New Era

In terms of what is the most recognized and popular baseball cap company in the world, New Era sits high on the list. The company was founded in 1920 by German immigrant Ernhardt Koch and is headquartered in Buffalo, New York. The company also produces belts and shirts, but is known for their extensive collection of hats for every sport and team.

What has helped New Era get to the top of the baseball hat industry is their exclusive contract with Major League Baseball to provide hats to all 32 teams, as well as the minor league affiliates. New Era also has contracts with other sports organizations to provide their caps including the National Hockey League, National Basketball Association and Little League Baseball. They are also the provider of caps for more than 200 colleges and universities located across the United States. In April 2012, New Era inked a deal to become the on-field cap provider for the National Football League, making sure that millions of fans see their latest models every Sunday.

New Era also produces caps under the model name, 59Fifty. These are the caps that are worn by professional athletes and are also the brand used by New Era when producing hats for Marvel and DC Comics characters.

One of the most popular New Era hat models are the Stars and Stripes series. The series was originally used in 2002 following the September 11, 2011 World Trade Center terrorist attacks. The hats were created to be worn on the Fourth of July. Originally, American flag patches were put on the hats and it saw some changes over the years including camouflage hats before getting to the current model that fans are familiar with today. The latest models feature white hats with red rims and star covered team logos or grey hat with blue rim and star covered team logos.