Names on jerseys you buy....

[gordie_delini]

I get my name on shirts (when I get them printed) just because I'd feel weird with someone else's name on my shoulders, like BallWonk mentioned. I feel more apart of the team with my own name, but I understand the nerd factor reaction and Doug's sentiments. Anymore nowadays, I don't want to drop the extra cash for a name anyway.

[AndrewPF]

What about names of fictional characters? I'd like a NJ Devils jersey with "Hicks" #37

Clerks took place in NJ, and well the Hicks 37 thing is all part of the magic that is Clerks

[johnnysama]

I'd like to add now that in addition to my hockey jerseys, I own a bunch of baseball BP models. I tend to leave those blank, because the BP jerseys are one of these kinds that look OK blank as well.

[BadSeed84]

What about names of fictional characters? I'd like a NJ Devils jersey with "Hicks" #37

Clerks took place in NJ, and well the Hicks 37 thing is all part of the magic that is Clerks

But in the movie dante wears a penguins jersey, yet on the commentary he said his favorite team is really the rangers and you see him wear a rangers jersey in the music video for clerks (Soul Asylum - Cant Even Tell)

I personally think putting CLERKS 37 would be cooler.

[tmorss9]

I've done jerseys for customers both ways, and I'm starting to see the trend is that the younger crowd wants the player name on their jersey, while the older crowd is more likely to put their own name on a jersey. I always ask why someone would want their own name on a shirt, and the answers given above are always brought up, but there's also what my Dad said- "I'm 53 years old, and I just don't want someone else's name on my back, especially since todays players are young enough to be my kids". He was the first one I heard say it, but after a little while of doing this, I've found a lot of his generation that feels that way.

[Gothamite]

That's the first time in a long time I've ever been lumped in with the "younger crowd".

Thanks!

[tmorss9]

No problem, Gothamite, glad to shave a few years off of you. At 30, I'm on that younger side myself, wanting a player name, not my own. The only problem I have is when I want to buy a jersey (like the new Canadiens white) but I really don't want any of the current players name and number. I could use a retired player name, but I already have the ones I would want on heritage sweaters and older store bought jerseys bought back in the day. I really don't care to put my own name on one. but I don't think I want to leave it blank.

[goaztecs]

My feeling about this is that some jerseys like Hockey and Baseball look good with or without numbers, because the logo/word mark is more of a focal point than the number. I do have some that I want to add a player's name to but either I never got around to it or I couldn't decide on which player. Now I do own a couple of blank football jerseys but those rarely see the light of day because it feels incomplete without a number.

As for putting your own name/nickname on a jersey, I'm not a fan but if it makes you happy go for it.

[harperdc]

don't get me wrong, I'm not going to go up and yell at somebody if I saw them, say, at a Blazers' game with their own customized jersey.

the guy with the ODEN 20 Blazers jersey, perhaps, but that's mostly because people SHOULD have known that #20 was retired for a great Blazer long before Oden came into the league.

I might giggle to myself, though, but that's about it. Again, free country, do what you want, yadda yadda. I just think its stupid. oh, and I hold no predilections about being higher up than 'those nerds' - I was playing on my DS Lite for almost an hour waiting for a Ducks football ticket on Monday morning. I don't care what anybody says, but I do think some things are cooler than others.

[powersurge]

I think comparing someone who buys/wears a professional sports jersey with their own name on it to a Star Trek fan with a Klingon uniform is comparing apples to oranges.

I mean c'mon now. Are you saying being a die hard FOOTBALL fan, drinking beers and watching the game with some buddies while wearing a customized jersey is EQUAL to going to Star Trek conventions dressed in full Klingon garb and speaking tongues then going home to your Mom's basement (where you live)?

Sorry, but I find the latter much more nerdy. Hell, I think many people would find the fact that we all post on this site pretty damn nerdy, so I'd be careful throwing stones at others quite honestly.

