New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is likely headed to the Hall of Fame and will end up as one of the NFL's legendary coaches, but one thing he'll probably never be praised for is his gameday wardrobe. The "hoodie" -- in its various forms and colors -- has been Belichick's signature piece of clothing on the sidelines for more than a decade, regardless of temperature or weather conditions.
Super Bowl 2015: Why Bill Belichick dresses like he does
The Patriots coach has a reason why he prefers to wear a hoodie on the sideline.
According to a profile of the coach published in 2012 by Yahoo! Sports columnist Dan Wetzel, Belichick began wearing a hooded sweatshirt when the NFL signed a clothing deal with Reebok that required coaches to wear approved clothing during games. Miffed that he was being told how to dress by a sponsor, Belichick chose the least stylish option available, a grey hooded sweatshirt.
When asked about his fashion choice, he replied, “It’s comfortable. I carry my stuff in my pouch.” Belichick also decided to make the sweatshirt even less attractive by cutting off the sleeves. Why would he do that? “Because I have short arms,” Belichick explained to Linda Holliday, the host of the StyleBoston television show. “I cut them off to have a little more comfort. It’s all there is to it.”
So there you have it. Belichick is a noted contrarian on and off the field, both in terms of his coaching strategy and his fashion choice. But really he’s sort of like the rest of us when picking out his gameday outfit; he just wants to be comfortable.
Now that we've figured out why Belichick dresses like he does, what does it mean for the Patriots and their fans on Super Bowl Sunday? Amazingly, we might have an answer to that question. An NFL Reddit user (@PatsPropaganda) has tracked Bill Belichick's record by hoodie style and color since 2003. According to this very scientific study, the Patriots have been most successful when Belichick wears some version of a grey hoodie, winning more than 80 percent of those games. This total includes his traditional grey hoodies with sleeves, his grey hoodies without sleeves, and his new grey Nike hoodies.
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