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PHILADELPHIA
— Sports jerseys have been featured on the fashion
runway, spliced into mini-dresses, worn with leggings
and skinny jeans alike. They were the hot boys' staple
until Jay-Z told men to grow up and wear button-downs.
But
Michael Vick's
Eagles jersey — in trendy forest green, white or black
— may unintentionally prove to be the biggest fashion
statement of all. Not since the fur coat has one article
of clothing stood to evoke such heated commentary from
both fan and foe.
Wear the
jersey of the man who spent 18 months in prison for
running a deadly dog-fighting operation, and observers
may conclude that you are more concerned with sports
than with animal's lives. It's not just sports garb that
says, "I love my team," but a billboard that
screams "Dogs, beware."
"They
should just make the No. 7 a dog tail," said
Kevin Moore
, an Eagles fan who proudly owns a
Donovan McNabb
jersey but claims he wouldn't be caught dead in a Vick
version.
Yet those
who do plan to buy the jersey say those harsh judgments
couldn't be further from the truth. For them, the No. 7
emblazoned on Eagles green is a testament to redemption.
For many
African-American fans, elements of racial solidarity are
woven into the polyester and mesh fabric. Seemingly
overnight, Vick has become symbolic to black men who
understand — maybe more than most — that it's hard
to integrate into society and make an honest living
after serving time in prison.
Even if
the Eagles' decision to give Vick a
$1.6 million
contract doesn't win a championship this season, the
shirt has the potential to become a unifying factor,
like wearing a red, black and green ski hat at a Million
Man March.
The
signing "doesn't necessarily make football
sense," said
Barry Wilkins
of
Mount Airy, Pa.
, a Pittsburgh Steelers fan who is black. "But we
want to show support behind a man who has done his time
and deserves a second chance."
Others
who plan to wear No. 7 see it as a way to fully support
the Eagles. After all, in sports, isn't winning
everything?
Bruce
Tral believes Vick will make the team better, and
wearing a No. 7 jersey shows he backs the athlete.
"He's a good player," Tral said. "The
Eagles deserve a shot at winning."
Steamed
that Vick gets to wear the beloved No. 7 once worn by
Ron Jaworski
? Some, like
Roland Denardo
, will use the occasion to dust off the old jersey and
pay homage to the Eagles quarterback of the 1980s.
"I
don't care one way or the other about Vick," said
Denardo. "He shouldn't have gotten that
number."
Fashion
has a long history of transcending the merely aesthetic
to make political, social, and racial statements, said
Natalie W. Nixon
,
Philadelphia University's
associate professor of fashion industry management.
In the
1930s and '40s, the exaggerated tailoring and bold
colors of zoot suits were a declaration of freedom and
racial pride for African Americans. In the late 1960s,
women declared their independence with bra-burning
demonstrations as part of the movement for equal rights.
Sports
fans wore
Michael Jordan's
No. 23 jersey and his Air Jordan sneakers to emulate his
high-end lifestyle. Who didn't want to be like Mike?
But this
Vick jersey has become a lightning rod linking
animal-rights and racial activism and, well, football
— heavyweight crusades that rarely cross paths.
That's a
lot to swallow for people who just want to enjoy the
game.
Eddie Smith
of
Montgomeryville, Pa.
, doesn't want the hassle, either. Vick should have a
second chance, he said, but he won't be buying a jersey
because he believes it detracts from the team.
"When
I wore my (
Donovan) McNabb
jersey and my (
Brian) Dawkins
jersey, I was proud to be an Eagle," Smith said.
"To me, this jersey says I support Vick, but Vick
is not bigger than the game. I support the Eagles."
That's
the power of fashion.
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