Question about football jerseys

[OMMF]

I buy a lot of sports clothing and it hit me today for some reason. Why is football the only sport where the jerseys don't have a logo across the chest? If you buy an unpersonalized jersey, it looks so boring and plain. But buy an unpersonalized baseball, basketball or hockey jersey and it looks fine.

I'm sure, with football being dictated by tv, they want the numbers and players to be as visible as possible but coudn't they put some logo or crest on the chest?

[Stampman]

It's been tried--most people didn't like it--

see this-

Argos, Barracudas, Maddogs

and

Some photos here on the team pages

[DEAD!]

I believe the reason has to do more with aiding the referees when making a call.

[AAO]

football unis look pretty bad with big scripts across the chest. the small ones the NFL uses under the neck is pretty fitting. Also, most teams have their logos on their sleeves. And also, football has something no other sport has - a helmet where the logo is present very boldly (minus the browns).

[OMMF]

football unis look pretty bad with big scripts across the chest. the small ones the NFL uses under the neck is pretty fitting. Also, most teams have their logos on their sleeves. And also, football has something no other sport has - a helmet where the logo is present very boldly (minus the browns).

Very true about the helmet. But how many fans can go around wearing one? It just seems lame that to get a good looking football jersey, you have to put a number on it.

[AAO]

But how many fans can go around wearing one?

haha

[mjrbaseball]

There are some college teams that have the team name above the front number. Maybe the NFL could try that.

[Gothamite]

Ew. Talk about high school.

Chalk it up to the varying aesthetics of the sports. Baseball jerseys would look silly with the team's logo square on the chest, but hockey jerseys look great that way.

[OMMF]

Ew. Talk about high school.

Chalk it up to the varying aesthetics of the sports. Baseball jerseys would look silly with the team's logo square on the chest, but hockey jerseys look great that way.

Baseball jerseys have script on the chest and logos sometimes. Football doesn't even have that.

[sc49erfan15]

I'd say, like Gothamite said, it's about how the jerseys are made and the evolution of that sport's jersey.

Baseball, except for the double-knit years, has had button-up jerseys, and it's not quite practical to put the logo in the middle. Baseball jerseys also existed before uniform numbers did, so that would explain the less-prominent position of the numbers.

Hockey doesn't button up, so they decided to put a big logo on the front, then (like baseball) when numbers came along, they got put on the back.

Basketball has tank-top jerseys, and basketball (at least the modern NBA) came around long after the advention of uniform numbers. Hence the prominent position of numbers on the front and back, and more of a script and less of a logo (except jerseys like the 70's Nuggets and 90's Raptors)

Football is more of a mystery, and I guess that's why you asked the question. College football teams, before there was pro football, often had the college's letter or letters on the front where the number is today. In old pictures of Jim Thorpe at Carlisle, there's a big C on the front of his jersey. Then pro football came along, and by then, uniform numbers had become standard, and somebody decided it looked better to have numbers on the front and back rather than a logo. Because, well...it does.

[winters in buffalo]

Perhaps I missed something, but I don't think I've ever seen an unnumbered football jersey worn in public.

Who would even buy such a thing???

[AAO]

exactly wib.

There are some college teams that have the team name above the front number. Maybe the NFL could try that.

thats what i was talking about. it would make the NFL look collegiate. it doesn't even look that good.

[OMMF]

Perhaps I missed something, but I don't think I've ever seen an unnumbered football jersey worn in public.

Who would even buy such a thing???

That was my point. I can support a hockey baseball or basketball team without having to pick a number or player, but I can't do so with a football jersey. At least not without looking stupid like you pointed out.

[slapshot]

I've seen a few un-numbered football jerseys. Sometimes they're sold at lot stores or overstock outlets. Could be because the striping is a little off, or the color's not quite right. Usually they're irregular jerseys. They also might be sold similar to uncrested hockey jerseys, and you get the numbers put on yourself.

[Stampman]

Well there are fashion jerseys with the logos on them--some actually look pretty good...

[Gothamite]

Perhaps I missed something, but I don't think I've ever seen an unnumbered football jersey worn in public.

Who would even buy such a thing???

That was my point. I can support a hockey baseball or basketball team without having to pick a number or player, but I can't do so with a football jersey. At least not without looking stupid like you pointed out.

Well, good for the NFL.

They didn't create their jersey style with marketing in mind.

[OnWis97]

Football, you may notice puts a certain emphasis on numbers.

In hockey, what number you wear does not matter (except goalies tend to wear #1 or #27-39, but even that gets bent. In baseball, high numbers are not common, but you'll see #1 though 55 at just about any position. Same with basketball--though you used to not be able to have a digit above 5 so refs could communicate fouls to the scorers table (now I think both numbers cannot total more than 10).

In football though, most positions have certain numbers they must wear. College bends it more. But in pros:

QB, K, P--1-19

RB: 20-49

LB: Usually 50s

OL: 60-79

DL 70s or 90s

TE 80s

DB 20-49

WR Usually 80s (or upper teens now)

I think it helps give the refs that initial help about whether a reciever was eligible to be downfield--the get that big #84 on the front and they know the answer. That's my suspician--with all the people on the field, and the importance of positions, it helps refs (and players for that matter) recognize the very important #s right away.

[Nick 1733]

QB, K, P--1-19

RB: 20-49

LB: Usually 50s

OL: 60-79

DL 70s or 90s

TE 80s

DB 20-49

WR Usually 80s (or upper teens now)

I think it helps give the refs that initial help about whether a reciever was eligible to be downfield--the get that big #84 on the front and they know the answer.  That's my suspician--with all the people on the field, and the importance of positions, it helps refs (and players for that matter) recognize the very important #s right away.

Umm, it goes like this:

Quaterbacks, Punters & Kickers: 1-19

Running Backs & Fullbacks: 20-49 (Sometimes 80-89)

Wide Recievers: 10-19, 80-89

Tight Ends: 10-19, 40-49, 80-89

Offensive Lineman: 50-79

Defensive Lineman: 60-79, 90-99

Linebackers: 50-79, 90-99

Defensive Backs: 20-49

[WJMorris3]

On basketball numbers - in high school and college, you can't have a digit larger than 5, and the first digit cannot be 0 UNLESS the number is 0 or 00. Also, you can have 0 or 00 but not both (at least in high school.)

Pro numbers can't have the "no more than 10" rule. How else would players be able to wear 76 and 77?

[ColeJ]

call me crazy, but no one has mentioned how rare number-less basketball jerseys are?

the feeling in this thread seems to be that you see nameless hockey, baseball, and basketball jerseys everywhere, but football isn't in that group.

i've seen at least as many numberless football jerseys as numberless basketball jerseys. to be honest, i don't think i've ever seen a numberless basketball jersey on the street.

so basically, baseball, hockey, and soccer are the only jerseys you can get without customization... and that's because no number is on the front of these, generally, making it less noticable.