Philly's Sweat Suits: Fit, Fashion, or Fun?

I got a kick out of Daniel Rubin's article about the prevalence of sweat suits in Philly. The sum of the story is that a visiting friend of his noticed that so many people in Philadelphia wear sweat pants and tops, and Rubin confirmed it by discovering that "people bought more sweats last year in (the Philadelphia) metropolitan area, per capita, than in any other place in the country." There's a quirky party conversation for you!

At any rate, this brings up the question: Why is Philly the sweat suit capital of the country (and possibly the world)? There are several possible answers to this quandary:

1. Philadelphians are a low-key, casual bunch that aren't about to spend a small fortune on hoity-toity clothes like our neighbors to the north in New York. "Keep it simple, stupid."

2. Philadelphians are physically active. Having one of the largest park systems in the world and a very walkable Center City, people are out and about, getting, well, sweaty.

3. Philadelphians like to have fun and don't want to mess up their "good clothes".

4. Philadelphians have hit on a new fashion... sweat suit suave. Perhaps it's the next in thing that the rest of the country hasn't caught on to yet.

5. Philadelphians just don't give a flying frock. You know what I'm sayin.

Whatever the reason, sweats in Philly are always in season...