Bates Athletic Sweatshirts: Our Personal Stories

The current Bates Athletics sweatshirt is light grey crew neck sweatshirt that contains the size, year, and sweatshirt number on the front and reads “Bates College Athletics”. No additional information, such as identifying different teams, or design is part of the sweatshirt. In comparison to other colleges, the style of issued gear is very simplistic and outdated. The Bates sweatshirts do not have symbols representing the most popular brands and are not made out of the latest materials. However, the sweatsidos function just the same as any other school’s issued gear. They are meant to keep the athletes warm, comfortable, and look unified while practicing.                

Also different from other schools, the Bates issued gear is gender neutral. From the evidence found in the yearbooks, it seems as though this has been the case for over a decade. As four female athletes, having the same exact issue gear as the men’s teams is not simply a matter of keeping warm at practice but rather a meaningful symbol that our teams are perceived as equal. The history behind women’s athletic teams is one of discrimination and inequality, therefore we feel privileged to be a part of an era where we are treated equally. In comparison to Mabel’s narrative, our athletic abilities and commitment to our respective teams are taken far more seriously. The uniforms that are issued by Bates reflect just this. Mabel wore loose fitting bloomers for their exercise class, clearly restricting and an attempt at limiting the women to the feminine stereotype of that era. Issuing separate practice clothing for men and women in Mable’s era is physical evidence for gender inequality and lack of respect for women’s athletic capabilities. Imagining ourselves in a position of such limits is very difficult, which elicits feelings of gratitude and pride.

The evolution of the athletic gear for women has been drastic since Mabel’s era. Luckily we are able to wear clothing that actually facilitates our athletic performance and reflect equality throughout the teams. To be given appropriate clothing can be taken for granted everyday when dressing for practice or wearing our sweatshirts around campus, however when we reflected on the true meaning of the sweatsidos and the strides that society and Bates took to get to this point, we have each identified an important memory that we have associated with them. These memories include finally feeling part of a community, growing a stronger connection to family, and feeling accomplished after more than a decade of playing a sport competitively.

Polly-

During my freshman year preseason I remember walking into commons seeing the other fall athletes wearing Bates issued gear given to them in the past. I noticed right away that the sweatshirts were not team specific but rather just identified someone as a varsity athlete. The sweatshirts were so plain and subtle but I saw them everywhere. When the final field hockey team was made, we were given our sweatshirts and other Bates issued athletic gear. The moment when we received the gear, it felt as though my place at Bates was solidified and I could finally relax. When I put on my sweatshirt for the first time I felt that I was truly part of the school and member of the athletic community that I had worked so hard to get into.Wearing the sweatshirt around Bates for that first day, I remember having a strong feeling of pride because I was finally a college athlete and that I could be one at Bates.

As a freshman, I viewed the sweatshirt far beyond its functional value. The actual sweatshirt was only there to keep the teams warm in practice while also looking uniform. The actual numbers on the front of the sweatshirt reflected that Bates Athletics labeled you a number. But within the context of Bates, wearing the issued sweatshirt carried meaning and represented being a part of something bigger than yourself. Because of this notion, I felt proud wearing the sweatshirt for the first time while walking through commons and around campus.  

Jaimie -

My older sister was a varsity athlete at Bates and graduated before I was a freshman. I had known about the Bates issued clothes and had borrowed her sweatshirt in the past. Wearing her sweatshirt while still in high school was comforting to me, however, the notion of ownership is important. Putting on my own sweatshirt after making the soccer team freshman year created a host of new emotions.

I had always looked up to my sister, Jill, when she was a high performing high school and college athlete. She taught me how to play both softball and soccer and when I was old enough she pushed me to play them well. Witnessing what kind of work Jill put into accomplishing her goals was inspiring and throughout my high school career I held myself to this high standard. I committed to watching her games at Bates and eventually had the realization that I was good enough to play at a higher level. Jill was determined to have me actually believe this so I would have the confidence to play at a the collegiate level. Clearly her influence was largely important in my identity as an athlete and I find it interesting that the image of her sweatshirt salient in my memories.

As a freshman, I was putting my new sweatshirt on and felt proud of myself for the accomplishments I had made and was excited to have the opportunity to own something physical to represented just this. I felt that I had made Jill and my family proud that I was following in her footsteps. With this new ownership I also came to the realization that this was an opportunity to be someone other than Jill’s younger sister. We shared many things throughout our lives including owning our Bates sweatshirts but I was looking forward to creating my own existence at Bates.

Meaghan -

In my family, the notion of meaningful sweatshirts is not a new one. One of my dads favorite objects that he owns is his Harvard Athletics sweatshirt, which actually closely resembles my Bates Athletics sweatshirt. When our team was given our sweatshirts during our freshman soccer preseason, I was shocked to be holding something so similar to what my dad wore during his athletic career and could recall so many vivid memories of him wearing it years after he played. I understood that this physical object represented so many personal and unique experiences to my dad: four years of practices, the rush of competing in games, and the life long friends that he acquired throughout this time.  Now that both of our athletic careers are over, I finally can fully recognize the importance of holding on to the sweatshirt.    

Kara -

All of the seniors on the soccer team stood together at the tailgate after our last game of the season. Our teammates recognized us for the commitment and passion that we put into the program and our coach thanked us. We were all wearing our Bates athletics sweatshirts when our coach listed off the logistical things to do now that the season had ended, one being give back all our issued clothes. Although we had done it every year before, I realized that this was our last time and we were never going to be given the sweatshirts again. I had never given so much thought to our sweatshirts before, until it was made salient that my college career was over.

Owning the Bates athletics sweatshirt gave me a sense of belonging, not only within my team but also in the community of the college. I had never identified as solely an athlete at Bates but the moment that ended it was difficult for me to wrap my head around. It  It is interesting that giving back the physical object that labeled me as an athlete was what triggered my realization. It was not the post-game speech from my coach or the senior gifts thanking us for the four years that did this but rather being asked to give up something I had gotten so used to wearing and seeing on others. Physical objects carry a great deal of meaning but until my experience at the end of my soccer career I was not aware that such meaning was held in the sweatshirt I wore time and time again.