Why don’t people take off the stickers after buying a New Era cap?

Yes, please take it off.

With the popularity of New Era caps growing in the sports world (outfitting the NFL, MLB and occasionally other leagues), fans now have more access to these caps for their own collection. Especially with baseball caps, New Era has branded itself as not only for the professional leagues, but also as a fashion statement.

But the trend I have noticed with these caps is that when people buy them, they don’t remove the sticker on the bill.

I am not sure if these people want me to know their cap size or if they actually just stole it from the store. But what it reminds me of is the sticker on newly purchased pants. I think it’s the same equivalency.

I think it’s also on par as keeping the price tag on a newly purchased shirt. Or keeping the tag on a new car.

I must admit that I do keep one sticker on my New Era caps – they sometimes ARE great accessories, but it’s only the MLB authentic hologram underneath the bill. But I remove the price tag and the sizing sticker.

I’ve tried to find out why people like to keep the stickers on the cap. I am not sure exactly what it represents, but to me, it just looks like the cap was stolen. It’s pretty silly looking. Can anyone give me some insight on this?

EDIT: This is how silly it looks to me

To the people commenting, don’t get worked up about this. You’re making this more serious than it really is.

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164 thoughts on “Why don’t people take off the stickers after buying a New Era cap?

  1. New Era caps are a little pricy, I have often thought about stealing the sticker off a New Era cap and placing it on one of my genetics, but I’m not that GANGSTA!!

  2. they leave them on because they say “its how i roll!” ive asked a co worker why he leaves it on and that i thought it looked stupid and that was his response. most of them leave it on because they want to show off like if they just bought it and its brand new. it all has to do with money and showing off. when it comes down to it, its all dumb looking and annoying to look at. the first thing i do is take off evey sticker when i buy a new hat.

      • A nearly-three year old conversation, but I have to reply. It is not to keep things “looking new.” It is not to “prove” that is authentic if someone asks. It is to say “hey, look at me, I can afford a new authentic hat.” It is equivalent to leaving the price tag on a new shirt. It is supposed to say to people “I can afford this, can you?” The biggest irony is that leaving the price tag or sticker on clothing does not say “I have money.” it says, “I don’t have much money and am so proud and need attention for this expensive hat (or shirt or whatever).” People with money don’t brag about spending $50-$60.

        “Hey, how awesome am I? I had a hundred dollar bill once!”

      • It’s not the same thing because most clothing already come with branding stitched somewhere or you can tell by the material and quality what it’s worth, there are a lot of clothes out there that have their brands embellished or written fancy in a decorative way for people to see, people do this to their cars as well (BMW owners), embellishments are not new, tattoos are also as such. It’s all a form of expression and like someone else said “showing off”

      • i also agree with that when it comes to the colors. im from LA so i hate seeing dumb hats like a red and white dodger hat or a green or brown one. the only hats i would wear that are different then the team color would be a laker hat. i have a black and white laker hat and a black laker hat with there laker logo in there yellow and purple colors, all my niner hats are either sideline hats or the throwback mitchell and ness hats. oh and yes im from LA and im a niner fan! i love the city of SF, its beautiful scenery is awesome. Go USC Trojans, Dodgers, Lakers and 49ers!

  3. The reason why I leave my stickers on is because its annoying when people come up to you and say its a fake hat!!!! When you know its real and yes there are other ways to tell but the main thing is to keep the hologram sticker on I just personally like the tops sticker.

    • I take my stickers off and no one has ever questioned the authenticity of my cap. You can easily tell with the naked eye what’s real and what’s not. Leaving the sticker on looks more like you just stole it.

      • Yea but sometimes you cant tell I know a friend who his hats all look 100% Authentic but they are fake, and also (not being any kind of racist) but if you are Asian people will not even bother asking if it is real or not

      • Keeping the sticker shows that the hat is kept in good condition after a long time or that it’s just new (thus fresh).

        Smart people also put it on the underside of the brim to prevent the sun from bleaching around the sticker (but not under it) if the sticker would fall off you’d have a nice dark circle where the sticker used to be.

      • why isn’t it a style? it’s a trend that helps the hat to not look empty. and in my opinion it just shows the authenticity of the hat and it’s just swag to keep it on, why have an ordinary looking hat?

      • Why need to prove it’s authentic. I can tell if it’s real or not just by looking at it. And it’s not real ordinary when everyone is leaving stickers on.

      • “Fashion s a form of ugliness so untolerable we have to alter it every six months” -Oscar Wilde
        The same can be said with “swag”, no one knows where it came from, and why it is suddenly so popular.

    • The word swag is actually a slavery word, the swag was the space between one slave to the other when they were all chained together. I still do not understand why black people insist on bitching about slavery but go around sing slave words and terms.

  4. It is because it gives a new era hat more noticability, people like representing their favorite clothing likes, (vans, Emerica, Active, Etc) and the logos just read “Vans” or whatever it may be across the front of the tee, this is the same way, leaving the sticker on isnt just a fashion statement, and its saying more than”hey i like this baseball team” but its also saying “i like this baseball team and the company that has been making it for almost 100 years”

    • Makes no sense to me. You see the cap and you know who manufactures it. Half the time the logo is on the side. You don’t need a sticker to to know who manufactures authentic MLB caps. People who are in the cap fashion business don’t need a history lesson by leaving the sticker on.

