State College Spikes Bringing Back The Romper

Whether you call it a romper or a romp-him, the State College Spikes are doing their best to ride the wave that has suddenly brought the 1970s fashion trend back into, well, fashion.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton wore one at the Coachella music festival, and late-night host Andy Cohen has also claimed credit for sparking the comeback of the romper for men. No matter the inspiration, the Spikes on June 28 are looking to be among the first in the minor leagues to put their twist on pop culture’s latest sensation.

Joe Putnam and his team in State College got the idea on Tuesday morning and had a plan in place that afternoon. The result is sure to add yet another tile to the mosaic that is minor league apparel. The players won’t be wearing rompers on the field, but fans who wear them will receive half off of a ticket to the game. They also can pre-order Spikes-customized rompers at the team’s website and pick them up at the game that night.

To accomplish that, however, the Spikes had to get a little creative.

“It was more or less a case of, ‘OK, let’s see what rompers are available,'” Putnam said. “And they won’t necessarily be custom-made. Put it this way: The rompers will likely be altered for the Spikes, but we’re excited about it.”

The festivities that night will also involve a Romper Cam inside Medlar Park at Lubrano Field, as well as a romper (and romp-him) fashion show. There will also be a tribute to Sean Connery, who famously wore a romper in “Goldfinger.”

Every minor league promotions group knows that you have to be quick when something begins to overtake the Internet. Time is money, after all, and you don’t want to be the second team to jump on a craze that could become promotions gold. The trend last year was Pokemon Go, and this year fidget spinners have become all the rage on social media. Now, rompers have begun to wriggle their way into the mix.

“It’s nice to be able to be among the first to jump on this trend,” Putnam said. “We’ll see if other teams sort of follow the thread and jump on it too.”