What's with those necklaces all the baseball players are wearing?

Or you may be asking, "since when did it become cool for men to accessorize?"

Since Phiten came out with its sportswear necklaces, that's when.

If you pay attention to professional sports, baseball specifically, you've probably seen or heard of Phiten. Back in 2008, members of the Boston Red Sox were the first team to flash their Phiten paraphernalia for the world to see, and it wasn't long before the gear became a trend. Red Sox pitcher Josh Becket, the Yankees Joba Chamberline, Twins Justin Morneau and even golf star Sergio Garcia all endorsed Phiten products.

Then, at some point that year, Phiten made its way to Philadelphia and eventually to Germantown Friends School.


Jesse Biddle, GFS graduate and the Phillies' 2010 first-round draft pick, says he started wearing a Phiten when he was a high-school freshman. Biddle first became aware of the trend when he saw the senior pitcher for his team sporting the gear.  Soon, he began noticing more and more players at various baseball tournaments who wouldn't step out on the field without a Phiten--they were everywhere.

Phiten, says Biddle, "became a standard in baseball that was a cool looking thing for people to wear." Though Biddle really only bore his Phiten because he thought it made him look tough, Phiten's claim to fame is actually not in the way it looks--it professes X-men-like healing powers.

Allegedly, the bits and pieces of titanium that are woven into the Phiten necklaces are able to communicate with your body, "helping to regulate and balance the flow of energy throughout your body," according to the website. Titanium can apparently stave off the negative effects that excessive work-outs or even "interruptive signals" from electronic equipment can have on your bio-electricity levels. Phiten works by helping to regulate your body's energy system and, says the Phiten website, "Proper energy balance helps to alleviate discomfort, speed recovery, and counteract fatigue."
   
Ben Rogers, Germantown Friends pitcher, says he heard about Phiten products from Jesse Biddle, though he'd seen them advertised on online baseball stores. After dealing with high-stress and muscle tightness the year before, Rogers thought he'd test out the new method of recovery, and look fly doing it.

Rogers says he "sort of" believes in the science of Phiten, though when explaining it to skeptics he'll admit the idea is pretty far-fetched.

Recently, Phiten has marketed toward non-baseball athletes with PGA tour and NBA products, along with the new Phiten bracelets, arm wear, and clothing. You can even get a Phiten in your favorite team's colors or, even better, a hello-kitty themed Phiten.

Though the Phiten phenomenon may smell like a scam, the fact is that people would probably buy the product even if the science behind it was proved wrong (as of now Phiten has no research to back up their claims). Wearing a Phiten is like carrying any other good-luck charm--simply believing in its magic is what makes it work.

"I think it's helped me," Rogers says about his Phiten-wear, "I bought into it and I try to believe it works."

What Rogers is really giving into is probably more of a placebo effect, but it's an effect nonetheless.

-Zoe Feingold