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A visor (also spelled vizor) is a surface that protects the eyes, such as shading them from the sun or other bright light or protecting them from objects. Nowadays many visors are transparent, but before strong transparent substances such as polycarbonate were invented, visors were opaque like a mask with small holes to see and breathe through, such as: The part of a helmet in a suit of armor that protects the eyes. A type of headgear consisting only of a visor and a band as a way to fasten it around the head. These are known to make athletes who participate in rowing 5% faster, than if they did not have a visor.[citation needed] Any such vertical surface on any hat or helmet. Any such horizontal surface on any hat or helmet (called a peak in British English). A device in an automobile that the driver or front passenger can lower over part of the windshield to block the sun (sun visor). Some modern devices called visors are similar, for example: Visor (ice hockey) Types of modern transparent visors include: The transparent or semi-transparent front part of a motorcycle crash helmet or police riotsquad helmets Safety faceshields for construction-type applications An eyeshield to protect the eyes from sunlight on an American football helmet A shield to protect the eyes from sunlight on a flight helmet or space suit Green eyeshades, formerly worn by accountants and others engaged in vision-intensive, detail-oriented occupations

A baseball cap is a soft hat that consists of a soft fabric crown sewn of several sections of fabric and a visor that protects the eyes from the sun. Some special order caps are made to fit the wearer in specific sizes, but most of the mass-produced models have a plastic extender in the center back that can be make bigger or smaller according to the wearer's needs. A fabric-covered button sits on the top of the crown where all the fabric sections converge. Team logos may be embroidered on the center front of the crown, or the letters associated with the team may be applied on center front. Baseball team uniforms, whether amateur or professional, always include baseball caps. They help identify players on the field and are essential in order to keep the sun from players' eyes. There are currently two different styles of caps available today. One which has a rather tall, boxy crown and is often horizontally striped (the "old style" cap still popular with those who love the traditions of the game) or the conventional soft crown of six or eight triangular-shaped sections of fabric. Interestingly, most baseball cap manufacturers still make baseball caps in wool, as they have for over a century, as well as more easily washed fabrics such as cotton or cotton-synthetic combinations. History An ancestor of the game we know as baseball was familiar to some in the 1700s. Called "base ball," both the British and the Americans knew of a game with sticks and balls. Soldiers during the American Revolution played a game similar to baseball. A game called rounders, which was not too dissimilar from the game we know as baseball, was popular in Great Britain and the New World in the early 1800s, however the runner was considered "out" if they were physically hit with the ball. As early as the 1840s, amateur teams were formulated in the East Coast; during the Civil War, when New York and New Jersey soldiers shared their understanding of the game, a "national style" of baseball was established. Baseball, as we know it today, was played just after the American Civil War. From the beginning of the development of amateur teams after the Civil War, the baseball uniform was considered an extremely important part of the game. Players and managers understood that the uniforms imparted the team members with a sense of pride, legitimized this new game of baseball much as police uniforms help sanction the work of policemen, and imbued the team members with a sense of camaraderie. Photographs of teams from the later nineteenth century shows each member of the team proudly wearing matching uniforms including the baseball cap. Catalogs of sports equipment from the 1880s show baseball uniforms that include the shirt, the trousers, and the cap. Three different styles of caps are featured in these catalogs. A boxy cap made from horizontal strips of fabric was referred to as the college cap. A conventional triangular-sectioned cap with a front visor was called the Boston cap, and a soft crown cap, resembling a rain hat, with a brim running all the way around the hat was called the base ball hat. The sectional cap we know as the baseball cap resembles other soft sports caps popular in the 1800s and may be a variation of the yachting cap or a generic outdoor sport cap. These soft outdoor sports caps shielded the eyes, were relatively easily washed (were easier to wash than stiffened and blocked wool felt derbies), were popular throughout the early twentieth century, and remain relatively unchanged today. However, today the baseball cap can be adjustable or made-to-order. Raw Materials Baseball caps are still often made of solid-color wool. Some caps not used expressly for baseball, but are of the baseball cap style and have company or other logos on them are of cotton or cotton-synthetic combinations. The visors of these caps always include some kind of stiffening. Sometimes this stiffening is buckram, other times it is a plastic insert (the material depends on the company). Some caps are stiffened in center front to accommodate the embroidered logo and this may be accomplished by sewing various kinds of stiffeners in the two front panels. Sweatbands may be cotton or even thin leather depending on the company or product. Design Because the design of baseball caps has varied little, the design often changes only