Names on jerseys you buy....

[johnnysama]

I have a collection of 22 jerseys now, and the vast majority of my collection have been left nameless.

The question is here- when you buy a blank jersey, do you put a name on it or not?

My answer: No.

Reasoning- 1. I am a bit too frugal to plunk down the extra money to get the name on the jersey,

2. If I got that person's name on the jersey, there is a chance that that guy might leave the team, or retire, and I'd wind up hating it, and

3. Hey, if you're leaving the jersey blank, it gives you the feeling that you're actually representing the whole team, not just one player.

So there ya have it.

[harperdc]

most of mine are nameless as well, but I want to get more names and numbers (and maybe even get a name and number added to one or two) and will probably get names from here on out.

why? The look is much more authentic, in some cases jerseys look really weird without names and numbers (my blank NBA authentic especially), and to remember great players and eras for teams. To counter johnnysama's point, I think even if a great (or good) player leaves, the jersey is still worth something - you got it from those seasons he played, and what if he helped your team lift trophies? Why not remember that moment?

then again, I think its really cool to see old jerseys with past players' names on them - for most every team I support. Whether the player became good, was a bust, is a team legend, left for a rival, or all of the above, it's memorable, and important. You might not want to wear one of those right away to a game or out to a serious sports bar, but hey, anybody who seriously takes issue with you wearing the jersey of a player who left that year needs some help anyways.

[VC//]

All of my hockey jerseys have names on them.

My jersey collection goes well over 35 but they are players that made a mark on the teams like Yzerman's home and away red wings jersey, Lemieux's, Jagr's, Francis', Crosby's, Brodeur's, Neely...etc...all home and away.

For Jagr & Francis, i have Jagr's NYR home and away and Ron's hartford ones in home and away. I don't wear the authentic ones that are stitched though, i don't wear any of them really. I have a few that i do wear that are authentic that i bought to wear, but my plan for the jerseys are to put them in a showcase frame have them line my games room which needs it and just around my place.

A plain jersey is fine if you like it plain, but i buy the jersey because i admire and respect the player's talent and abilities and that makes me wnat to buy the jersey. I'm not a big fan of most of the teams (just the pens and canucks- sort of), i have a Patrick Roy habs jersey in the home red's and the vintage one since i didn't like the road whites...but i'm not a big habs fan.

[BallWonk]

Johnysama's reasoning very much echoes my own. But for me there is the additional factor that putting another man's name on the uniform crosses a line of propriety for me between being a fan and pretending to be part of the team itself. Wearing a jersey to a game is already close enough to dressing up as a Klingon or a stormtrooper at a sci-fi convention without actually putting another man's name on your shoulders.

But I don't say that to express disapproval of other people who do opt for names. Whatever floats your boat and all that. It just makes me feel strange to put someone else's name on a jersey I didn't really earn the right to wear, such that I pretty much never wear the one jersey I do have with a name on it. I'm strictly a numbers-only guy.

[Gothamite]

Funny, I have exactly the opposite reaction: I don't mind putting an actual player's name on a jersey, but somebody putting his own name on a jersey strikes me as the sports equivalent of a Starfleet uniform. Celebrating the accomplishments of a player is one thing, pretending you're on the roster is something else entirely.

[SilentNoise]

I've got 10 hockey jerseys in the closet right now - 3 Oilers jerseys (old school: Gretzky, new-style: blank, 3rd jersey: Smith), Dallas Stars: Mike Modano, Pittsburgh Penguins (1992-2000 style): Mario Lemieux, Buffalo Sables (black jersey): Pat LaFontaine, Detroit Red Wings: Chris Chelios, new-style St.Louis Blues: blank, Winnipeg Jets: blank (would REALLY like to get Hawerchuk stitched on though).... and one more blank one that's escaping my memory right now.

Now I suppose I'm in a rare position compared to most because a few years ago I had a great hookup and all of the jerseys including the crested ones (except for the Gretzky and Smith jerseys) I paid somewhere around wholesale for them, getting them for $30-45 (CDN) - normally I never would have gone for a Chelios or Modano jersey, but for that price, if they were available to me at the time, hell, why not, right? (No, they didn't fall of the back of a truck either... all bought LEGALLY (thought I'd point that out) from SportChek, all authentic replica jerseys).