      • Exactly! People that leave stickers on to prove they are authentic, are only proving that they feel the NEED to prove they can afford the hat in the first place. I have nothing to prove to anybody. I remove tags and stickers immediately

  5. Sticker on and mint shape means hat is fresh and worthy to wear to a club. Sticker off or tarnished means hat is not fresh and worthy of taking to the park of gym.

    • so its all about false image? thats as retarded as leaving the stickers on. its no wonder this country is going to hell by means of ignorance.

      fyi – you dont need a sticker on the hat for it to be in mint shape. you can modify a cars engine and put new tires on it and its still mint. your logic is severely flawed.

      • mint means same as the day it was manufactured. engine mod changes that condition, because it changes factory specs permenitly.

  6. Well since you asked, New Yorkers wanted to keep everything new. Pant new, shoes new, etc, etc. The only way to ensure that other people new the hat was new, was to buy it from the store and keep the tag on it. That way everyone knew that your hat was “fresh” as in fresh out of the store.

    That was the genesis of the fad. Originally it was a sign to others that the hat was brand new and thereby indicating that you can keep up with the trend. Other cities followed the trend later. Atlanta, L.A, etc. etc. Today people just wear them without know why they do it. But now you know why that trend started.

    What you should ask is; Why are people keeping the tag on the fitted cap, when the cap is clearly old. NO POINT IN DOING THAT!!..

      • Because it’s unique for that brand of hat only. For example, you wouldn’t tie vans shoe laces around your ankle, it looks silly but you would with converses…

    • so its all to perpetuate a false image. why is having a worn-in hat bad? people seriously worry about their image so much that they want everyone who sees them to think everything is brand new bought that day? thats idiocy.

  7. bro, we are telling u to KEEP IT ON, fuck off if ur gonna have a answer to ever thing, it is swag (sexy with a bit of gangster) and it looks better

  8. The sticker is a representation that your cap is legit. There’re many places selling fake and bogus caps without the stickers so its easily distinguishable that your cap is legit. It’s a common understanding for those with new era caps fyi. Peace.

    • you dont wear clothing because its “legit”. you wear it because its comfortable and you like it. worrying about what other people thin about you or your clothing is insane and just shows your own insecurity. well and it also gives all of us normal people something to laugh our heads off at. how does it feel to be the butt of half of my jokes?

      • samuel, i like you. you use your head. as im sure youve figured out by now, you cant talk sense to these people. theyre so insecure with themselves that they put more emphasis on what everyone else thinks that their own personal opinions. everything is about image and not about reality. im attempting to teach my young, dumb 18 year old brother this, and thus far failing. he showed me a new hat he just got and it was a good lookin hat, so i started to take the stickers off and form the bill for him since he doesnt know ho to do so. he absolutely FREAKED on me as soon as i bent it and even touched the sticker. as long as our young people perpetuate this ghetto rap “lifestyle” this abhorrent trend will never go away, unfortunately.

      • Thing is it a matter of choice. and whether or not someone chooses to leave or remove their stickers is their own choice. Skinny jeans are in style but i dont wear them cause i dont like how they feel. I take my stickers off because i feel too. Its choice. If you dont like or understand you have made your point. Now you can stop trying to go all christian on everyone. By going chrisitan i mean forcing your views or beliefs on others and downing them for not readily accepting your mantra.

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  15. So I think a couple of you are over thinking it all. Urban people have often bred trends or fads, which originate from a certain geographical demographic, true to thier lives. Eventually the trend spreads. Yes the sticker is a material symbol. In the hood there are all kinds of swap meets etc. that retail imitation merchandise. You can just as easily buy a fake Louis Vuitton bag. When you and those around you can’t afford to frequently or regularly purchase new hats sometimes things like stickers become a status symbol, on an item of special worth. So as CabyJD, gave us a little history…it came from the hood, now everybody does it. You don’t have to do it if you don’t like or don’t agree with the reasoning behind it. You don’t have to crusade against everyone else who does it…all you have to do is live and let live. Do what you want to do. Be different or the same as everyone else! It’s really up to the individual you see…after all, it’s just a sticker. It’s not that serious! LOL

  16. Its not the same thing as those of pants, shirts etc. price tags..
    U shud keep those stickers on cuz that makes
    ur hat look better in all those fake ones..
    Obviously u shouldn’t keep price stickers but
    atleast the authenticity hologram..
    Cuz fakes doesn’t have that quality..
    I shud say its like the holograms on ur laptops warranty or something, but definitely not like
    Ur clothing stuff!!!
    I feel those on field big stickers are like the vinyls u put on ur car doors..(opinion)
    I relly like those, cuz new era rox!!!

      • Get a life man!!
        Y fight for stickers?????
        Y dun u ask d newera company to shut down their stickers makin unit n the machines which put thoz hated stickers on thoz hats from which they would save billions of dollars n tell them that why can’t they manufacture their caps YOUR style(without stickers)!!!
        Thoz r just the stickers, some likes them, others not!!
        They don’t make u gansta or ingenuous!!
        Stop changing ppl’s minds with ur own thoughts brother!!
        U buy those 35$ hats n keep scratchin thoz lovely stickers off ur hats, all the time, all ur life, but don’t tell others to do d same just to amuse u rippin their stickers off just cuz u don’t like them!!
        What else u don’t like???
        Ppl eatin fish, ham, jerkys??
        Brother live n let live!!
        Peace!!!!!

