LITTLE ITALY — In a show of support for the embattled Jackie Robinson West baseball team, a Little Italy streetwear shop is now selling T-shirts that proclaim the star players are "still champions."
Mint Clothing, a streetwear shop at 1058 W. Taylor St., printed the "still champions" T-shirts in-house on Wednesday morning using its existing stock of Jackie Robinson West T-shirts, an employee at the shop confirmed.
The familiar yellow Jackie Robinson West T-shirts are emblazoned with the word "still" in large red letters, and the T-shirts now read: "Jackie Robinson West STILL USA National Champions." On the back of the T-shirts, the hashtag #stillchampions is printed below the names of the players.
Marco DiPaolo, the 20-year-old owner of the shop, said he doesn't agree with Little League's decision to strip the team of the national title.
"The kids were just playing baseball. They weren't doing anything wrong," he said. "They are still champions in everyone in Chicago's eyes."
Stephanie Lulay says the T-shirts were put into production Wednesday morning:
On Wednesday, Little League International stripped the Jackie Robinson West baseball team of its national title following a boundary remap that Little League International now says allowed the team to bring in star players from outside its boundaries.
At a news conference Wednesday, parents and players joined the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson and the Rev. Michael Pfleger to charge that Little League International officials acted unfairly in stripping the team of its U.S. title, suggesting that race played a role.
The T-shirts are for sale at Mint Clothing and retail for $20-$25, DiPaolo said.
Mint on Taylor carries streetwear brands and specializes in custom T-shirt orders. DiPaolo, a 2012 St. Ignatius College Prep graduate, opened the store last summer.
Much of the merchandise in the store is influenced by the city — some shirts feature the Chicago flag or Chicago sports stars. Mint on Taylor has carried the yellow Jackie Robinson West T-shirts since the team's championship run.
Marco DiPaolo is Mario "Skippy" DiPaolo's son, namesake of Mario’s Italian Lemonade in Little Italy.
Mint on Taylor is open noon to 8 p.m. daily.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
