BALTIMORE — Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders said it best: “If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good.”
For the Ravens, the decision about what to wear before games requires just as much thought as the decisions they make on the field, as their fits brings them the confidence they need to play well.
“Whenever I put a lot of effort into what I was wearing, I had a good game,” outside linebacker Odafe Oweh said. “That’s a big thing. You have to make sure you have your drip set.”
In sports, especially the NFL, NBA and WNBA, the walk from the parking lot or team bus to the locker room is similar to the runway during Paris Fashion Week. With the cameras flashing, athletes use that short moment to showcase their creative side while occasionally rocking clothing brands that some can only dream of wearing. But more importantly, they are being themselves.
“You see a lot of different styles, but you have to stick true to you,” safety Chuck Clark said. “For me, it comes down to how I feel. If the fit doesn’t feel right on my body, I don’t look good.”
For players like Oweh and wide receiver Rashod Bateman, the process of finding the right game day fit takes about a week. Oweh — who likes wearing Off-White and Dior — will scroll through Grailed, a high-fashion streetwear website, for different pieces and accessories before putting his fit together.
Bateman said he begins thinking about what he will wear on Monday, but his mind changes throughout the week. “It depends on your mood and how you are feeling,” he said.
Before wide receiver James Proche II figures out his fit for Sunday, he seeks out inspiration from other players, music artists, TikTok and Instagram pages. Proche avoids wearing designer clothes, calling himself “one of the cheapest people you are going to meet.” He would rather shop at thrift stores or wear clothing brands based in his hometown of Dallas.
“Dallas has a lot of great brands, man,” Proche said. “I just try to support the city.”
Cornerback Brandon Stephens said he picks out his fit the night before a game. Stephens said he is into vintage clothes, but when it’s a business trip like the Ravens’ road win over the New England Patriots in Week 3, he will wear a suit.
While some players might lean toward an extravagant look, others like to keep it simple.
Leading up to the Ravens’ season opener against the New York Jets last month, rookie safety Kyle Hamilton didn’t have a washing machine or dryer. The former Notre Dame standout had to use the team’s facility to wash his clothes, forcing him to put on whatever clean clothes he had at the time, which was a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants.
Even though Hamilton was limited in clothes selection, he typically likes to keep things basic, wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt with a pair of Under Armour sneakers or Crocs.
“Nothing crazy,” Hamilton said. “I’m pretty chill when it comes to clothing.”
Kicker Justin Tucker is no different. All Tucker needs is black sweatpants, a hoodie and his Jordan 1s, and he is ready to roll. “I let all the other guys with real swag take care of the pregame fits, but for me, I gotta keep it simple,” Tucker said.
‘I always start with the sneakers’
Rookie punter Jordan Stout, whose style revolves around a pair of ripped jeans and a designer shirt like Vlone or Kith, said the shoes make the outfit.
“If I have on flip-flops with the nicest hoodie, it’s still a bad fit, but if you have nice shoes on with whatever, it will still look good,” Stout said.
Stout is a huge fan of Nike SB Dunks, especially the Travis Scott dunks, which he said were “sick,” but he will not break the bank to buy them. “At this point in my life, I’m not going to buy them,” Stout said about the Travis Scott dunks, which are worth more than $1,500 on the resale market. “If somebody wants to give them to me, that’d be awesome.”
Proche and linebacker Malik Harrison, who described themselves as sneakerheads, also think the shoes add more value to an outfit. Harrison said his go-to kicks are the Jordan 3s and 4s, while Proche has an expansive collection of Jordan 1s, Vans, Asics, New Balances and even Golden Goose.
“I always start with the sneakers,” Proche said. “I look at different patterns and go from there.”
For Oweh, it depends on the situation. If he wants to go with a minimalist look, the shoes have to be eye-catching. But if the shirt and pants stand out, Oweh said it doesn’t matter what shoes he wears. “But I got both,” he added.
Over the past couple of years, Tucker has been collecting Jordan 1s. He said it started with a pair of Jordan 1 Retro Black Toe, and now his collection has grown into a variety of Jordan 1s ranging from the high-tops to the lows and even the mids.
“I probably have a dozen pairs [saved] for Sundays or dinner,” Tucker said. “I feel like you can always dress up or dress down the [Jordan] 1s.”
Tucker said the mids are his favorite version of the Jordan 1s, even though that style receives the most hate. “I don’t discriminate when it comes to [Jordans],” he said. “I like them because I like them.”
‘Bate be putting it on’
As Hamilton stood in front of his locker after practice, he was asked a simple question: “Who has the best style on the team?”
“Is Justin Houston in that conversation?” Hamilton joked while the veteran linebacker stood next to him. He then rattled off names like cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey before his final answer popped into his head. “Oh, Bateman. Bate be putting it on, for sure.”
Rookie cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis dropped his head in disappointment when he heard Hamilton’s answer, but Bateman’s drip could not be denied. If you ask any player in the Ravens’ locker room who has the best style, Bateman’s name is bound to come up.
Harrison considered himself the best dressed player on the team, but as soon as Bateman was mentioned, the third-year veteran had a change of heart. “Yeah, never mind. Bateman is up there for sure,” Harrison said.
Bateman appreciated the compliments because he takes pride in putting fits together. “You feel good, you play good. I truly believe that,” the former Minnesota standout said.
Bateman said he has a “versatile” style as he tries to avoid being basic. Bateman said he likes brands like Fear of God and Gallery Dept., but doesn’t mind experimenting with different brands, styles and colors.
“It doesn’t matter the brand,” Bateman said. “If it looks good, I’m buying it for sure.”
Even though Bateman is focused on football, he has an eye on the future and thinks fashion may be a part of it. When asked if he wanted to get into fashion design, Bateman said he is still figuring it out.
“I’m not too sure what it is, but when I think about fashion, there’s a lot of different pieces that you can put your hands on,” he said. “I’m not sure [how] my life is going to end up in that area, but I’m still figuring out my way in other areas.”
‘You want to be able to look back and say that’s a clean fit’
When the lights are shining bright, and the entire country is watching the Ravens on prime-time television on Sunday night against the Cincinnati Bengals, the players want to make sure they walk into the stadium right.
“The cameras are rolling when it’s prime time,” Ravens defensive tackle Justin Madubuike said. “So you want to be able to look back and say that’s a clean fit, and I played well.”
Just like Oweh and Bateman, Madubuike said it takes him a week to pick his outfit for a big game. He starts with the shirt and then figures out which shoes to wear before evaluating which pants fit the best. Madubuike likes Billionaire Boys Club — a popular streetwear brand co-founded by Pharrell Williams — and a comfortable pair of Jordans, but doesn’t mind rocking Balenciaga or Dior if he wants to “act bougie.”
“You got to wear something that makes you stand out, but nothing too flashy unless you are into that,” he said.
Proche, on the other hand, views prime-time games as a way to promote his brand, Channel 3. Proche started Channel 3 in 2016 with his brothers — Joshua and Jacob — as a way to bring them together. Proche grew up as an artist from drawing, painting and listening to music. Proche called Channel 3 a great creative outlet that allows him to represent himself and his brothers.
“Whenever we [have] something coming out, I try to display that,” Proche said.
Clark said everyone is different. While some players might have a baggy look, the starting safety sticks to fitted and multipurpose clothes. But at the end of the day, he knows his teammates will put on their best fit, especially for prime-time.
“Everybody got a little drip,” Clark said.