      • Because it’s the same concept as stickers on your shirt or pants. The stickers were made to identify the size. People then decide to give it a whole different meaning by thinking it adds to fashion and freshness.

        Secondly, I didn’t even read your whole comment since half of it was illegible.

      • Brother, theres no point of squabbling upon stickers lol!!
        I could say..”FLY YOUR OWN FLAG”
        Thats what written on all the hats!!
        Peace brother!!

      • Sensible answer is to remove thoz stickers!! Thats it!!
        Y look different in d crowd where all of them wear these hats!!
        If u want to wear them in thailand, u may keep them on!!

  17. Samuel at the start you asked why people keep the stickers on?. so in fact your asking peoples opinions, many people have gave a reason and shared there views on why they wear the sticker. BUT YOU KEEP FIGHTING WITH THESE PEOPLE, even tho you have got answers in front of you on why they do so (there opinion) (what you asked for at start). there for take what you have from this and still hate the fact we do it, ITS LIKE THIS GO OUT 2MORO AND BUY A BMW AND TAKE THE BADGE OFF BECAUSE WE ALREADY KNOW WHAT CAR IT IS WITHOUT IT ON. but you wouldnt because it makes the car. the sticker on the hat somewhat makes the hat to these people. so instead of hating over it just take what you have learnt and move on 🙂 its not the end of the world lol

    • I didn’t ask for an opinion. I asked for an explanation and reasoning. And as I get the responses, I disagree with the reasoning for it. I know why people do it and I disagree with the purpose of doing it. There’s no need to keep the sticker on. People say it sends a message of being fresh. I say it sends a message of being stolen. I understand that it’s supposed to be a fashion statement, but it doesn’t make sense.

      I think simply, I just don’t understand the purpose of it. It’s like a superstitious person that can’t go through a day without circling his block two times every morning. It serves no purpose, but it makes the person feel better. It’s the same here. Keeping the sticker on serves no purpose, but like that superstitious person, they do it because of what they distort from reality. That’s how I see it. So it’s more of me trying to understand why people continue to do something that serves no real purpose.

      • I understand what you mean but its something you have asked that will never truly be answered, alot of these people dont know why they do it, but because some1 famous did it first they followed suit. that’s what it comes down to sheep following the fashions. we are all sheep following something because some1 told us todo it that way.

  18. Samuel, I can’t believe you keep asking why you don’t keep stickers on shirts and pants since it’s pretty obvious why you wouldn’t. If you did that, they just fall off once you put them in a washing machine. If you actually care about your hats, you don’t wash/clean hats by throwing them into a washing machine and if you did, you risk ruining the shape of a fairly pricey hat. So while I can’t answer why people leave stickers on their hats, that should answer why people don’t do the same for clothes. As for your disagreement for the “purpose”, what is the purpose of anything? Since you seem to disagree with the opinion that it’s “fresh” and that there is no “reason”, why don’t we just bitch about everything else? Why do people watch movies? Why do people play video games, drink, or do anything that isn’t “necessary”? Are any of those things really necessary, or do we just make up excuses to justify our reason for doing those things, making those things ok to do but leaving a sticker on a hat unacceptable? There are many things that people do that have as much purpose or reason as leaving a sticker on that don’t seem to be as big a deal, so why is this a big deal? You say leaving the gold new era sticker on a hat is the same as leaving a price tag on a shirt. That isn’t true. That gold sticker is more like an emblem on a car. So I ask you, do you take off the emblem on your car? If you have a honda, do you take of the “H” on your hood? Or if you have a mercedes, do you take the 3-pointed star emblem off your hood after buying the car? And if not, why? You wouldn’t hesitate to take the new era sticker off your hat, shouldn’t you apply this train of thought to other things as well?

    • The sticker on the shirt and pants are used to help shoppers identify the sizing. Once the clothing is purchased, the sticker’s purpose is fulfilled. That’s why we take it off.

      People watch movies because movies are form of entertainment. Movies are made so people can watch them. People play video games because that’s the purpose of video games, to be played. Movies and video games are created for that reason. Stickers are created for the reason to help shoppers. That’s why they exist.

      The gold sticker is not like an emblem. What makes you think that a cheaply applied sticker used for shoppers to identify size has the same value and meaning as an emblem that was intended to be placed on a hood of a car for design purposes? If you want to use a car reference, how about the paper that they have on the window with the price, gas mileage info? That’s what it equates to. People don’t leave that on their window because the paper’s purpose has been served once the purchase is made.

