It’s oversized sunglasses and Ugg Boots for athletes: part uniform, part fashion statement, part lifestyle. It’s Bombergear.   

Pick a quad  — any quad — and walk across it. You can’t miss it:The familiar navy blue raincoat, the gray sweat pants, a white T-shirt. It’s never more than a peripheral glance away.

It’s as much a part of Ithaca College culture as breast implants in Hollywood, a phenomenon that strikes at the fabric of school spirit (literally). Senior tight end Joe Volpe of the football team has spent four years accumulating Bombergear. At last count, he has 38 individual articles of clothing reading “Bomber Football,” “Ithaca Football” or just a college football helmet.  

He has four windbreaker suits, shorts and sweat pants; then six sweat shirts, 10 T-shirts, two baseball hats, a winter hat and a polo. All he’s missing is the Bomber cufflink/bow tie combo.

Volpe isn’t alone in devoting approximately 89 percent of his closet to Bombergear. It’s a common syndrome of so many athletes here on South Hill and most have no problem showing it off.  

“I probably wear something Bombers five out of every seven days,” Volpe said, laughing.

And what about the rest of the wardrobe? All that back-to-school shopping must be going to waste.

“It’s just comfortable,” Volpe said. “The sweat pants are the best I’ve ever had. My sister even asks for a new pair every year.”

The football team may be most famous for its Bombergear but that’s only because there are so many of them. Every other team rocks it too, from junior varsity baseball to women’s basketball. And not only is it relaxed and easy to wear, but it lets the world know you’ve got a little Bomber Pride.

“More than comfort, it helps support the team too,” Volpe said.

Sort of like a Hanes tag-less tee meets the First Down Club, it’s South Hill’s answer to the double popped collar at Cornell.  

And what was once reserved for the athletic community is for sale now at The Bookstore. For just $64.99, you can make an Under Armour hooded sweatshirt your very first piece of Bombergear.

Bombergear isn’t just about being an athlete anymore — it’s about being willing to swipe a credit card. And at the very least, anyone can walk around campus and feel like a big-time D-III hotshot.

One hoodie is a long way away from Joe Volpe, but it’s a step. A step in the Bomber direction.