The Wall Street Journal uses the word "stunned" to describe the reaction even industry insiders have had to the fashion accessory that NFL coaches seized upon en masse this season: the rope hat. Yes, the style that golfers popularized decades ago is back and has jumped sports. Half of the 20 head coaches who wore a hat during opening weekend opted for the rope version. It was one of nine styles they had to choose from among the sideline gear approved for coaches by the NFL (yes, that's a thing). "More coaches gravitated toward the rope than we had expected," said Ryan Samuelson, the NFL's vice president of consumer products.
For the uninitiated, the rope hat is "a beefy trucker hat with a slender rope running at the foot of the crown"—with that rope generally providing a burst of color to what could otherwise be an ordinary hat in a muted color. Andy Johnson, who sells rope hats on golf website The Fried Egg, echoes that, telling the Journal, "The rope hat, in a way, allows for the hat manufacturers to get a little bit weirder." On the weird front, the Journal flags one unorthodox use of the hat. Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan has been wearing the rope hat ... just with the rope cut off. (More NFL stories.)
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