      • Samuel, if U had an answer that “made sense” 2 U, would u then turn around & start leaving ur sticker on your hats? U think it looks stolen others think its fresh. All subject 2 opinion. But the real fact of the matter is, if U have 2 ask then U really don’t need 2 know… It it what it is

  19. It is funny reading about the reasons to and not to wear stickers on their hats. MY New Era hats are actually game worn and certified by MLB, and they have no stickers on them except for the hologram from MLB. Bet mine is “Fresher” than any with the bill being covered…LOL. While I know it’s a fad, it makes more sense than the pants drooping (butt fairies in prison). My first New Era hat I got was from Topps in an online baseball card contest, and it has the adjustable buckled back, came with a round sticker on the bill. I decided to be fashionable (for once) and left the sticker on. Keep in mind, it was the older holographic sticker and actually looked cool in the light (reason I kept it on). Last summer, I pulled it out of storage and the sticker fell off, with the glue drying up. What is left now is a perfect dark circle, and the bill is faded. What was once my “Major Award” hat is now hanging on my wall, along with my other not to be worn agains. Today, BTW, I recieved my newest New Era cap, a M Brewers cap worn by Mike Matthews for his 4 games with them in 2002. No sticker, but a MLB LOA is good enough for me. I also carry my COA’s with me for each hat I’m wearing at the time, for any non believers.

  20. I just bought a new era Los Angeles fitted cap and i’m debating wether to leave the sizing sticker up there. The reason because the hat i purchased is a world series retro with the green underbrim and no mlb logo on the back. I forgot what year they started stitching the mlb logo in the back I’m really debating on this, i remove ever sticker from every hat except the mlb hologram. Idk what to do!!>.<

    • To answer your question, take off the sticker. Keep the hologram under the bill if you want.

      And as for your other question, 1993 is when the back logo first became a permanent fixture.

  21. Sigh*
    it’s just different for everyone. what you might hate maybe something someone else likes.
    they leave the sticker on because they like it. got a problem with that? then don’t look at it.

    Also for most of the people it is because it gives you the sense of it being new.
    in clothes they take of the tags because
    a) either it annoys while wearing it.
    b) Just don’t want it
    But just in case you didn’t know there are people who still keep the tags. why? i have no idea, but there are people like that. Imagine buying ED Hardy or Gucci when you can’t afford it few might keep the tag as a memory or to “show off” or some other reason, well it’s their wish and honestly few of the tags look amazing.

    just for your knowledge half of the stickers don’t even have the size on it. its just the brand name and stuff.
    like YMCMB – the tag has the full form not the size. (Young Money Cash Money Blood)
    The new era caps have a number on it if you have ever noticed.
    59FIFTY or 39Thirty
    they have a meaning.
    to me it seems like the stickers on the caps are just size tags for you,
    well for cap lovers like me there is more to it than that.

    I keep my stickers on because i like it that way.
    reason? don’t have one.
    so what if it looks like its stolen? xD
    deal with it.
    if someone tries to take it off and i will bitch slap that person..

    If you don’t like it then go ahead and take it off man no one is stopping you.
    People keep it on because they feel like it, and other reasons someone like you will never understand.

    Also the next time you wanna argue so hard come up with better arguments rather than just saying “stickers have size” or comparing them to other clothing.

    No hard feelings mate, but the way you reason made me comment.
    =]

  22. Nothing I love better than to go into the shop, peel that stupid sticker off and bend the shit out of that ridiculous peek. The don’t make anyone look gansta, they just make you look like a dick.

    • well then your a fucking moron, people don’t buy new era caps to look gangsta, they buy them because they are a symbol of individuality, and the sticker is left on to fly the flag, because if you haven’t noticed fly your own flag is there slogan, plus if your going into shops, pealing the sticker off and bending the peaks then you need to take a long look at your self cause your just ruining it for some one else you fucking asshole.

  23. Samuel, you stated that the brim sticker is a fashion statement that makes “no sense.” Since when do fashion statements have to make sense, besides just looking cool? It’s an aesthetic judgement. Does jewelry make sense? How about a brooch? Do tattoos make sense? How about parting your hair in the middle or over to the left side? Or skinny jeans? You refer to the sticker as a cheaply applied sticker. Why don’t you take a second look at those stickers and note the effort they put into its design (font, size, colors, spacing, logo). Perhaps New Era realizes that many people keep the stickers on, therefore they decided to make the sticker aesthetically pleasing. Obviously you don’t believe the round cap size sticker looks cool. But just know that a lot of people do. To me, this has nothing to do with East coast, looking fresh, authentic, whatever. It makes the hat look a little different. A little offbeat. That’s what the young generation has always brought to the older one. Pushing the boundaries a little.

  24. if you want to take it off, you take it off. if you dont want to take it off, you leave it. its a choice. most people just leave it because they just want it. you think its stupid, well okay, thats your opinion. but most people leave it on because they think its cool. it doesnt matter what the orgin is. its what you want.

  25. Samuel, I really don’t give a fuck, I don’t know why you can’t just accept it and be done, but just so you know, you are a fucking idiot. People don’t buy New Era caps to look ghetto or gangsta and they most certainly don’t need you to get all bitchy about every little detail, so i think you should shut the fuck up and get on with you’re pathetic excuse for a life because at the end of the day you are just intensifying the argument without fully understanding the ramifications you little twerp.

    • Other people commenting says it’s gangsta, not me.

