T-shirts gained popularity with athletes and college sports teams because of their sweat-absorbing qualities and easy cleaning after rough use.

In 1932, the University of Southern California (USC) introduced plain t-shirts for the football team to stop shoulder pad chafing. To discourage student theft, USC printed the tees with a “Property of USC” logo, making them immediately more desirable to students. USC responded by selling the t-shirts in the campus bookstore, capitalizing on teenage consumer culture.