Jersey Faux Pas for fans at sporting events

[kiwi_canadian]

Last night my wife and I went to the Canucks at Oilers game at Rexall Place. We had fantastic seats, 4 rows up from the ice by the penalty box. Anyways, while there I notice a fw things that bugged me as a jersey person. (And I blame this forum for these things that now annoy me when out in public).

- people wearing jerseys of teams other than the ones who are playing (I even read this somewhere from a players perspective and how they didn't understand why people do that)... this can have an exception if wearing a jersey of a player on a former team then the one they are currently playing for

- putting your own name and number on the back of the jersey (or other silly numbers like "69" on the jersey with a silly name)

- people wearing other sport jerseys other than the one that is being played

- those GOD AWEFUL knock-off jerseys. I saw a TON of those jerseys at the game and they are so bloody ugly and actually make me cring a little

These are some of the ones I can think of right now. Does anyone else have jersey faux pas that they ahve seen?

[Buster]

In on snobbish thread.

[OnWis97]

I tend not to worry about too many of these faux pas. I see all sorts of hockey jerseys at Wild games....it's kind of a "hockey thing." I don't care if someone wears a Gretzky Oilers jersey to a Wild/Flames game. I also don't care if someone wears a Tom Brady jersey to the same game.

We should also try to avoid the "counterfeit" can of worms here. I don't like 'em, but it's not a jersey faux pas so much as, well, all the issues the megathread discusses.

And again, I don't know if it's a "faux pas", but the one from the original post that I agree with is the personal one...especially when someone spends a bunch of money to be "funny." And yeah, 99 times out of 100, the guy who uses "69" is a tool.

[Evil Doctor]

...and here I was thinking it was going about misspellings...

[jc...]

I will never wear a jersey of someone younger than me, or close to my age if older. Its just creepy.

The only acceptable reason to ever get your name on a jersey is if it is similar to the Seattle Seahawks 12th man thing. You can have your name on it, with the #12.

[kiwi_canadian]

THis wasn't meant to be snobbish at all. Something I've seen on twitter from the Hockey News writters and then I've noticed them at the game last night.

[hockey week]

This is the best list of these I've seen

http://blogs.post-gazette.com/index.php/sports/empty-netters/15362-jersey-foul-bill-of-rights-12-16-08

It's obviously pro-Pittsburgh, but admittedly, Pens' bandwagoners need this stuff more than most fanbases. Replace #9 with "don't wear your rival's jerseys" and it works pretty perfectly

[raysox]

I'm always easy on the "wearing merch of a team that's not playing". I've worn a rays hat to a Phillies-Braves game in Atlanta because I don't support either team

[WSU151]

I once went to a Nuggets game, and there was a guy all by himself wearing a St. Louis Rams jersey and a St. Louis Cardinals hat. I don't think he was a friend or relative of Kroenke's, either. Probably the most egregious I've ever seen.

[Jungle Jim]

I hate when fans create jerseys of players that are in the wrong era. For example, I don't like to see a Pete Rose jersey with his name and #14 created from a jersey from the 1999-06 vests or the current model.

Along those lines, the Reds had an on-field reunion of the 1970s Big Red Machine "Great Eight" this past season and had each player come onto the field and stand at his position. The thing was, each was wearing the current style of Reds jersey and cap rather than the ones they wore in the 1970s. It lessened the experience for me.

[oldschoolvikings]

[ptay]

I'm always easy on the "wearing merch of a team that's not playing". I've worn a rays hat to a Phillies-Braves game in Atlanta because I don't support either team

I always felt that wearing a hat of a team not included on the field/ice at that time is more socially acceptable than a different jersey. Not to mention that a Rays hat at any non-AL East game would not even get a second glance.

Anyways, here's my personal fav for a jersey no-no:

[BrianLion]

I don't know, you're talking to someone who thinks wearing a jersey at all if you're over the age of 15 is a foul. But I know I'm in the minority here on that one.

I do agree though that getting your own name is bad (again assuming you're over the age of like 8). Makes you look like even more of a large child.

[Hat Boy]

I will never wear a jersey of someone younger than me, or close to my age if older. Its just creepy.

I see this one around a lot and always found it curious. Now that I am 40 years old, the only sports jersey (current player) I can buy is Jaromir Jagr?