      You’re funny with your inability to tell the difference between YOU’RE and YOUR. You’re the one worked up about it

  26. Dude some people crumple toilet paper and some people fold toilet paper. Get the fuck over it. People will be stupid your whole life. If you get this upset about stickers on a hat, you have a tough road ahead of you. Move on… Life is beautiful.

    • Does this keep me up at night? No. I posted this piece and then forgot about it and only returned to it when comments are posted. I am in no way so bent up about it that it’s controlling me as you’re suggesting. I think the people responding seem to be more offended than I am.

      • Forgot about it?! You have responded to everyone’s reasoning for wearing the damn sticker, and you continue to be stubborn to the fact that some people want to just keep it on. That’s what people are trying to get through your thick skull. People have their own unique way of living life, wearing clothes, eating foods, driving cars, spelling versions of YOUR, YOU’RE, THEY’RE, THEIR, THERE, THURR, TWO, TOO, TO. that’s what makes us human and not robots. I don’t want everyone to dress like me, nor do I want to dress like others. But that doesn’t mean that other people who have MINDS OF THEIR OWN, can’t make that decision for themselves… Some people want to be of the status quo, some people want to be original, some want to be copycats. Do you and let others do them.

      • Like I said, I only came back to this post when I get a notification email that someone commented on it. This is my blog, so I do moderate the comments and I read all of them.

        You think I don’t know that people dress differently? But people do things for a reason. Everybody does. I just want to know where the origin of leaving the stickers on began and why people do it to avoid fakes (which apparently isn’t an issue where I’m from).

        You seem real bent out of shape about this, taking this way too serious. I’m just commenting and taking in what the responses are, not making a real serious issue about it. It’s just an Internet blog post. That’s the entire point of these comments. If you don’t like the direction that it’s going, then don’t respond.

      • Agh you will never get it. You asked a question, why do people leave on their stickers? People told you why…. Yet you don’t agree. So …… Now the question is, what’s the origin? Someone told you, you don’t agree….

      • I never said I didn’t agree. I just wanted more detail and info. I gave my reason for why I don’t understand it. Read back to my responses to the comments. I’m trying to engage and get more answers. People give me their answer and I respond asking why because I want to know more.

      • There’s always more to know. If the people commenting don’t know, then that’s that. That’s why I ask to see if they have any more information.

  27. P.s. one of your earlier responses…..
    I didn’t ask for an opinion. I asked for an explanation and reasoning. “And as I get the responses, I disagree with the reasoning for it. I know why people do it and I disagree with the purpose of doing it. There’s no need to keep the sticker on. People say it sends a message of being fresh. I say it sends a message of being stolen. I understand that it’s supposed to be a fashion statement, but it doesn’t make sense.”

    • And if you continue reading on that comment to the second part, I explained what I meant. It was more of my understanding not matching up with the explanations because culturally, my definition isn’t the same as theirs. I explained why I don’t see it their way.

  28. We keep the sticker on because it looks awesome! This is because we like to stand out, and gold stands out to people eyes.

  29. i remove my stickers. I also remove all tags from clothing. But a lot of times i leave the tags on my sneakers. Why? Because i fucking can. You asked why people leave their stickers on. it is there choice. and you are dead wrong for calling them stupid. everyone is entitled to their own opinion. My opinion is “It’s your hat, wear it as you see fit”.

  30. HELLO People Leave The Tags On Expensive Clothes Because They Can Return That Item after a week or so and Buy Another one . This Makes you Appear to have money enough to Buy all fresh gear every week. THIS IS THE ORIGINAL REASON FOR THIS STYLE OR FAD. This is a no brainer folks

    • HAHAHAHA You think its originated by someone that wanted to be creative or original Yeah Right You show me a person that wears his price tags on his clothes and I will show you someone who is the exact opposite of Original or Creative They all wear the same clothes the first week it comes out week after week after week

      What is the that song by Offspring ” hey hey do that brand new thing ….”

  31. Samuel,
    U r probably one of the most sensible people out there. I can’t stand it when people wear those freakin stupid stickers. All my friends wear them and they tell me that when u take it off it lowers the value of the hat to $5. This is the dumbest thing I hav ever heard. When I watch a baseball game, I don’t see the players wearing those stickers cuz they r supposed to be taken off. The sticker doesn’t make the hat, the team logo does. People say it makes the hat look unique which is total bullshit cuz everyone wears the sticker. I’m 17 years old and I absolutely can’t stand seeing peoples comments saying that most youth wear that sticker. I wear my hats the way they are supposed to be worn.

  32. are you expecting us all to say….”yes Samuel you’re correct, we shall now all take off our stickers to please you” it seems to me no matter what explanation you get you shoot it down and just say well that’s stupid, what are you looking for, what other reasons could there be? all i leave on are the authenticity sticker under the bill, and the circular fitted sticker on the top, i do not leave on any other stickers as in my opinion it looks silly. i just like the looks of the fitted sticker.
    Reasons:
    1.to keep it looking new/fresh from the store
    2.if you leave on the two i mentioned, (the circular fitted sticker on the top of the bill, and the authenticity sticker under the bill) then when removing the cap, if you place your fingers on the stickers it helps to keep the cap cleaner for longer.
    3.some people believe it lowers the value, if its genuine, i don’t see why it would.
    4.some people think the sticker looks good.
    i think Samuel, and i don’t mean to sound rude in this post so i apologize if i do. i personally think the only decent reason to leave them on is to help keep the cap cleaner for longer, obviously though, if someone is prepared to pay this money for a cap, they should invest in some hand wipes if that’s a problem for them. The ONLY reasons i leave the two on i mentioned, i like the looks of these two and if i have eaten and haven’t yet had chance to wash my hands or wipe them it does help keep the bill clean. i never..ever…leave the big black sticker that sits straight across the top of the bill, i personally don’t like that. but i’m not going to tell people what to do with THEIR cap. its theirs they can do as they please.

