Principal The Kid Mero Welcomes MLB Fans to the Old School for Lids

The Kid Mero plays the role of principal in Lids' new "Welcome to the Old School" campaign.

The Kid Mero stars in Lids' new "Welcome to the Old School" campaign. | Lids

What a time to be The Kid Mero. The Yankees and Knicks are winning, while the illustrious New York comedian dominates every medium of communication. It truly feels like the '90s again.

That makes Mero the perfect fit to play the Principal of Old School in Lids' newest campaign, "Welcome to the Old School."

The campaign taps into the timeless appeal of throwback style, spotlighting the New Era Retro Classic Collection — a bold celebration of MLB's most iconic retro logos as the collection marks its 30th anniversary.  

The New Era Retro Classic Collection revives the iconic '90s style with authentic details, including an old school hangtag, grey under visor, and no New Era flag on the side (first time since '07).

The collection will be available starting Thursday, May 1, exclusively at Lids stores nationwide and online at LidsHD.com on May 6.

As part of the exciting announcement, Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI spoke with Mero. For ten minutes, the cultural icon unleashed a wave of rhetorical flourishes comparable to Derek Jeter's jump throw or Larry Johnson's 4-point play. Sometimes, you have to sit back and let greatness take over.

The Kid Mero shows love to the retro MLB hats for Lids. | Lids

This collaboration feels truly authentic. How excited were you when presented with this opportunity?

I was super hyped, man. Because as a member of the "B.B.C." the Bald Brothers Coalition, I use a hat as hair a lot of the time. You know what I'm saying? (Lifts hat) It's just a peanut head.

So, when the collaboration passed across the Mero desk, I was just like, 'Yo, this is it. This makes total sense, bro.' I do not leave the house without a hat on. Like, I wear hats in my house.

Lids' campaign is a bold celebration of MLB’s most iconic retro logos as the collection marks its 30th anniversary. | Lids

How does "Principal The Kid Mero" compare to Mero the paraprofessional educator back in the day?

Very similar, actually. You know if like Tom Cruise is doing a movie where he plays like a race car driver and then he just like channels, like, 'I used to race go-carts when I was seven.' You go back to that. You know what I mean? You go back to that era.

So, yeah, Principal Mero definitely went back to the era of educator/paraprofessional Mero, for sure. Like a lot of that strong energy!

As the principal, you help viewers pick the right hats to fit their style. Are there any fashion rules when it comes to hats that you strictly adhere to?

Yes! Your hat is either facing forward or it's facing backward. We're not doing weird angles. You know what I'm saying? It's too much. For me, personally, these are my personal style rules. You can do whatever you want. Like, it's your world, baby. I'm just living in it.

But for me, personally, with this head that I got, even though it's a beautiful shaved head. The hats got to be completely facing forward or facing completely backward. We cannot do any 45-degree angles. No geometry on my head, bro.

The Kid Mero flexes his humor and sports fandom in Lids' new "Welcome to the Old School" campaign. | Lids

Do you have a favorite hat from the "Vintage Classic Cooperstown" collection?

Man, I gotta say, the Knicks joints, the Yankees joints. I'm a New York sports fan, but as a graffiti artist, I appreciate good design. So, there's a lot of throwbacks that are hard to pick from.

Y'all gotta go into Lids and pick one. Let me know how you feel because a lot of this stuff is fire, bro. Because it's nostalgia. But, like, fresh.

Which MLB team, not named the New York Yankees, has the best hat?

Oh, man. If we're gonna go classic, I would say LA Dodgers because it has the same kind of classic swag that's like a New York Yankee hat.

But on the other hand, you got teams like the Diamondbacks and the Marlins. Bro, those, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Devil Rays, throwbacks? Those go crazy!

So, I'm a fan of a lot of the expansion logos. But I'm also a fan of the classics. I don't want to say this on the record... but like the Red Sox... Just classic history. And then on the other side of the spectrum, the cool, new expansion joints.

Which hat style is the most in style now? (Fitted, dad cap, trucker, et al.)?

Fitteds to me, they were the coolest hat you could possibly have. Then snapbacks came and took a lot of that swagger market share. But fitteds are back. Now, you could flip a coin—fitted or snapback.

I think the snapback has a little bit more sauce to it because when I wear a fitted backwards, it looks like I might be wearing a kufi. You know what I mean? So, snapback's a little bit more versatile. But I'm a fitted guy, man, Because I'm a '90s dude.

The New Era Retro Classic Collection revives the iconic ‘90s style with authentic details. | Lids

Switching gears to sneakers, do you build your outfits from the top down or bottom up?

Nowadays, man, the shoes first, bro. Because getting shoes is like a lottery nowadays. Unless you're plugged in. Which I'm not going to say if I am or I am not. I don't want to flex on y'all.

But if you got to go on the SNKRS app to get your shoes, you better be building your outfits from the bottom up. But your hat and shoes gotta be in sync. Everything in the middle, go crazy. Hat in the shoes gotta be in sync, bro.

That is just a me being from the Bronx thing. Like, if you go outside with a yellow hat and green sneakers, it's quiet for you, bro. You might not make it to the lobby without getting fried.

Which NBA player has the best signature sneaker line?

Oh, man, best sneaker line? For me, rest in peace, Kobe, man. Kobe has some of the most fire shoes I've ever seen. I've got four kids, three boys, that hoop. So, I see so many new basketball shoes.

Ja Morant's new joints are fire. I always was a fan of the Kyries, before they got discontinued. Donovan Mitchell, Spider, got some fire shoes from adidas.

Now, as a dad and a coach, I'm looking at style and performance. So, if we put all that together, swag, style, and performance, bro, Ja Morant got it.

Principal The Kid Mero welcomes nostalgic MLB fans back to the "Old School." | Lids

What sneakers are you wearing this Spring? I think I just saw some Air Jordan 1s.

Yes, 1's always, bro! One's are always in the rotation. Classic shoe, clean as hell, and they got so many colorways, bro. You could go to Lids and get a hat and could start top-down just because the 1's have so many flavors.

But I'm a Bronx dude, so I'm always going to rock Uptowns (Air Force 1s) in varying flavors to go with the hats.

And I'm not going to say y'all should do this, but I do this. Timbs—in the summer. With ankle socks. Get some crew socks and push it down a little bit, so your ankles don't get chafed. But Timbs, baby, in the summer. Let's go!

Last question: If you were in a Space Jam game, what sneakers would you wear when defending the planet against aliens?

Jordan 4 "Black Cat." I'm coming in looking like Batman. I got two Batmobiles on my feet. The Monstars do not stand a chance, bro. Yeah. The Jordan 4 "Black Cats," man, I'm coming in, and I'm busting everybody's a**.

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