To excel as a professional athlete in Philadelphia, there are a few key tenets that one might want to subscribe to. Don't take critiques personally. Never turn on the fans. Perform well. And maybe: Support Wawa?
Wawa, the convenience store chain scattered throughout the Philadelphia and South Jersey region, is as sacred as a place that specializes in quick hoagies and soft drinks can be. Bryce Harper, who doesn't necessarily need to do much to keep his favor with Philly sports fans, earned himself some surplus brownie points with some custom gear donned during Saturday's game against the Cleveland Guardians.
Harper was outfitted with a headband and cleats that were both Wawa-themed. The cleats, in particular, were great, with the slogan, "Gottahava Wawa" replaced with "Gottahavea Harper."
Bryce Harper is wearing a custom Wawa headband and cleats tonight pic.twitter.com/F8gZMabTRC
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 27, 2024
Here's a better look at the merch, which was made by Under Armour.
Under Armour created Wawa-inspired ‘Gottahava Harper’ baseball cleats for Bryce Harper inspired by his love for Wawa 😋 pic.twitter.com/GASnqD06Ng
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) June 20, 2024
Embrace Philly, and it will embrace you back. While the Phils lost 8-0 on Saturday, his cleats alone probably kept his favor rolling with supporters.
Harper is well known to outfit his gear with fun details and personality pieces. Just days ago, the handle of his bat that featured the meme'd gorilla Harambe that was turned into a 1-of-1 trading card was unpacked by a fan. Surely, the Gattahavea Harper shoe patch would be an awesome collector's item as a trading card, too.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bryce Harper Became Even Bigger Philly Legend With Wawa-Themed Cleats, Headband.
