Blake Corum arrived in style ahead of the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday afternoon. He pulled up to NRG Stadium in Houston, Tex. with a bit of a local twist.
Michigan’s senior running back wore a tucked his pocket t-shirt into denim jeans and fastened it tight with a big ole belt buckle. Corum tied the whole outfit together with a pair of cowboy boots and a hat.
It was not just any hat! He made a bold statement by embracing the villain role with a black cowboy hot.
Color films did not become common until the early-to-mid 1950s. Prior to that changeover, Western American films used a cowboy’s hat to represent the battle between good versus evil.
‘The Great Train Robbery’ was the first silent Western film. It was released in 1903 and revolutionized the connotation of the hat.
White hats denoted heroism. They were worn by the protagonists.
Black hats denoted evil. They were worn by the antagonists.
In a film where color is not involved, the difference between black and white allowed viewers to quickly grasp who was good and who was bad. Especially during fast-paced shootouts.
The symbolism continued in Western films through the 1940s. It later transcended beyond the genre.
For example, Darth Vader in Star Wars wears the now-iconic black helmet.
White represents goodness. Black represents evil. Today you learned!
In a year where Michigan has been the constant focus of scrutiny, between Jim Harbaugh’s lies about recruiting violations and Connor Stalions’ sign-steal scandal, Blake Corum made a statement on Monday. It has been UM vs. everybody. The Wolverines have been the villains since before Week 1.
Their star running back leaned into that role and broke out the black hat for the final college football game of the year.