  33. My reasoning is simple: it has nothing to do with “style” or “swag” or anything, but the fact that these stickers tend to leave gluey residue after you remove them. I often try removing the stickers on my hats, but it takes time, and there is often residue. That residue is hard to get off, even when using water. These caps aren’t cheap, and I don’t want to risk ruining them because of some sticker.

    All of my hats are legit, and if somebody thinks it is fake, fuck them. As long as the owner knows it’s real and that’s all that matters. I HATE these stickers, and think it’s utterly nonsensical for New Era to not place them under the brim to start off with, but I leave them on to avoid dealing with the residue.

  34. as an outside observer completely i just want to say that these arguments about leaving your sticker on your hat or not are HILARIOUS. many thanks for the entertainment. the stupidest thing is how many long standing arguments are in progress about it, not whether you leave the sticker on or off. classic.

    • Only a dumbass idiot would leave the tag on, And if you are worried that others dont think it’s real, who the F cares? Caring about that only demonstrates what a loser you are if that’s what matters in your sorry little life!

  35. Simon hit the nail on the head, after all these comments. It, just like so many other trends, is perpetuated by brain-dead sheep who think that in doing so they attain some “cred”. Mostly because they have so little else in their lives to show for.
    As far as trends go, young men seem to be the worst at perpetuating them, choosing the silliest trends, and being the very slowest to change. You would never see women wearing meant to be temporary manufacturer’s labels on their accessories. And even if that trend existed, it would die out within a few months.

  36. came to the question today after buying a couple of hats and hessitated wheather to remove stickers or not!. After reading all this. still dont know what to do thanks, and Sam go to Harvard & wear kakhis

  37. Some people are sheep. If the people (rap “artists” for example) they follow started wearing their underwear on the outside of their pants, or wearing their right and left shoes on the wrong feet, they would do the same. They have no minds of their own. That’s all.

  38. “Vanity; my favourite sin.”
    (Al Pacino, The Devil’s Advocate)

    This idiotic rage has even flown over to Belgium (thank you for that America) so I googled it in hope of finding some sort of reasonable explanation for it, but alas. Although Samuels sceptical attitude kept this conversation going for quite some time, absolutely nobody succeeded in giving a reasonable explanation for this curious phenomenon, so I drew my own conclusions.

    In the end it’s all about fitting in. After all, we’re herd beasts, following eachother without questioning why. The purchase of in iPhone could perhaps be motivated for it’s “user-friendliness” (open for debate of course), buying overpriced Beats headphones by Dr. Dre could be explained as a good purchase because of its “superior sound” and “slick design” (extremely open for debate) but after reading these comments I think every reasonable person can conclude that there is NO valid reason for leaving a sticker on a cap.

    For fun, let’s take some of the most given reasons and analyse them.

    1. Authenticity & Real Worth
    Come on. You bought the thing. Don’t tell me you left the sticker on because there’s a good chance you’re gonna sell it on ebay some day; you’re wearing the damn thing on your head, lowering its value by the minute wity each small crease and fold that will inevitably deteriorate your cap. And if you actually get offended because some ignorant people think it’s fake you have véry low self-esteem my friend. Get some help for that.

    2. Practical Uses (No Residue, Protection from Stains)
    This I can understand, somewhat. Nobody likes stains. But at what price will you safeguard your cap from them? At the price of a shiny ugly thing smack dab in the middle of your cap just to protect it from potential small grease spots? That’s a steep price to pay. And residue? Highly unlikely that a well respected company like New Era works with low quality stickers that leave hard to remove residue. They like their customers (read: you guys) too much for that.

    3. Fashion Value
    I highly doubt there are people out there who actually favor the sticker because of its fashion value. A bright shiny round sticker does not make an otherwise quite plain and neutral color scheme prettier. Au contraire, it draws the attention away from the cap. So if that’s what you’re going for, then yes, I get it. The shiny sticker prooves that you can afford a new cap; you want people to pay more attention to the value of the cap than to the cap itself. You’re swag. You’re fresh. But at what price? A butt-ugly sticker on your stylish cap? Do you really want to be like Lady Gaga or Kanye West, attention-whoring their way through life shouting and wearing thé most ridiculous stuff just for a bit of attention?

    In conclusion, I think that there’s only a small minority of people that actually have faith in the answer they give when asked for the reasoning behind that shiny thing on their cap. The rest just make something up to hide the fact that they only left it on because they saw more and more people doing it and they eventually gave in to the urge to fit in, ignoring their common sense, allowing vanity and self-consciousness to take over.