[harperdc]

I think comparing someone who buys/wears a professional sports jersey with their own name on it to a Star Trek fan with a Klingon uniform is comparing apples to oranges.

I mean c'mon now. Are you saying being a die hard FOOTBALL fan, drinking beers and watching the game with some buddies while wearing a customized jersey is EQUAL to going to Star Trek conventions dressed in full Klingon garb and speaking tongues then going home to your Mom's basement (where you live)?

A. thanks for going straight to the mom's basement reference. I will have you know my parents don't even HAVE a basement, kthx. ...which means I have to hole myself up on the second floor whenever I return home from college to their house. though, granted, I *do* have five videogame systems hooked up to my TV, so I guess you caught the nerd red-handed.

B. Yes. ridiculous love for something that's art, entertainment, and on a grand stage? That's nerdy, it just manifests itself in different ways. planning things around football gamedays or - worse - fantasy league drafts? NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERD.

yet it's become so mainstream it's acceptable. (same with games, too, to a certain extent. Trust me, I saw some hot nerd girls and plenty of guys who look like they'd seen a shower and other hygiene products within the last 12 hours when I went to the Penny Arcade Expo. it's not just guys who live in their mom's basement, though I saw a ton of those).

[Jer15]

I have a few jerseys.

Soccer: I have the Netherlands national team's bright orange jersey, with no name or number.

Football: Vikings purple with A) Randy Moss and Dante Culpepper.

Hockey: Black team Canada (no name/number).

White Maple Leafs from the the 80s/90s (no name/number).

Blue Maple Leafs from last year (no name/number)

White Avs from 1995 with my last name/number.

Light blue Avs from...whenever that was...1997? it's a fashion jersey thing that I just loved.

Avs 3rd from last year, with my name/number.

Battalion's green jersey (no name/number).

Red Orlando Rage (XFL) jersey with the number 1 on it and "Rage" as the name.

So why do I or don't I put names or numbers on?

Well to be honest, with football I think the jerseys look very lame without it, almost blank. Plus most of those you can buy with the name/number for the same price or very slightly more than a blank.

Hockey, to be honest, I plan on getting my Battalion's jersey done this year and in my name/number. Why are almost all of mine like that? Because teams change, players shift, but my loyalty is to the team. So I like put put my name and number on there as a way to almost symbolize my loyalty to my teams.

[powersurge]

I think comparing someone who buys/wears a professional sports jersey with their own name on it to a Star Trek fan with a Klingon uniform is comparing apples to oranges.

I mean c'mon now. Are you saying being a die hard FOOTBALL fan, drinking beers and watching the game with some buddies while wearing a customized jersey is EQUAL to going to Star Trek conventions dressed in full Klingon garb and speaking tongues then going home to your Mom's basement (where you live)?

A. thanks for going straight to the mom's basement reference. I will have you know my parents don't even HAVE a basement, kthx. ...which means I have to hole myself up on the second floor whenever I return home from college to their house. though, granted, I *do* have five videogame systems hooked up to my TV, so I guess you caught the nerd red-handed.

B. Yes. ridiculous love for something that's art, entertainment, and on a grand stage? That's nerdy, it just manifests itself in different ways. planning things around football gamedays or - worse - fantasy league drafts? NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERD.

yet it's become so mainstream it's acceptable. (same with games, too, to a certain extent. Trust me, I saw some hot nerd girls and plenty of guys who look like they'd seen a shower and other hygiene products within the last 12 hours when I went to the Penny Arcade Expo. it's not just guys who live in their mom's basement, though I saw a ton of those).

HA!

I used to think that this was stereo typical, but I can assure you that I have atleast 5 examples that prove it is the norm lately. BTW, second floor can't be THAT bad, as long as you don't keep the 'rents up all night playing Halo or something.

I also think that if you take the amount of weight that you can bench, multiply that by the number of pullups you can do and divide it by the number of beers you can drink on a given Sunday then it may lower your nerd rating...

...but raise your muscle head rating.