[Coast2CoastAM2006]

Last night my wife and I went to the Canucks at Oilers game at Rexall Place. We had fantastic seats, 4 rows up from the ice by the penalty box. Anyways, while there I notice a fw things that bugged me as a jersey person. (And I blame this forum for these things that now annoy me when out in public).

- people wearing jerseys of teams other than the ones who are playing (I even read this somewhere from a players perspective and how they didn't understand why people do that)... this can have an exception if wearing a jersey of a player on a former team then the one they are currently playing for

- putting your own name and number on the back of the jersey (or other silly numbers like "69" on the jersey with a silly name)

- people wearing other sport jerseys other than the one that is being played

- those GOD AWEFUL knock-off jerseys. I saw a TON of those jerseys at the game and they are so bloody ugly and actually make me cring a little

These are some of the ones I can think of right now. Does anyone else have jersey faux pas that they ahve seen?

1. Last time I went to a Dallas Stars game, they were playing the Avalanche and I wore my fishermen Islanders jersey to the game. Whenever I was living up on Long Island, and was frequenting Islanders games I would wear whatever jersey I felt like wearing. Sometimes an Isles one, some times I would wear a North Stars jersey or a Nordiques jersey for :censored:s and giggles.

2. I got a couple of Starter replicas I bought a sports store for about $50 where I put my last name and number on it. I bought a Bruins one and personalized it my name and number for the sole intent of pissing my dad off. I have a couple of friends that are brothers and when we would get together and play NHL whatever we had, one would use 69 and the other brother would use 96. No they weren't trying to be douchenozzles or funny. One is a Jets fan and 69 being the year, January 12, 1969, the Jets won the super bowl is why he uses the number. The other just uses the inverse 96 since well 69 would always be taken. btw, i find the comedic nature of the number 69 to be played out and for those that are in the 4th grade.

3. I've gone to different sporting events like baseball games wearing usually a football jersey. Last baseball game I went to was last year at the Ballpark in Arlington and I wore a Sanders/21 cowboys jersey I bought off a friend of mine living down here. Definitely been to some football games usually up at the Meadowlands when I was living back in NY, I would always wear my throwback dynasty era Isles jersey. Haven't been to any at the Jerryworld Boss Hogg Bowl.

4. most of my jerseys are replicas. I don't care about having the most authentic to a thread exact jersey the players wear.

[BrandMooreArt]

isnt wearing a jersey as a fan itself a sort of faux pas? ill do a team t-shirt or sweater. . . because im not a player.

[hockey week]

isnt wearing a jersey as a fan itself a sort of faux pas? ill do a team t-shirt or sweater. . . because im not a player.

Not since the 1940s.

[hockey week]

Jersey Foul Bill of Rights - 12-16-08

Written by Seth Rorabaugh on

Monday, 15 December 2008 11:40 pm .

As anyone who has read Empty Netters for any length of time will tell you, hockey jerseys are something we are extremely passionate about. From our endless resistance to Reebok's reign of terror to fairly harmless faux pas by the general public, we take the business of wearing a jersey very seriously. Perhaps too seriously.

So with that in mind, we've decided to let you in on our little system of values when it comes to hockey jerseys. We call violations of this system "jersey fouls." A few of you have asked what exactly a jersey foul is while many of you have asked for clarifications to this system. Hopefully today's post will answer all these questions.

With no further ado, here is the Jersey Foul Bill of Rights:

1.) Getting Personal

Easily the most common of jersey fouls, a personalized jersey is a blight on humanity. No one cares who you are. If they wanted to see your name, they'd dig it out of a phone book. Additionally, a jersey like this sets you up for ridicule if you're on the road. Instead of simply being "that guy in the Crosby jersey" you're "that jerk Skolnick from Pittsburgh."

2.) Splitting Up

(The Pensblog)

This is a practice that came into being during the 1999-2000 when Bruins legend Raymond Bourque was traded to the Avalanche in hopes of winning the Stanley Cup. It became popular wear a split jersey which was half Bruins and half Avalanche. Frankly, the idea of taking a pair of scissors to any jersey just sickens us. Then to splice them together Dr. Moreau style is just incompresible. Who are you to play God?

3.) Mistimed

A new phenomenon we've observed has been to get a certain style of jersey personalized with a specific player's name and number despite the fact he never played in that era. Just because Marc-Andre Fleury is one of the most dynamic players in the history of team, that doesn't give you the right to be historically inaccurate and insult the likes of Denis Herron.