Now a days, now that I don't have that hookup anymore, I have bought the Jason Smith and Gretzky jerseys for regular retail prices. If I was to buy another team's jersey and get it crested, it would have to be a very special player like a Neely, Jagr, Crosby, Francis, Brodeur, etc. or someone who's been with the team for a long period of time such as Jason Smith and the Oilers. With names like these you're going to be safe regardless of what happens in the future because it's very few and far between where players like that leave on bad terms, so it's likely not something you're going to worry about.

[DelayedPenalty]

Hockey: All of mine except for 1 have no name on the back for the same reasoning johnny stated, I don't want to risk having an obsolete jersey in a season or two. I prefer to represent the team as a whole. The one jersey I do have with a name on it was a secondhand one I purchased cheap (John Vanbiesbrouck Panthers red). If I was to get a name on any of my jerseys I would get it personalized to a historic point in time, or to honor a retiree and make sure it is accurate (ex: won't put Tim Horton on a current Leafs sweater).

Basketball: I only have 1, but with any basketball jersey you have to have a name/number on it. I got my Steve Nash authentic directly from the Suns.

Football: I haven't owned a football jersey in a long time, but once again, name and number are a must. I saw a blank Michigan State football jersey in TJ Maxx the other day and it just looks plain ridiculous!

Soccer: Soccer jerseys are usually flashy enough without a name or number. I've been saving and looking into a Toronto FC jersey, which I will more than likely purchase without a name on the back.

[NorthStar74]

I managed to get what I wanted, a replica CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers 2007 jersey... no nameplate or number on it as I saw a few ones with Stegall 85, Roberts 1 and Glenn 5 all priced over 200 bucks!!! ack.. so I bought the nameless -numberless jersey for only 89 bucks.. I might think about getting my own name on the back but dunno as well... I do have my own Winnipeg Jets jersey (with my name and my favorite number 99 on back), Quebec Nordiques road jersey, 2 Los Angeles Kings (white 1989 Gretzky era look and road 1980s era look), San Jose Sharks (teal jersey from 1992), St. Louis Blues road jersey (1990), Belleville Bulls black jersey (OHL), Kamloops Blazers blue jersey (WHL), a blue jersey with my school logo on it via a trade with one of the teachers in school back then... I do have a Phoenix Suns road jersey from around 1998 as well.. no baseball jerseys yet anyways but will hunt around for one nice jersey...

[BadSeed84]

Yea, I usually go numberless/nameless. Only the football jerseys I own have numbers and names.

Interestingly almost all shirts ive owned that have a number and name on the back, have gone to another team, My Flyers forsberg shirt, Phillies shirt with Thome, then Abreu, hopefully Utley wont leave anytime soon.

But yea, I have my Gray Phillies, Flyers Home & Away jerseys all blank, my dad is the opposite, HELL he gets custom jerseys with his nickname, I own a kansas city road replica from a couple years ago (When they had black sleeves), with Eddie Jay on the back, I rarely wear the jersey outside the house, I'd rather of had it blank, but it was a gift. Also I hate how its so damn obvious if you have a mlb replica if you have a number/name on the back cause they use the generic one color font for them.

[capn89]

I do what a lot of people (for whatever reason) seem to hate, I put my last name and favorite number on mine. You never have to worry about being traded or retiring, and you get the full effect of the jersey with the added elements. To each their own, though.

[Proc]

I always go nameless on hockey and baseball jerseys. Too bad the NFL makes you buy a jersey with a name on it. With that said, I got a nice Joey Harrington jersey last year (Lions home) for $10. I had my wife remove the nameplate and with that I have my generic jersey.

[Brian in Boston]

Funny, I have exactly the opposite reaction: I don't mind putting an actual player's name on a jersey, but somebody putting his own name on a jersey strikes me as the sports equivalent of a Starfleet uniform. Celebrating the accomplishments of a player is one thing, pretending you're on the roster is something else entirely.