[BallWonk]

I think comparing someone who buys/wears a professional sports jersey with their own name on it to a Star Trek fan with a Klingon uniform is comparing apples to oranges.

I mean c'mon now. Are you saying being a die hard FOOTBALL fan, drinking beers and watching the game with some buddies while wearing a customized jersey is EQUAL to going to Star Trek conventions dressed in full Klingon garb and speaking tongues then going home to your Mom's basement (where you live)?

Sorry, but I find the latter much more nerdy. Hell, I think many people would find the fact that we all post on this site pretty damn nerdy, so I'd be careful throwing stones at others quite honestly.

Translation: My own immature obsession with a trivial entertainment, up to and including playing costumed dress-up and memorizing arcane information, is perfectly normal. Your immature obsession obsession with a trivial entertainment, up to and including playing costumed dress-up and memorizing arcane information, is deviant in the extreme.

The point being that a man who dresses up in an athlete's uniform to watch a ballgame who believes that his actions are meaningfully different from dressing up in, say, a Jedi costume to watch a movie is deeply deluded about the nature of his own behavior. The underlying behavior is the same, and frankly more of the hardcore sports fans I know fit the maladjusted, pathetic nerd stereotype you describe than do the hardcore sci-fi, fantasy, or comic-book fans I know.

[powersurge]

I think comparing someone who buys/wears a professional sports jersey with their own name on it to a Star Trek fan with a Klingon uniform is comparing apples to oranges.

I mean c'mon now. Are you saying being a die hard FOOTBALL fan, drinking beers and watching the game with some buddies while wearing a customized jersey is EQUAL to going to Star Trek conventions dressed in full Klingon garb and speaking tongues then going home to your Mom's basement (where you live)?

Sorry, but I find the latter much more nerdy. Hell, I think many people would find the fact that we all post on this site pretty damn nerdy, so I'd be careful throwing stones at others quite honestly.

Translation: My own immature obsession with a trivial entertainment, up to and including playing costumed dress-up and memorizing arcane information, is perfectly normal. Your immature obsession obsession with a trivial entertainment, up to and including playing costumed dress-up and memorizing arcane information, is deviant in the extreme.

The point being that a man who dresses up in an athlete's uniform to watch a ballgame who believes that his actions are meaningfully different from dressing up in, say, a Jedi costume to watch a movie is deeply deluded about the nature of his own behavior. The underlying behavior is the same, and frankly more of the hardcore sports fans I know fit the maladjusted, pathetic nerd stereotype you describe than do the hardcore sci-fi, fantasy, or comic-book fans I know.

You little sh...

Well atleast I've actually played football and basketball competitively and been given the right and privledge to wear an athletic uniform (even though it wasn't professional) as opposed to Jedi-costume wearing Star Wars phanatic who probably has never touched a real light sabre (seeing as they don't exist) or a Klingon speaking a tongue that is not recognized as a real official language by any country on the planet earth. So the main crux of MY argument is that fantasy and make believe nerdity will ALWAYS trump washed-up former sports hero fanaticism.

I think I just made myself look worse by writing that.

[sc49erfan15]

If that player had their name on the back of the jersey, then I'd like for it to be there.

If the name wasn't there (say, a John Havlicek Celtics jersey) then I don't want it there.

Simple as that.

[spyboy1]

All names, all the time. I put names and numbers on the back of all my jerseys.

I also patch them whenever I can to really try to make a "time capsule" of a particular year when the jersey was worn.

Isn't a Maple Leafs Alt jersey with Mats Sundin's name, number and captain's "C" on it cooler than a Maple Leafs Alt jersey that's blank? I think so.

Most of my jerseys are star, if not hall-of-fame caliber players, so many of them are customized even after the player leaves the team. You really can't go wrong with a Gretzky or Lemieux, Yzerman or Sundin jersey.

