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The 20 best fitted baseball cap designs of all time

The guys at the Strictly Fitteds blog take a look at the very best designs from the world of sport's most iconic, enduring, and far-reaching item of headgear.

The world of sports is highly passionate. You don't have to look much further than the spectators. It is highly opinionated and completely undemocratic. Bear this in mind, as we run down our top 20 list of best fitted baseball cap designs...

At the Strictly Fitteds blog - the world's number one source for fitted cap news - we were filled with excitement when the good people at Creative Bloq asked us to curate this list. But at the same time, we were under no illusions. Like the nature of any game, someone is going to go home salty. There will be a weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

With all that in mind, on with the list!

Sports: the canon

Generally speaking, devotees of sports iconography acknowledge a version of a canon, and the following group of baseball cap logos have cemented their place as the gold standard. While they have stand-alone merits as brilliant designs, they also represent some of the most notable sports dynasties in history.

Coincidence? Do a search for greatest sports team logos and there's a 90 percent chance the five teams featured in this section of our list will appear. We're calling them givens...

01. Chicago Bulls 1967

The raging bull of the cartoonist and graphic artist Theodore "Ted" W Drake mashed up a comic sensibility with an aggressive edge. Bold and bright red, the bull's angry face looks as if it's seconds from charging. The horns are tipped with (blood) red as if it just recently gouged the competition. An urban legend associated with this design is that when turned upside down, it shows a robot reading a book on a bench. What do you think?

02. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Alternate Logo (1973 - 1983)

Another classic creation from the mind of Mr Theodore W Drake, who was reportedly paid $50 for this logo design. This feisty little leprechaun went on to sell multi-millions worth of team merchandise. Drake's background as a cartoonist added some humour to a violent bare-knuckle brawl. Not a comic character you'd want to play games with. Literally or figuratively.

03. New York Yankees (1913 - 1946)  

Arguably the most widely known baseball emblem in the world, the relatively simple NY lock up logo first appeared in the franchise's early incarnations, The New York Highlanders in 1909. There have been at least three variations of the 'NY', which have now come to represent the city, the empire state and in a broader sense America itself.  

04. Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders (1964 - 1981)  

Images of pirates have appeared throughout the history of sport. The Raiders franchise steals the spotlight with its reimagining of the notorious sea bandit. The patched and helmeted Raider, with shield, debuted in 1963. The portrait was reportedly based of the late American actor Randolph Scott. Another example of a highly illustrative piece, the logo is made up over at least seven single elements. In a city notoriously divided by colors Black and Silver united LA.

05. Dallas Cowboys

The five pointed star. It's one of mankind's, oldest and widely recognised symbols. In the case of the Dallas Cowboys it represents the Lone Star State of Texas.

However, the simple design and universal appeal is flexible and open to dozens of other interpretations. Creative retailers have created fitted baseball caps releases that emulate different countries' flags as well as capitalising on buzzworthy sneaker releases.

Check out the best pro sports caps on the following page!

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