Baseball Hats, So Hot Right Now

When it comes to accessories, probably nothing is quite so ubiquitous as the humble baseball hat. Second only to sunglasses, it’s an item that has stood the test of time for men’s preferred form of sun protection. And while there’s nothing cooler than a man grinning at you behind a sharp pair of aviators, there’s actually nothing hornier than a guy wearing a baseball cap… backwards. Recently, a new icon in this genre has entered the chat: Challengers’ Art Donaldson, portrayed by Mike Faist, causing X (formerly Twitter) to erupt with thirst.

“the visceral reaction i had in that theater to seeing mike faist in a backwards hat…. rip to that arm rest,” one user wrote. Another shared a passionately horny theory: “If #challengers proved anything it’s that the SLUTTIEST thing a tennis player can do is wear a backwards hat.”

Put simply, said one X user, “something about mike faist in a backwards hat does it for me every time.” But what is that “something” — not just as it applies to Art, but universally?

First, this hot little shake-up will never go out of style. John F. Kennedy Jr. regularly donned the swoon-worthy accessory in the ’90s (and his nephew Jack Schlossberg wore one just this week). Luke Danes rocked it on Gilmore Girls in the 2000s and again in the 2016 reboot. Both Harrys — Prince and Styles — have made it look good. Other entries into the canon include Travis Kelce, Michael B. Jordan, Cara Delevingne, and Selena Gomez. There are even social media accounts dedicated to the phenomenon: Since 2020, @hotdudesinbackwardshats has been chronicling this important trend on Instagram.

The backwards baseball hat is sweet and salty, like the expensive trail mix that has both pistachios and yogurt chips. It’s the sartorial equivalent of a guy who rides a motorcycle to work but takes his mom out for brunch once a week. It’s Mr. Darcy’s haughty smolder undercut by Mr. Bingley’s good-natured candor. To quote Taylor Swift, it’s basically the energy of a “tattooed Golden Retriever.”

It’s also low effort. The backwards hat is the male equivalent of a messy bun. If you take a walk on a sunny day, chances are you’ll encounter several men rocking the style, and I guarantee you none of them thought, “the ladies at Trader Joe’s are gonna absolutely salivate about me” before heading out the door. Bonus points if a guy briefly takes off his cap, runs his hands through his hair, and then puts it back on. If I make eye contact with a man who does this, I’m telling my friends we’re engaged.

And finally, there’s something about a man in a backwards hat that indicates to me he is working on a little task, which I personally find very hot. Acts of service, anyone? Maybe he was gardening and had to go to Home Depot to get more of your favorite flowers. Maybe he took the dog for a walk so you could do a Peloton ride. Maybe he told you to stay in bed while he ran out to pick up that vintage mirror you found on Facebook Marketplace. Basically, he’s gotta leave the house and run a little errand that makes your life more wonderful.

At least that’s what I’m imagining every time I see a backwards cap in the wild.