Before Romo wore the infamous t-shirt, the online store that makes them, Los Angeles-based Wicky Tees, had sold only 40 of the $12 shirts in two years. On Thursday morning, they said they had already sold 200 and calls were still coming in. They can't seem to make enough of them.
For immigration advocates like Polo Morales, the shirt is a political statement he and others can relate to. "Basically, if you look a certain way, you have to show your papers and that's something that really brings to light, to really focus on, that just because somebody looks a certain way, doesn't mean that they are undocumented, they don't have a status here in the U.S.," he said.
Romo, whose parents are both from Mexico, was raised in Brawley, near the border. During the parade, he was not shy about displaying the t-shirt with millions of fans watching. A large number of people have commented about the shirt on the ABC7 News Facebook page inclduing one person who wrote, "Not a shirt to wear to a World Series parade. Keep politics out of a team celebration!"
During the 2010 Giants parade, Romo showed everyone his "Beaners" shirt with the iconic photo from the Beatles Abbey Road album.
"He allowed me to take a picture but he says, 'But wait, there's more,' and he lifted up his practice jersey," Bay Area photographer Liliana Aranda recalled. Two years ago, she took pictures of Romo during the Giants' Fanfest. That's when Romo showed her the inside of his baseball cap with the names of his family members. He also wrote, "Proud in who I am."
Aranda also got to see Romo's Super Beaner t-shirt. "I wouldn't say that he fully embraces it, but I think he does acknowledge that it's been used, but doesn't make it so serious. He just uses it in what he's trying to get across and I think people can relate to that a little bit," she said.
Romo is certainly a hometown hero. On Friday night, he'll attend a high school baseball game in Brawley in his honor.