    But hey, don’t feel bad. To quote Yeezy himself: “We’re all self-conscious, I’m just the first to admit it.”

  39. The original reason why people kept the sticker on their cap was to show that it has been stolen from the shop. This way they’ll earn some sort of street cred from their peers because they are wearing some fresh stolen cap from the store. The sticker represent their hood level in some way.

    Over time, this movement become a fashion statement fronted by the rappers on MTV. Its generally being adopted by teenage all around the world without them knowing. Only reason most of them are keeping it because they saw their idol wears it on the screen.

    Along the way, people came out with different reason to keep the sticker on while the real reason behind it was forgotten. Now, people keep the sticker on their cap to make it looks fresh and authentic when it was naturally means “I just stole this cap and wear it casually, respect me..!!”

    Cheers~~

  40. Lol look at all these old farts. Its a teenage thing, its what young people do. And same with the “not team color thing.” Some people want to rep their team but still match their hat with their clothing, nobody cares if the team has never worn the stupid color lol.

    • Those people care more about their fashionisms than supporting their team with their original colors… and don’t generalize, it’s a teenage Girl thing, the guys know what those colors represent.

  41. I have two or three caps, throw them on whenever im havin an easy day, no price tags but the sizing sticker and the hologram are all there. Not a baseball fan and obviously im not American, but, and correct me if im wrong, i think only baseball fans finds it annoying. The Fans ware them for the team, the rest ware them to look good. Hip Hop artists keep them on, maybe thats why people do it

  42. I am totally the opposite with things I wear / buy. I will remove every sticker from my caps (new era and other brands)… including the official licensed hologram sticker for the sport I follow (Rugby League). and put them together, as I collect them. But I will wear in my cap by keeping it on as much as possible… giving in frequent stretchings and bending.. to give it a bit of a worn in look and feel… I workout in the gym with it on, so it gets a dose of sweat as part of that breaking in process, and I may even wear it out in the rain..Its a bit of a ritual to me!…… I only saw someone leaving on a sticker, for the first time recently… that big one on the bill. I kinda thought he must have just bought it at the merchandise stall outside the stadium.. and had forgot to take it off!! Who knew it was part of being cool?

  43. I keep the sticker on my white caps because I noticed the sticky resin makes dust and dirt stick to so it makes it dirty in that spot so I keep it on

  44. Let me tell all of you people…….I don’t know why, but most people i know with hats say ‘It keeps the value of the hat’ which i obviously know that it’s false. Some say it doesn’t reveal the sweat stains…which is a good reason why they leave the sticker on. Some even said that it looks good in ‘selfies’. I, personally offending myself, leave stickers on my Mitchell And Ness snapbacks, and yet I don’t care for the attention and the ooh-ah’s, all I know is that i love my hats…

    case is closed

  45. The stickers on New Era hats are put on by New Era. Stickers on t-shirts and jeans are put on by the shops.

    • If you’re buying a hat with a logo for a sports team on it, then the hat will come with an “authentic” sticker for that particular league. When I buy a Marlins hat, I’ll immediately take off the big, ugly gold sticker on the bill, but I’ll leave the holographic MLB Authentic sticker on the underside. It’s small and attracts nowhere near as much attention.

  46. Here’s a wild stab at how this trend started. ……it’s probably a ghetto-like statement….probably originated from prison because it’s more of an “urban ” thing (yeah,…..ok)….mommy and daddy didn’t pay much attention so here’s a cry for attention…am I wrong, probably NOT that far off from the truth but then again some urban yahoo will defend this moronic look as “unique ” & “stylish “(again. …from the choirs. ..”yeah,. .ok”)….to each his own,. …the most amazing thing about America is. …you have the right to be stupid and moronic (I’m sure they’re saying. …God bless America )…..here’s the funny thing about all these folks with their “unique style “…..in case nobody’s ever told you……somebody’s getting RICH OFF of YOU. ..AND some folks reading this comment are INVESTING in companies like that to gain some wealth on your behalf. … (thanks! )….so the more outlandish it is. ….the more people get rich. ….there’s truth to the P.T.Barnum saying “there’s a sucker born every minute “…

  47. Omfg its a fashion statement I do this and not to be racist I’m white and I wear snapbacks they look fucking amazing. Keepin the stickers on a snapback is nothing like keeping the stickers on other clothes because clothing items have brand names sewn into them snapback have stickers. I don’t know who your looking at or why you think looking fresh is a bad thing or whatever but it not stupid to want people to know you actually have a brand name snapback and fyi people swag is so dead. Yes rappers wear them like that and yes they don’t get much respect for it but they keep it real and stay on point. Y’all haters who don’t understand can go somewhere and mind your own fucking business. Stickers on snapbacks is how we keep it real best believe that.

