timmy b Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 from skyaa1: "To the topic, interesting that they're called "TV" numbers since they're the smallest ones on the uniform and date from way before football was widely televised. Guess the idea is seeing the number in tight shots where the front/back of the uniform isn't visible."they are called "tv numbers" because when 8 of the 12 nfl teams adopted them in 1956 (when the tv boom was in full bloom) the cameras positioned on the 50 yard line could only show the players from the side, and thus viewers couldn't see the players numbers. the tv - or sleeve - numbers helped fans to see what numbers they wore when viewed from the side. because tv was all but exclusively black & white then, the following year (1957) the nfl mandated that each team wear white jerseys for road games and dark jerseys for home games.it was also about this time that the nhl teams started adopting the tv numbers as well. the red wings were the first to use them in 1956-57, then in 1957-58 the black hawks (2 words then), in 58-59 the bruins, rangers and canadiens follwed suit. the leafs were the last to adopt the tv numbers, joining the rest of the original 6 in the 1962 playoffs. tb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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