On “Empire State of Mind,” JAY-Z rapped, “I made the Yankees hat more famous than a Yankee can.” It’s a stunt, a boast typical in hip-hop that need not be examined literally. But he was on to something, even if he alone isn’t solely responsible for the ubiquity of the Yankees fitted. It’s bigger than a baseball team, somehow bigger than 27 World Series. Even for natives, it’s bigger than root, root, rooting for the hometeam. That logo and that hat have come to represent New York City as a whole, a wearable point of pride and symbol of aspiration that’s spread across the world. On this episode of “Why It’s Cool,” we’ll examine how part of a team uniform became one of the most iconic accessories around. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices