Believe It or Not – There Was A Time When NOBODY Had A Justin Verlander Jersey

Once upon a time, sports fans went to games dressed not in team jerseys, but in suits and ties and dresses. And the ladies got all dressed up, too.

Hello? (taps microphone) Is this thing on?

According to an article from Sports Illustrated, the practice of wearing your favorite team's (and player's) jersey to the game didn't become "a thing" until sometime in the mid 70s. Mainly because replica team jerseys weren't readily available to the general public until the 80s. And it looks like you can trace this all the way back to a guy named Manny, who had a shop next door to Yankee Stadium in the 50s.

Here's the story of how it all came about.

So, next time you're standing behind 50 people in line to get beers at Comerica Park - ALL wearing No. 35 Verlander jerseys - you'll know why.

You're welcome.

Banana Don and Stephanie McCoy amuse and thrill you every weekday morning from 5:30 – 10AM on the radio at 100.7 WITL.

Banana Don can be reached via email at don.jefferson@townsquaremedia.com and on Twitter at @WITLBananaDon and @WITLFM. Also, Facebook friend Banana Don and Stephanie at Facebook.com/BananaStephanie and Facebook.com/WITLFM.