The Norway Curling Team's Crazy Pants Hail From the Bay Area

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Is it just us, or has the Bay Area become the epicenter of the sports pant universe? (Pantiverse?) First, there was the Niners Pantsgate hullabaloo, when the world learned that Jim Harbaugh bought his pleated khakis at Walmart. Now, Loudmouth Golf, a Foster City golf apparel company, is getting ink in The New York Times for supplying the Norwegian Olympic curling team with fancy pants.

Team member Christoffer Svae stumbled upon the brightly-patterned pants following a pre-Vancouver Olympics shipping snafu. He found Loudmouth's red, white and blue checkered style, and placed orders for the team. After the curlers realized how awesome they looked (and won silver in Vancouver), printed pants became their thing and Loudmouth became a team sponsor. Fast forward to 2014, and the pants and players are heading to Sochi.

According to Tony D'Orazio, an East Coast curler who started an unofficial Facebook fan page for the Norwegians' pants after the Vancouver games, the Loudmouth outfits have not only revolutionized curling fashion, they have generated new interest in the sport.

Fashion statements aside, the Norwegians believe the pants have improved their game. Curler Haavard Vad Petersson told the Times, "These pants would be great to win in … but they'd be terrible to lose in. We decided that when we wear them, we have to really try and win and go the whole way." Yes, it seems that the pants have become Norway's fifth man, where the team previously had fjord. (Get it? Norway humor!)

We know that the Winter Olympics are supposed to be about national pride and chanting, "USA! USA!" while watching ice princesses execute triple lutz, double toe loop combinations, but the Norwegian curling team's commitment to printed pantaloons is making us reconsider our loyalties.
· Loudmouth Golf [Official Site]
· Encore, for the Norwegian Curlers and Their Pants [New York Times]
· Bonobos Offers Jim Harbaugh $10K to Wear Flat-Front Chinos [Racked]