In societies of European origin, fashion is often used by people to signify social class and distinguish the upper crust from the riffraff. Likewise, in some sports, players use fashion to display authenticity and establish their status within the subculture’s informal hierarchy.

Private firms create or coopt a sport’s fashion to make money. Firms want to become a paid intermediary between players and the meaning of their sports/lifestyles. If disc golf doesn’t have a distinctive fashion, I’m guessing dg clothing companies like Dude are not doing well.

Sport associations, media and sponsors also wish to create/coopt dg fashion to make money. Pro disc golfers are entertainment products that attract the attention of consumers who buy stuff. The goal is to dress these people-products up in ways that maximize consumption.

Part of their dress-up strategy involves creating a connection between dg fashion and the wealthiest customer segment: middle/upper-class white people. So, when PDGA, DGPT or DUDE say we should “look nice” or “professional,” they are really saying we should look white.

The latest poll suggests that a distinctive fashion has not yet taken shape. Disc golfers may be bringing in a variety of fashions from other social locals, which could, theoretically, make it more difficult for firms to coopt the culture and whitewash the sport.

If you read this far, head over to DGPT’s second Inclusion and Diversity discussion on YouTube and listen to the comments of Juan Garcia ( @JomezPro) at minute mark 1:09. He explains all this much better than I did.

P.S., white polo shirts may not be the best look for the 2021 disc golf season.