the Vikings do make, though?

Because nothing spells Viking Pride like wearing a color & logo that has nothing to do with your team. Apparently I'm wrong though, because pink jerseys keeps getting made. I have to assume someone is buying them.



I guess I'm alone in my principles. And I'm also off to write the hit song, "alone in my principles."

^That was a reference from the movie That Thing You do. You should go to your nearest Netflix and watch it right now.

But first, watch this amazing GIF. I would like to give it the title: What I do to people who take too much time deciding what flavor Frappucino they want but all I want is my coffee, dammit.

Yikes. This post was extremely scattered. These are the connections my brain makes. I'll work harder at being more organized next time.