Thank Benjamin Russell Jr. for Sweatshirts

I freely admit that when the temperature drops into the 30′s outside, I wear a sweatshirt and sweatpants inside. Yes, I’m cold-natured since I’ve lived most of my life in a hot climate.

Even though I have central heating, I keep the thermostat at 69 or below so my wardrobe of sweatclothes gets trotted out. I have colorful shirts but mostly navy, gray, and black sweatpants.

You may laugh that I follow fashion “rules” when it comes to sweats, but why not be stylish if one can be stylish in sweats.

This morning when it was below freezing, I said to Darling Hubby, “I don’t know who invented sweatshirts and pants, but I’d like to thank them.

Of course, that started me on the research trail of whom to thank. As it turns out, it was Benjamin Russell Jr., a 1926 football player who was tired of itchy wool jerseys and had an idea for an all-cotton practice football jersey.

He went to his father who turned Junior’s idea into reality. Thus Russell Athletic was born with the production in 1930 of the crew neck sweatshirt. 

Of course, the label sweat was attached to the cotton jersey shirt because men who wore it played football—one could justifiably call it iron man football back in those days—and they sweated.

TODAY’S SWEAT CLOTHING

If you have a sweatshirt with a triangular piece set in at the neckline, then you have a traditionally styled sweatshirt. 

In today’s world, that triangle of cloth, originally meant to collect perspiration and to keep the neckline from stretching out, is often missing. 

Most sweatshirts are loose-fitting garments with long sleeves and a crew neck,and they’re still designed for warmth, and the best, in my opinion, are 100% cotton. 

Russell Athletics still makes and sells a quality sweatshirt and pants. Darling Hubby has some Russell Athletic wear that is about 10 years old, and the garments still fit well, retain their shape, and are soft and comfortable.

WOMEN AND SWEATS

Ironically, the first pair of sweatpants for women was introduced in the 1920s by Émile Camuset, the founder of Le Coq Sportif, who saw them as pants a woman could wear for comfort and ease.

Yet, it seemed to take a man “inventing” them for men for them to become commonplace. Was it that the idea didn’t cross the Atlantic, or perhaps the French design was different from the American design?

Now the Fashion Police deride any woman who appears in public in sweats. Personally, if I’m wearing sweats and need to go to the store, post office, etc. 

I do not hesitate to appear in public. In fact, if I lived in a cold climate, I probably wouldn’t wear anything but sweats 24/7.

Joan Reeves aka SlingWords: The Word Slinging Adventures of Joan Reeves

Source: https://slingwords.blogspot.com/2025/02/thank-benjamin-russell-jr-sweatsshirts.html