4. eBay Watch:

(eBay)

Shopping for jerseys on eBay is like drafting a player out of Russia. Occasionally, you can get an Alex Ovechkin or an Evgeni Malkin for a good deal. But you can also end up getting an Alexei Yashin and having it blow up in your face. Sometimes the telltale signs of a knockoff jersey are fairly obvious such as in the above picture. Occasionally, they're a little bit more subtle. The font on the player's name and number can be a little off or the gold in a Penguins' jersey can be a little too "mustardy." Sure it's might be cool to get a deal for $20, but these little flaws really undermine your jersey street cred.

5.) Pitiful in Pink:

(coolhockey.com.)

We understand and accept women have certain curves and body features which hockey jerseys really don't compliment well. But that doesn't excuse the abomination known as a women's jersey. Hockey jerseys are meant to big and bulky in order to fit over padding. They're not intended to show off the results from your Pilates class. That's why they came up with the little black dress.

6.) The Hiding Hood:

This doesn't really apply to anyone in a blank jersey but a sight like this is almost like an annoying canker sore to us. During our pregame travels around Mellon Arena, we run into plenty of quality jerseys that are obscured by hoods. Granted, hockey is a sport which is primarily played during winter months so you need to dress accordingly, but if you have a Kevin Stevens jersey, show it off. Don't hide his name. If your head is cold, buy a hat. This problem also plagues men and women with long hair.

7.) The Third Party

Something that is always a head scratcher for us is the presence of a jersey for an NHL team not involved in the game the bearer is present at. The above picture is of a Flames jersey we saw during a Flyers-Penguins game in March. The occasion of a hockey game isn't an excuse to wear something simply because it's hockey related.

There are many exceptions to this rule however. If one of the teams involved is a rival, the practice is acceptable. We remember seeing a Dave Keon Maple Leafs jersey at the Penguins' first playoff game against Ottawa last season. Since Ottawa and Toronto are rivals, that's cool.

Another exception is a certain player's jersey from a former team. (Example: A Miroslav Satan Islanders jersey orTyler Kennedy's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton jersey.)

Also, international jerseys are acceptable assuming a player of that country is involved with the game. If you want to wear a team Russia jersey in honor of Evgeni Malkin, go for it.

The biggest exception to this rule is defunct franchises. If you're rocking a Uwe Krupp Nordiques jersey or anything with the Hartford Whalers, we will grant you jersey asylum.

8.) What's in a Name

(Autograph Authentic)

Many fans are eager to show off how they respect history by wearing the jersey of an old-time player. But often times, they display ignorance of that history. Players like Maurice Richard never wore a name on the back of their jersey in their playing days. If you don't realize what the No. 9 on a Habs jersey means without slapping a name on it, you don't deserve to wear it.

9.) Frequent Flyer (poster's note: change this to "don't wear their rivals' colors to a game unless that team is playing and you're a fan of them")

Unless you're cleaning the restroom of a Shop 'n Save, there really is never an appropiate time to wear this poor excuse for a PennDot worker's uniform.

10.) The Self Explanatory

Some flaws stand out alone without an explanation.

So there you have it folks. Pending ratification from South Dakota and New Mexico, these rules will become federal laws in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. You know them. They're clear as day. Observe them. And feel free to contact you're nearest EN representative with any potential jersey fouls so we can correct the situation.

[zinman11121]

So one inebriated night I ordered a Colts jersey with my nickname and number on it. And I only wear it when I plan on having a few too many cocktails. I don't see what the problem is, obviously it's a joke.

Edit: and I'd only wear it during football season.

[oldschoolvikings]

I don't know, you're talking to someone who thinks wearing a jersey at all if you're over the age of 15 is a foul. But I know I'm in the minority here on that one.

I do agree though that getting your own name is bad (again assuming you're over the age of like 8). Makes you look like even more of a large child.

The age component comes up a lot when we discuss this. For the record, I think 15 is a little extreme as a cut off point. I think college guys can probably get away with it, at least in a casual situation. Kids in my classes wear jerseys a lot and I don't really think about it. And it seems OK for pretty much anyone to wear a jersey to an actual sporting event... or at least you won't stand out in one, as half the people around you will be wearing jerseys too.