BY JAMES CARR
@jamescarr89
As football practice begins all around the Southeastern Conference, coaches must deal with the intense pressure that comes with workouts in preparation for a season.
We're talking, of course, about the sun.
Many coaches find it difficult to protect themselves from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Though sunglasses and sunscreen are helpful, both are affected by sweat and can cause minor irritation. That's where hats come into play.
Typically, most athletes don what is colloquially known as the baseball cap, but given the disaster involving Texas A&M it appears coaches are straying away from the norm and, in the process, making fashion statements.
South Carolina's Steve Spurrier set the bar extremely high with a half-hat, half-visor bucket look. As our Yardbarker.com friend Adam Kramer notes, it can get awfully hot under normal hats and it’s nice to allow the hair to breathe, particularly with a head of hair like the Ol' Ball Coach.
Mark Richt followed suit with what appears to be some sort of gardening hat. Perhaps he wore this to remind his players to stay away from particular plants that warrant arrests. Perhaps, as Seth Emerson commented, Richt is planning trips to biker bars, surely an untapped financial market for the SEC.
Though we do not intend for this to be a fashion blog, we really face no choice when coaches go out on a limb like these two fine gentlemen. We will keep you posted on further developments in anticipation of a response from Les Miles, aka the Mad Hatter.