in the color of fabric used for the hat (based on the needs of the team) and the logo on the center front of the hat. Some companies have tinkered with the basic baseball cap design in order to get a better-fitting cap on the head (one company reduced the sections of the soft crown from eight to six sections for a better fit). Still others experiment with the insert into the visor in order to render the visor flexible but sturdy. Elaborately embroidered logos, some of which include over 30,000 stitches in order to produce the logo, are carefully designed with the aid of a computer in order to perfectly and consistently sew that logo onto the front of the caps. Interestingly, a few companies actually reproduce old-style baseball caps that were popular over 100 years ago. These companies cannot take apart the old caps in order to draft a prototype pattern (sometimes of plain cardboard) but must work from whole pieces that are visually examined and measured in order to make these patterns. The Manufacturing Process The fabric layers-wool, cotton, or a cotton-synthetic mix (depending on the company and the style of hat)-are cut. Many dozens of layers of fabric are carefully laid on top of each other, and then they are cut at once using a fabric-cutting saw. Some cap designs require a mesh inner layer behind the two front panels. This mesh acts as a stiffener in these front panels in order for them to stand up to the stitching requirements of the embroidered logo. The mesh is put against the back of the panels before the panels are sewn to one another. The sections of the soft crown, generally of long triangular shaped gores, are sent to the eyelet department where a machine pierces each panel creating a small hole and binding the hole completely with thread. The number of eyelets in each gore or section of crown varies according to the manufacturer, however there is at least one eyelet in each section but may be as many as forty or fifty in total. These eyelets serve as vents so the perspiration and heat that builds up under the cap can be released through the eyelets. The two front panels that are to receive embroidery are then sent to the embroidery department. Here a computer-driven embroidery machine embroiders a logo or an entire word onto one or two of the front panels. One company reveals that these logos are very complex and precise-some logos require 8,000 stitches, others require 31,000 stitches. Still other companies apply fabric letters or other applied insignia to the front panel. The panels of the crown, generally either six or eight panels, are then sent to the sewing department where they are stitched together. With stiffening and logo, these wool panels may be rather heavy to sew through and require human skill to sew the panels together and an industrial grade sewing machine. When all six or eight panels are sewn together, the soft crown is completed but the entire hat is not. This hat A baseball cap is a soft hat that consists of a soft fabric crown sewn of several sections of fabric, a visor that protects the eyes from the sun, and a plastic extender in the center back that can adjust the size of the cap. A baseball cap is a soft hat that consists of a soft fabric crown sewn of several sections of fabric, a visor that protects the eyes from the sun, and a plastic extender in the center back that can adjust the size of the cap. without a visor is referred to in the industry as a "beanie." Then, these beanies are sent to the binders or the binding department at which the raw seams of the soft crown are covered or hidden with a binding tape, generally cotton, that is applied over the raw edges of the crown. This tape gives the hat a finished look (no raw edges are seen when one examines the inside of the cap) and ensures that the seams won't unravel due to hard wear, perspiration, or washing. A galvanized steel button is self-covered (covered over in the same color as the rest of the cap) and it is then applied at the dead center of the baseball cap on top of the beanie crown at the place in which all the sections of the cap converge. Visors are die-cut according the desired size and then sewn onto the cap next. Some companies make the visor of two pieces with a stiffener such as plastic in the center; other might put a thin stiffener inside and stitch the visor a few times for strength and to prevent the stiffener from moving around and bunching up in one spot. The proper color of visor and cap are matched up and sewn together. (Some ball players roll or curl their visors, "telescoping" them, so that when they're searching for the fly ball or grounder that rolled visor keeps the glare out from the player's eyes. Thus, some companies experiment with inserting various materials into the visor to get the best telescope effect.) Those companies that offer the "one size fits all" hat will sew the adjustable plastic band in the back of the cap. Other companies that make hats to order according to head size will only sew the front sections of the cap together and will vary the size or breadth of the back cap sections according to the size required by the customer. Finally, a sweatband of some sort is sewn onto the inside of the cap. This is done on industrial grade sewing machines as well and may include placing buckram (a thick, stiff mesh fabric) behind a sweatband such as inexpensive cotton or even soft leather. A label may be added at this time as well. A label may be sewn in if needed. Some companies add different steps to ensure a superior product. For example, one company blocks and steams the finished, sewn product so that its shape is "set." They claim it renders a great, long-lasting, attractive fit. Some companies add a step in which they stitch along different edges so that fabric doesn't roll back on itself and appear unsightly.

