If we have learned anything from the hundreds of thousands of hours that we’ve devoted to watching television over the years, it’s that tv dads love three things: hare-brained schemes, their kids, and velour tracksuits. Of course, this should come as no surprise, since we all know that despite the stereotype of the dimwitted, beer-drinking tv dad, most television fathers have a far finer sense of style then they’re generally given credit for. After all, it’s hard to flip through primetime tv and NOT see at least two or three tv dads rocking a SWEET velour tracksuit as they dispense quips, wisecracks, and the occasional bit of fatherly wisdom to their tv families.
So, on Father's Day Eve*, we thought we’d take a few minutes to honor some of the tv dads out there who have the sharpest tracksuit games around. We’re not saying they’re the greatest tv dads in history…but they’re certainly the best dressed!
Anthony Anderson as Dre Johnson and Laurence Fishburne as Pops Johnson, Black-Ish
What better way to kick off our list of stylish tv fathers then with a double dose of dads from the hit show Black-Ish? As advertising executive Dre Johnson, Anthony Anderson can be found consistently stylin’ and profilin’ in a series of a trendy velour tracksuits…and we know where Dre gets his fine taste in menswear, because his dad Pops (played by Morpheus himself, the legendary Laurence ‘Larry’ Fishburne) can be seen frequently sporting his own set of velour tracksuits on the show as well! We’ve gotta be honest here: we’ve always suspected that fashion sense can be passed down genetically (or a lack thereof–we’re not trying to put anybody on blast, but Ozzy Osbourne and family, we’re not not looking in your direction)…and if Dre and Pops are any indication, then a taste for stylish velour just might be embedded into the Johnson family DNA.
Cedric the Entertainer as Calvin Butler, The Neighborhood
We’re big enough people to admit that when we saw the very first trailers for The Neighborhood back in 2018, all we could think was, “Phew! We’re so relieved Schmidt found a new sitcom to star in now that New Girl is ending.” But it only took an episode or two to realize that as great as Max Greenfield is, nobody can hold a candle to Cedric the Entertainer when Ced’s bringing his A-game. As Calvin Butler, Cedric doesn’t just serve up great one-liners and classic ‘exasperated dad-face’ (all you dads out there know exactly what that looks like!) – he also brings a slew of stylish velour tracksuits to the table. We know most dads think they’re as funny as Cedric – but there’s only one original, and he looks gooood in velour!
Tracy Morgan as Tray Barker, The Last O.G.
We don’t want to brag, but we’ve been fans of Tracy Morgan ever since we first watched him croon that groovetastic theme song to “Astronaut Jones” way back in his SNL days. We loved him as Tracy Jordan on 30 Rock, we loved him as Spoonie Luv on Crank Yankers…and now we love him as Tray Barker on The Last O.G., where he plays the kind of bonkers tv dad that only Tracy Morgan could bring to life. Tracy has been representing the tracksuit lifestyle both on- and off-screen for nearly two decades now…so it’s no surprise to us to see Tray Barker keeping his velour tracksuit game on point week in and week out on this cult classic.
James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, The Sopranos
There’s no shortage of elements that had to come together to make The Sopranos the all-time classic that it is. From the shocking deaths to the dark humor (we’re still a little bummed that Christopher Moltisanti’s mob screenplay never got produced) to that iconic ending, it’s hard to pick just one aspect of the show to call your favorite...or at least, it might be hard for most people. But for us here at Velomino, it’s a no-brainer: the Hall-of-Fame level velour tracksuit game! Almost everybody on The Sopranos rocks a high-level velour tracksuit at one time or another. But even though Paulie Walnuts has a few snazzy little numbers we wish we could add into our own regular rotations, nobody wore those tracksuits better than the man himself, James Gandolfini. As Tony Soprano, he may not have been the warmest or fuzziest tv dad out there—but the man could certainly dress like it!
Honorable Mention: Puff Daddy
Is he a dad in real life? Yes, he is. Has he gotten his fair share of screen-time on tv? Absolutely. Is he a ‘tv dad’ in the same sense as the other noteworthy entrants on this list? Not exactly…but he is one of the most prominent velour connoisseurs of the last few decades, and we will never get tired of watching him float around in that ultra-cool wind tunnel in his “Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems” video, so we’re throwing him onto the list anyways. We love Diddy, we love his tracksuit styles, we still laugh hysterically any time we see that clip of him making a bunch of would-be reality stars walk from Manhattan to Brooklyn to bring him his favorite cheesecake…and we refuse to apologize for any of it.
We hope you enjoyed our run-down of some of the most stylish tv dads rocking velour tracksuits in recent memory. If you want to pick your dad up a gift this Father’s Day that he’ll love as much as Diddy loves that cheesecake, head over to our main page to check out our full selection of Velomino tracksuits – they’ll look so good on him, they’ll have any of these tv dads turning green with envy!
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*FOOTNOTE: We just made that up! But...seriously folks, shouldn't that be a holiday? Kind of like Christmas Eve and Mischief Night (aka - the night before Halloween when you TP the cranky neighbor's house) but better, because it is for Dad's?
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