I find it to be great fun to get an old Sabres jersey and then start the process of deciding who's name to put on it. Perrault? Hasek? Lafontaine? Who was a captain? Who wore the "A"? Who was a leading scorer or perhaps won a Ross, Hart, Smythe or Vezina trophy while wearing it? What patches are an option and who was on the team those particular years?

It's rare that I will just run out anymore and get a jersey because I like it and slap a current player on it. After doing a Senators Yashin and a Maple Leafs Joseph, I've learned to make more careful choices of players who are really associated with a team so I won't regret it even if he leaves.

For example, you could do a Blackhawks Belfour. He was a Rookie of the Year and Vezina winner the year they wore the All-Star patch. That's a nice snapshot in time to commemorate. You could also do a Dallas Stars Belfour. He won a Stanley Cup there in 1999 and you could put a Finals patch on it - another nice representation of a career highlight for him and the team, even if he left later on you still have a nice memory of the year they won The Cup. You wouldn't want to do a Maple Leafs or Panthers Belfour. He wasn't there that long and didn't accomplish anything noteworthy. Those two are the kind of choices you might wish you hadn't made later on.

I could go on and on with examples. Fleury - Flames=good. Fleury - Avs or Rangers=bad.

You could do an Ovechkin Caps or Gaborik Wild, but be careful, they're young and can qualify for free agency sooner than you are used to with the new rules in place.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is wait awhile. See if your team has a great season to immortalize. See if your favorite player sticks around for a few years. This goes double for any expansion franchise. Chances are 95% of the guys on the team in year 1 will all be gone by year 5. Going into this year I believe the Wild will have Gaborik and Walz left from the first club. I pity the fool who got Pellerin or Shushinksy on their jersey the first month of the first year.

I'm on another board with a guy who gets all kinds of cool jerseys, but only customizes them with players who have been on his local minor league team on their way up the ladder. That's all well and good for him today, but he's passing over the chance to put serious star players on jerseys in favor of journeymen who happen to have played for a brief period of time in his hometown. It's fun for him now, but he's also killing the resale value of his collection some day down the road I'm afraid.

As for your own name, do that if you want, but realize you have taken nearly any resale value the jersey may have had on ebay and flushed that down the toilet. This goes double for your #69 jersey.

[Mingjai]

Most of the hockey jerseys I own are blank mainly because I got them during my starving student days, so it was hard to justify spending the extra $50-70 on the customizing. The only exception is the 1980s Bruins black jersey that has #8 Neely on it. I'm glad I didn't get my jerseys customized when I bought them because now I have the benefit of hindsight in deciding whether to customize them.

The few soccer jerseys I own are all USMNT jerseys and are all either customized in the process of getting customized. This is for several reasons: First, soccer jerseys are better looking customized than not (this is especially the case with national team jerseys because they have no sponsor on the front). Second, with the 2-year USMNT jersey cycle, each jersey basically represents a specific squad so the options for customization choices are relatively few. For example, of the current kits, I have a white #8 Dempsey in honor of him scoring the team's only goal in WC06 (an emphatic goal I might add). I also have a blue #20 McBride in honor of the US's other most memorable moment in WC06--the nasty elbow he took versus Italy (yes, I know the US was wearing white that game). In the 2002 jerseys, I have a #5 O'Brien--he played well in 2002, but alas he's suffered from China doll syndrome during the most recent WC cycle--but that's no biggie. For my other 2002 jersey, I'm thinking about going with #10 Reyna because after all he made the WC02 all tournament team. But these have been easy choices to make. (Notice no #21 Donovan--if I had an 04-05 jersey, I might consider getting his name there seeing as how he only plays well against CONCACAF foes!)

[ZoomZoom18]

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.

Just curious, how easy was taking the nameplate off of your Lions jersey and how did it turn out? I've got a few NFL jerseys I'm thinking about going that route with.

[Roger Clemente]

My personal favorite...

I would rather get my own name on the back of a jersey than a player, in case they pull a Bertuzzi, Heatley or Kariya.