What Does the Upside-Down LA Dodgers Hat Mean?

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The popular streetwear trend explained

Co-authored by Kate Breen and Eric McClure

Last Updated: September 25, 2025 Fact Checked

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Meaning

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Origin

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Is It Disrespectful?

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Whether you’ve been to a Dodgers game recently or not, you may have seen an upside-down LA baseball cap. But why is the logo upside down? Is it disrespectful, a funky rally cap, or something else entirely? We’ll answer all of your questions and more!

What the Upside-Down LA Dodgers Hat Means

For the vast majority of people, the upside-down LA hat is likely just a fashion choice. These hats (and the upside-down logo design) have become quite trendy in recent years, especially in the subcultures of hip hop and streetwear.

Section 1 of 3:

What does the upside-down LA hat mean?

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Most of the time, it’s just a fashion thing. In the vast majority of cases, the upside-down LA hat doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a fashionable clothing option, especially in the streetwear and hip hop world, where these hats tend to be especially popular.
- The same way that baseball caps come in different colors and different styles, some of them come with different logos. The upside-down “LA” design is just a popular variation because the logo is still easily recognizable.
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Some people use the upside-down hat to signal distress about a game. In the US Navy, an upside-down American flag is a symbol of distress. Basically, a ship might fly the upside-down flag if their engine blows out or they run ashore and require assistance. So, an LA Dodgers fan might opt for the upside-down hat as a way of expressing the need for a big trade or luck getting back in the race after a few losing games.^{[1]
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- In recent years, an upside-down American flag has become a protest symbol.^{[2]
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  Research source} If someone is an especially passionate Dodgers fan and they’re having an especially rough year, a fan might wear the upside-down hat as a way of expressing displeasure with the organization.
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In the world of baseball, an upside-down hat (literally, you flip it inside out so the brim is reversed) is called a “rally cap.” Basically, if your team is losing, you might flip the hat you’re wearing inside-out to “reverse” your fortunes. Someone who doesn’t want to ruin their hat might just swap their normal cap out for an upside-down logo variant instead.^{[3]
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Section 2 of 3:

Where did the upside-down LA hat come from?

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The brand Kill the Hype LA is credited with inventing it. Kill the Hype LA (aka KTH) is a Los Angeles-based streetwear brand. The word on the street is that they were the first brand to invent the upside-down LA hat logo, which would partially explain why the upside-down logo hat isn’t nearly as popular in cities outside of LA.
- The hats became especially popular after Chris Brown started wearing and promoting them.

Section 3 of 3:

Why do some people think the upside-down hat is disrespectful?

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It goes back to the tradition of “flipping” in graffiti and gangs. Also known as “dropping,” “flipping” is the act of turning something upside down as a diss. A gang member might “flip” a rival gang sign by putting the logo or hand sign upside down, and a graffiti writer might write a rival’s name upside down (or backwards) as an insult.^{[4]
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Research source} As a result, some people think the upside-down LA hat is intended to be a sign of disrespect (although that’s not true).
- As an aside, while the act of writing or displaying something upside down is disrespectful in both the gangbanging and graffiti writing subcultures, graffiti artists don’t actually have anything to do with gangs.