BALTIMORE (WJZ) — New Era, the official hat supplier of Major League Baseball, released their “Local Market” collection hats on Tuesday afternoon. Meant to highlight important parts of the team’s home city, the hats feature area codes and different patches with various “connections” to the city. For the Orioles hat, that meant featuring a crab, the face of Edgar Allen Poe, the USS Constellation, the state outline and the nickname “Charm City” in cursive.
This is the Orioles version of the New Era Local Market caps that are on sale now for all the area code/Poe/hat patch aficionados out there. pic.twitter.com/inwxJLuT10
— Jon Meoli (@JonMeoli) May 25, 2021
The immediate reaction from fans was….not positive. Pointing to everything from not knowing what the boat is meant to represent, to the face of Edgar Allen Poe on the back, fans ripped the hats.
Don’t, under any circumstances buy or wear this hat. Don’t. pic.twitter.com/7kU9SOGEuH
— Barstool Are Dee Tee (@editti22) May 25, 2021
Therapist: Edgar Allan Poe Orioles hat isn't real, it can't hurt you
Edgar Allan Poe Orioles hat: pic.twitter.com/h7AoHKg7MX
— Jordan Mountkatzle (@NaturallyKatz11) May 25, 2021
The biggest upset here is somehow Edgar Allen Poe is on the Orioles hat but not the flag of Maryland which is usually on everything even tangentially Maryland related pic.twitter.com/WLiQN69NRW
— Jeffrey Paternostro (@jeffpaternostro) May 25, 2021
I truly have no idea what this boat is pic.twitter.com/utYy5vTXQW
— Amy Plitt (@plitter) May 25, 2021
That Orioles "local connections" hat is garbage. They want to make a local connections hat, make straw cowboy hats like Wild Bill Hagy wore
— Daniel M. Ford (@soundingline) May 25, 2021
READ MORE: Maryland Weather: Warm Temperatures May Help Create A Severe StormWhoever approved that New Era x Orioles local market hat need their privileges revoked.
— …🏁 (@InvaderIke) May 25, 2021
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One pointed to a missed opportunity by not including the signature spice of the region, Old Bay, on the hat.
Missed opportunity for New Era by not putting a can of Old Bay on this Orioles "Local Market" hat… pic.twitter.com/b9xbie0jfI
— Andrew Lind (@AndrewMLind) May 25, 2021
Another fan suggested that New Era should add a different local connection to the hat to replace Poe.
MORE NEWS: Ravens' Football Clinic Helps Children Improve Sports SkillsOrioles replace Edgar Allen Poe with Omar from The Wire on this hat challenge pic.twitter.com/iqlGnRRMTR
— Tuna Meltdown May (@jmtryneski) May 25, 2021
Overall, the hats were ridiculed on Twitter from fans across the league to the point where it no longer appears that New Era has them listed on their website. What did you think of the hats? Were there designs you would rather have seen on them?