  48. My name is Jp I’m from Harlem Nyc have been collecting since 2002i have 53 of the most exclusive new era fitteds ever seen THE REASON you keep the sticker on the brim is because that’s where you grab the hat to put it on if you take off stickers put hat on and remove hat over and over the brim will start getting grey and dirty where your fingers have touched over and over THAT’S WHY THE DAMN STICKER STAYS ON OKAAAY!!!#SnappleCapFact

  49. It’s for none of the those reason. You leave the stickers on to let you know when it’s time to get a new hat. If you where a hat to the point that the stickers are peeling or coming up. It’s a pretty good chance that the hat is worn. So at that point you give it you your little brother or someone who would appreciate the slightly worn cap and you purchase something new. The point of the tags is to only make sure you don’t over wear the hat. That is all

  50. Leaving the sticker on is a way to express the authenticity of the cap, in ghetto culture or low socio-economic communities, when a kid finally purchased or got as a gift a cap, a real one, the sticker was the only way for others to know that, it symbolizes that the cap is not only real but it’s brand new. Some like to wear down their hats, and some keep in mint condition, there are videos and blog showing you how to make your new hat look worn down and broken into, some prefer making their new hats look old, and some like making their new hats always look new. It has to do with your socio-economic status, rich like t act like they are ghetto and ghetto like to act like they are rich.

  51. Pingback: How To Get A Sticker Off A Shirt After Washing | Time Loves

  52. People do it because they wanna be like everybody else. For me I gotta bend my bill a certain way or else I can’t rock a ball cap. As for the whole wanting to make sure everyone knows the hat is real? Seriously, damn you spent $35-$40 dollars on it so you know its real. That’s exactly what’s wrong w/the world people caring more about tee total strangers opinions of them than their own! Sad…… Do you & stop trying to impress people who could care 2 shits less! Don’t spend your life worrying bout all that, feel me just do you.

  53. Hi there ! Here’s what I was told : The insight behind the sticker is the following – these brands observed that the audience who generally buy those caps mostly eat saucy, greasy food…especially on match days so the stickers are placed so you can pick up your hat without touching the fabric with your oily, saucy fingers…My job partly deals with sociological research and I find this insight (if true) just amazing thought process !

  54. I don’t know if anyone has ever said this before, but keeping the sticker and the tags on the hat also gives people the ability to switch out the caps from the store whenever they want. I know people do that with shoes where they buy an expensive pair and wear them for a day and then they go back to the store and exchange them for another pair the next day. Same with clothes. Makes it seem like they can afford a bunch of expensive clothing.

    • Why do you need a sticker on a hat to do something illegal in a store. Just go in the store and put the new hat on your head and walk out. Now you have 2 hats with silly stickers on them.

    • Actually you said that people do it with shoes and clothes. How do you know that people do it with hats? Do you hangout with ghetto people who do the hat switch? Can you direct me to a news site that has a news story that you learned about this criminal activity. Thx

  55. One way to check the authenticity of the cap is on New Era’s sizing stickers when you expose it to UV light. Knockoffs doesn’t have those features.

  56. “I must admit that I do keep one sticker on my New Era caps – they sometimes ARE great accessories, but it’s only the MLB authentic hologram underneath the bill”

    And the question is “Why would you do it ?”
    Like you, I don’t understand why they would keep the other part, but I also don’t understand why you would keep an authentic hologram. The fact is the hologram is here to prove it’s an authentic, but only you, when you purchased it need to be sure it’s an authentic model.

    i’m also starting to ask myself if years ago, the vendor was not the one taking off all the stickers on something they sold. Maybe they should do it again 😉

  57. I don’t know why you people care so much about how I wear my bought and paid for hats. If I want to leave the sticker on my hat then that’s what I’m gonna do whether you like it or not so you might as well not worry yourself so much about it. Also its completely different than tags on shirts because its a sticker and you would have a hard time seeing the sticker on the hat im wearing unless you really go out of your way to see the top of the bill. Also I keep all the stickers on my hat even the white one with all the info about the hat in case I need to know the info for some reason. I buy the hat and put it on my head with no stupid bending of the bill or pulling off stickers, it goes right on my head like it should. If you want to pull off your stickers then that’s your prerogative and I don’t give a flip so stop worrying about how I wear my hat.

    • You can always a picture of the sticker if you need the information later on. We are not asking you directly why you don’t remove the sticker, it’s a general question to all who do it. You don’t really need to get upset about it. It is a lot like a tag on a shirt. Just like a tag on shirt both were never designed to be left on the product. Just like the energy sticker on the front of a new tv, it’s designed to be removed when it’s being used.

  58. I can comment on this without even reading the other responses. Someone said to me a while back that when you leave the gold sticker on, that it just looks more “fresh.” Like you was such in a hurry to purchase the hat and other ones that you just threw it on without even thinking to take the sticker off. And I guess skateboarders would do it too in a hurry to put on their clothes and go skateboarding so it just became more of a “street accessory.” You have to imagine all the hip hop artists who buy these things in bundles and don’t even think about it, they just throw their hat on and go on stage. They literally have everyone doing everything for them, to creating their custom clothes, to shaving their face and cutting their hair for them so, what’s it a deal to them?? Then I think you got men who are like “well that hat looks fake to me if it don’t have the sticker.” So they are probably trying to appease them which I don’t give a F about actually so. 🤷🏽‍♂️ lol. People just make a big deal out of stuff that actually isn’t and people who judge really bad are the reason for a lot of Earths problems. I honestly don’t care if I see a man walking with five inch finger nails, big baggy pants, and a great big ol beard. I’m not going to judge him. If he can steal articulate sentences well and speak for himself then what do I need to be worried about??

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