There’s a Reason That Arkansas Razorbacks Fans Sometimes Wear Those Beer Hats in the Stands

Sports traditions are common, whether fans are taking part at a college, local, or major level. The same goes for fans of the Arkansas Razorbacks, especially with those hard-to-miss beer hats. But some sports fans are still a little confused about why Arkansas fans wear the beer hats during baseball games and the significance they have to the game in general.

Wearing the beer hats isn't about trying to follow a good luck charm for the team, and it isn't akin to wearing the same jersey for several games without washing it because the team won the first time you wore it. The hats are, however, about Arkansas fans coming together to cheer the players on when it matters the most.

If you noticed some Arkansas fans wearing beer hats for the Razorbacks during a Southern Conference baseball tournament, you aren't alone. But the hats have been around for years. According to Whole Hog Sports, even in 2021, some fans chose to don those beer hats in the stands when the Razorbacks were playing hard on the field.

The reason has to do with the bases. The outlet reported that the tradition involves fans throwing on the hats if the bases are loaded in the Razorbacks' favor. It adds more enthusiasm for the players, and it shows support as the players round all three bases at once to head for home plate.

“I started noticing it when you’ve got a group of guys down the first-base line with these goofy-looking hats on. We didn’t know what they were,” Coach Dave Van Horn told Whole Hog Sports. “And then we kind of started realizing they only put them on when we have the bases loaded. Now they’re all over the stadium. I don’t know where they buy them, but they do.”

The tradition, it turns out, started because a group of fans remembered enjoying the animation on the scoreboard showing bases celebrating by toasting with mugs of beers, per Whole Hog Sports. The friends began to search for foam beer hats, which they would wear at Razorbacks games. Eventually, it became a tradition for them to pass out the hats to friends and other fans.

The original fans behind the beer hats might still choose to find and wear foam hats that they find at stores throughout the year. But now, other fans can buy official beer hats to save for those moments when Arkansas has the bases loaded. The merch site for the Razorbacks has a plush beer mug hat for sale for $17.99.

There are even buttons you can buy separately that say the bases are “loaded,” as a double meaning to the bases being loaded and fans being potentially loaded on alcohol during the game. But, regardless of which beer hat Arkansas fans wear, they can show their support for the team just by showing up.