I've never understood this position. I've always gotten my favorite number and last name emblazoned on the authentic jerseys that I've acquired. I don't see it as attempting to pretend that I'm on the roster. After all, it's abundantly clear that I'm not on the roster. Players on the actual roster are participating in the game that I'm watching. As for me, I'm wearing my jersey with a pair of jeans, while sitting in the stands or bellying-up to the bar. Rather, I see emblazoning my own name on the jerseys as publicly stating that ____________ is a proud fan of the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, Newcastle United and/or Seattle Seahawks.

Having an actual player's name and number emblazoned on a jersey strikes me as a bit disconcerting. Put it this way: wearing an actual player's name and number on a souvenir jersey is a tribute - or, it is until said player spots a 5' 7", 265-pound fan with a comb-over and a mullet washing down 2-for-1 tacos with Frozen Mudslides while wearing the athlete's jersey. Then, it's a slap in the face for the athlete... and just plain sad for the fan.

[Gothamite]

I think BallWonk's description sums it up for me (although in the opposite direction): putting your own name on a jersey seems a lot like wearing a Starfleet uniform to a convention. Nothing particularly wrong with that, but I wouldn't do it.

Fortunately, I'm a healthy 5'11", 165 pounds, with a full head of luxurious hair (in neither a comb-over nor a mullet) who doesn't even know what a "Frozen Mudslide" is. So I don't think Brett Favre will mind that his name is on the back of my M&N 1994 throwback.

[powersurge]

IDK, I kind of understand BOTH points, but I will admit that I do own a basic replica Bears jersey with the number "34" and my nickname "Surge" on the back of it.

Its the annoying uber-fan who has a beer belly, can't do a pull up, and sits on his couch in his NFL-shopped football dungeon, wearing a football/beer helmet, painted face and a game regulation customized jersey/half shirt with the moniker "Ramrod" on the back of it screaming at the the television telling Randy Moss he should have "doved" for that ball because HE (the guy, not Randy) could have gotten it.

THAT annoys me.

[harperdc]

while we live in America and you can spend your money however you damn well please, getting the self-customized jersey screams "NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERD" far worse than anything imaginable. Face-paint? Getting into your team (especially college). Body paint/wearing nothing when it's cold? Hardcore dedication, perhaps stupidity and alcohol. But buying your own your-name customized jersey? That's worse than wearing a starfleet academy costume to a star-trek con, that's like wearing a star-trek costume and saying you were on the deck with Captain Kirk. To me, it insinuates a certain level of "I'm there too with the team" because of my stance on names on jerseys (remembering great times, eras and players).

what have you done for the team? Sit in the stands. Granted, the sports world doesn't exist without fans, but to get your own customized jersey insinuates you're on the same level as players. With the fuss about managers wearing uniforms, some people in the sports writing world are questioning that practice; if the manager, let's say, can't wear the uniform, what makes Joe Lunchbox with his "55 LUNCHBOX" custom jersey able to wear it?

[oakland ehs]

my opinion is that i won't put a name on a jersey unless i would still be proud to have that name on there even if the guy is traded. for example, jason smith is on my oilers jersey and now that he's traded i still have no problem with it because he was a great oiler for 7 years, and remains one of my favourite players.

i'm considering getting ULANOV 55 on one of my jerseys because he was awesome with his "pain doesn't hurt" mentality. it's also an obscure jersey which i find pretty cool, but not as stupid as the CROSS 23 jersey i saw once... because nobody likes cory cross. nobody

[Brian in Boston]

Granted, the sports world doesn't exist without fans, but to get your own customized jersey insinuates you're on the same level as players.

In your mind, maybe. I make no such claims. As stated previously, obviously I'm not on the same level as the players. They are actually participating in the on-field play of the athletic contest, while I am simply taking-in said contest from the stands or while bellying-up to the bar.

Rather, my choosing to emblazon an authentic jersey with my own name and a favorite number is meant to publicly communicate that I, ____________, specifically support the team in question and appreciate said team's effort on behalf of myself as a member of the team's fan-base.

With the fuss about managers wearing uniforms, some people in the sportswriting world are questioning that practice.