A baseball cap is a type of soft cap with a rounded crown and a stiff peak projecting in front. The front of the cap typically contains designs or logos of sports teams (namely baseball teams, or names of relevant companies, when used as a commercial marketing technique). The back of the cap may be "fitted" to the wearer's head size or it may have a plastic, Velcro, or elastic adjuster so that it can be quickly adjusted to fit different wearers. The baseball cap is a part of the traditional baseball uniform worn by players, with the brim pointing forward to shield the eyes from the sun. The cap is often seen in everyday casual wear. Contents 1 History 2 Design 2.1 Variations 3 Athletic use 4 Professional use 5 See also 6 References 7 External links History Portrait of Cincinnati Reds players, 1888. In 1860, the Brooklyn Excelsiors wore the ancestor of the modern rounded-top baseball cap, which featured a long peak and a button on top, and by 1900, the "Brooklyn style" cap became popular.[1] During the 1940s, latex rubber became the stiffening material inside the hat and the modern baseball cap was born. The peak, also known in certain areas as the "bill" or "brim", was designed to protect a player's eyes from the sun. Typically, the peak was much shorter in the earlier days of the baseball hat. Also, the hat has become more structured, versus the overall "floppy" cap of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The baseball cap was and still is an important means by which to identify a team. Often the logo, mascot, or team's initial was placed on the cap. Usually, the cap was also fashioned in the official colors of a particular team. The basic shape, including curved peak, is similar to some styles of 19th century sun bonnets.[2] Design Fitted baseball caps, those without an adjuster, are normally sewn in six sections, and may be topped with a matching fabric-covered button (also called a squatchee) on the crown. Metal grommets or fabric eyelets are often sewn or attached near the top of each of the six sections of fabric to provide ventilation. In some cases, the rear sections of the crown are made of net-like mesh material for extra ventilation. The peak is typically stiffened by a sewn-in piece of paperboard or stiff plastic. Variations Baseball caps are made of many types of material and shaped in various styles for different purposes. Major and minor league baseball players wear classic-style caps made of wool (or, more recently, polyester) with their team's simple logo and colors; the logo is usually embroidered into the fabric. Formerly, baseball caps only came in standard hat sizes. Since 1980, they have also been available in a one-size-fits-all form, with an adjustment strap in the back. The style, commonly called snapback, has become increasingly popular as fashion accessories.[3] Advances in textiles have led to the "stretch-fit" hat, which uses Lycra or rubber to allow a hat to have a fitted style while still being "adjustable" within sizes. Trucker cap Another version of the baseball cap is a plastic mesh cap with a foam front imprinted with a company logo. This style of baseball cap is sometimes called a trucker cap or a "gimme cap" because it is given away for free as a promotional item. Athletic use In baseball, caps are worn backwards to accommodate for a face mask by some catchers and are worn under the mask of umpires. Beginning with the 2014 season, MLB pitchers are permitted to wear a special reinforced cap to protect their heads from line drives.[4] Athletes in other sports wear caps with their team's logo and colors as "sideline" caps; both types are also sold as authentic team merchandise in retail stores and are quite popular. Other caps may simply have a company's logo, such as Reebok, Nike or Carhartt; these hats are often made of brushed cotton. Golfers tend to prefer the visor form of cap which does not cover the head but keeps the sun out of their eyes; women also traditionally have worn visors casually but a trend towards certain youth subcultures see an increase in visor popularity among both sexes.[citation needed] Professional use Baseball caps worn by naval officers from the US, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Some armed forces also use baseball caps as part of their uniforms, especially the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard. Used mostly with the utility uniform and coveralls, the baseball cap usually has a command logo on the front to denote command affiliation. Also baseball caps of a particular color are worn to denote a specific function of a person or particular job. Two examples are in the United States submarine force, red baseball hats are worn by drill monitors who facilitate and critique members of the boat's crew during drills. Also in the United States Army, parachute riggers wear red baseball caps and parachute instructors wear black baseball caps as part of their uniform. In many United States police forces, the baseball cap is worn as a more practical alternative to the traditional peaked cap or campaign hat, the latter of which is generally used by Sheriff's departments and state police forces. This is more true on the West Coast, whereas in eastern states the traditional peaked cap is more prominent. A notable exception is the San Francisco Police Department, where peaked caps are still worn regularly. In Slovenia, policemen on motorcycles wear baseball caps as a part of their uniform, when they remove the helmet. The baseball cap is also commonly used by private security companies as a cheap, practical piece of uniform headgear. Many armed police units around the world, notably SWAT in the United States and Metropolitan Police's Specialist Firearms Command in the United Kingdom, often wear baseball caps to shield their eyes from the sun where a full helmet would be excessive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_cap