"Fuss" is a good word for it. As in signifying a "bustle or a worry about trifles"... as in, "a thing of little value". In other words, said "fuss" about baseball managers wearing uniforms has less to do with a real concern on the part of the sportwriters than it does with those very same sportswriters struggling to meet their allotment of column inches on a given day and deciding to fill the space with meaningless drivel about a non-issue.

... if the manager, let's say, can't wear the uniform, what makes Joe Lunchbox with his "55 LUNCHBOX" custom jersey able to wear it?

However, baseball managers can wear the uniform of their teams, so arguing that they can't has no bearing on a discussion of this topic.

As for "Joe Lunchbox", if he's like me, he's able to wear a team jersey customized with his own name because:

1) He lives in a locale where federal, state and local laws don't prohibit such a practice;

2) He possesses the means to procure such a garment;

3) He wishes to expressly communicate his personal appreciation and support for the efforts of the team in question.

Now, if he's not like me, all bets are off. Who knows? He might suffer from the delusion that he is, in fact, a member of the team in question. In which case, rather than nitpicking about his wardrobe choices, his family and friends should probably be steering him towards psychological counselling.

Finally, while I'm at a loss to explain the predilection some Star Trek fans have for costuming themselves in wardrobe inspired by the television show, it's spin-offs and movie sequels, I choose not to judge them. After all, I spend countless hours discussing and debating the exceedingly fine-points of sports logo-related minutiae in an on-line community.

In other words, the membership of the CCSLC would probably be best-served by subscribing to the old adage, "Let he who hast no highly-specialized hobby cast the first 'NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERD'."

[I Am A Flaming Douche Bag]

I love having my favourite players name on the back but like you said, when they get traded or retire its a bummer. I had a Gary Roberts Leafs jersey and it got to small on me so I decided to buy a new one but the home jersey instead of the away. The week after I buy it he didnt resign with TO and went to Florida:( But, all my baseball jerseys are nameless, except my Jays Reed Johnson jerey.

[BallWonk]

I think BallWonk's description sums it up for me (although in the opposite direction): putting your own name on a jersey seems a lot like wearing a Starfleet uniform to a convention. Nothing particularly wrong with that, but I wouldn't do it.

Fortunately, I'm a healthy 5'11", 165 pounds, with a full head of luxurious hair (in neither a comb-over nor a mullet) who doesn't even know what a "Frozen Mudslide" is. So I don't think Brett Favre will mind that his name is on the back of my M&N 1994 throwback.

I don't think we actually disagree here, or not much anyway, and I don't hold up my own level of comfort as a standard for judging others. Far as I'm concerned, wear whatever you want, as long as it's not a Phillies jersey at a Nationals ballgame, or a Yankees jersey with the letters J E T E R on the back. Either of those ought to be a capital offense.

The way I see it, simply wearing a plain, authentic-looking jersey is the equivalent of donning a Klingon outfit. Putting a number on the jersey is the equivalent of wearing a good Klingon costume. Putting a name on the jersey, whether it's an athlete's or your own, is the equivalent of speaking Klingon. It's just a question of how far you want to take the game of make-believe that wearing the jersey amounts to. Personally, I'm slightly cooler with people wearing their own names, or even better their nicknames, but only just, and I don't actually disapprove of either. I'm just not comfortable with the name thing myself. But I have no illusions about there being much of a difference, really, as far as the complete and total immaturity of wearing an athletic uniform to sit in a chair for a couple of hours, whether it's my unadorned soccer shirts, my numbers-only baseball jerseys, or the guy in the next row's powder blue "Schmidt 20" jersey.

I have some ballpark pals who have lettering above and below the number on the backs of their custom jerseys. That is so far over the top that it completely works. But I'd still sooner wear my kilt to the ballpark than a jersey with names on the back.

[Fred T. Jane]

Finally, while I'm at a loss to explain the predilection some Star Trek fans have for costuming themselves in wardrobe inspired by the television show, it's spin-offs and movie sequels, I choose not to judge them. After all, I spend countless hours discussing and debating the exceedingly fine-points of sports logo-related minutiae in an on-line community.

You win the Innernets.