![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Last week, Basketball star Kobe Bryant announced that he would be switching his jersey from #8 to #24. And then, following the NFL Draft, Reggie Bush's stated his desire to petition the NFL to let him wear jersey #5 this year for the New Orleans Saints. (He'd also have to work out an agreement with backup quarterback Adrian MacPhearson - who currently owns #5 for the Saints.)
I'll get back to that in a minute. In my days, I played a few different sports and in different leagues. Most of us pick our favorite numbers and stick with them if we can. We switch if we have to. My sister, for example, wore #8 in honor of Cal Ripken, but had to take #14 in High School because there was a girl a grade above her who already had the number.
I wore a bunch of different numbers, #4, #5, #17 but my preference was #20 because I wanted to play third base and that was Mike Scmidt's number. It was also Frank Robinson's number and Frank was cool so there it was. When I tried out for football, I didn't get it - because #20 is a running back's number and usually goes to a really good player. I was neither - and wound up getting assigned #38 because they already had a #38 in my size. But nowadays, when I play on a softball team that does #s I go back to #20.
Anyhoo, in the case of Reggie Bush he has to submit a special request, because Pro-Football has specific rules about what number a player can wear, based upon postion. As a Running Back, Bush would be required to wear a number between 20 and 49. And the NFL is suprisingly hard-bound about rules like this, once requiring Eric Metcalf to change his jersey number to one in the 80s when he was switched permanently from running back to wide reciever. Unlike the NFL, college players can wear any number they like. So you have lots of star recievers wearing #1. And sometimes, puny kickers wearing #90. But they get to the pros, and Doug Flutie has to turn in his #22 for a #2 or a #7...
The jersey number, and rules for numbers, fascinate me.
(Short Paul Lukas article on jersey number as tribute)
In international basketball, there are twelve players per team and they must wear #4 through #15. In college, players can wear any single or two digit number, save that the numerals 6-9 are banned. NBA players can wear any number. So it's a bit weird to see Kobe make a change now, after nine years in the league. Particularly since his #8 is the best selling jersey and he's the most famous basketball player to wear that number.
Excepting trades, people generally don't just up and change number. There are retired jersey cases - Ray Borque of the NHL's Boston Bruins changing from #7 to #77, when they retired former Bruin Phil Esposito's #7 jersey.
Rare exceptions - of the type like Kobe's - were Charles Barkley changing from #34 to #32 his last year in Philly out of solidarity for Magic Johnson. And Michael Jordan wearing #45 instead of #23 when he made his first comeback with the Chicago Bulls. Jordan eventually switched back to #23, perhaps because in the words of NBA'er Nick Anderson #45 may have been Michael Jordan but he wasn't #23.
So for those on the flist who have played organized sports - tell me tales of your jersey numbers. What numbers did you wear, what are your favorite numbers, and why? Who are some iconic players that you always associate with certain numbers. A la MJ and #23. Who else thinks Kobe switching is just dumb.
I'll get back to that in a minute. In my days, I played a few different sports and in different leagues. Most of us pick our favorite numbers and stick with them if we can. We switch if we have to. My sister, for example, wore #8 in honor of Cal Ripken, but had to take #14 in High School because there was a girl a grade above her who already had the number.
I wore a bunch of different numbers, #4, #5, #17 but my preference was #20 because I wanted to play third base and that was Mike Scmidt's number. It was also Frank Robinson's number and Frank was cool so there it was. When I tried out for football, I didn't get it - because #20 is a running back's number and usually goes to a really good player. I was neither - and wound up getting assigned #38 because they already had a #38 in my size. But nowadays, when I play on a softball team that does #s I go back to #20.
Anyhoo, in the case of Reggie Bush he has to submit a special request, because Pro-Football has specific rules about what number a player can wear, based upon postion. As a Running Back, Bush would be required to wear a number between 20 and 49. And the NFL is suprisingly hard-bound about rules like this, once requiring Eric Metcalf to change his jersey number to one in the 80s when he was switched permanently from running back to wide reciever. Unlike the NFL, college players can wear any number they like. So you have lots of star recievers wearing #1. And sometimes, puny kickers wearing #90. But they get to the pros, and Doug Flutie has to turn in his #22 for a #2 or a #7...
The jersey number, and rules for numbers, fascinate me.
(Short Paul Lukas article on jersey number as tribute)
In international basketball, there are twelve players per team and they must wear #4 through #15. In college, players can wear any single or two digit number, save that the numerals 6-9 are banned. NBA players can wear any number. So it's a bit weird to see Kobe make a change now, after nine years in the league. Particularly since his #8 is the best selling jersey and he's the most famous basketball player to wear that number.
Excepting trades, people generally don't just up and change number. There are retired jersey cases - Ray Borque of the NHL's Boston Bruins changing from #7 to #77, when they retired former Bruin Phil Esposito's #7 jersey.
Rare exceptions - of the type like Kobe's - were Charles Barkley changing from #34 to #32 his last year in Philly out of solidarity for Magic Johnson. And Michael Jordan wearing #45 instead of #23 when he made his first comeback with the Chicago Bulls. Jordan eventually switched back to #23, perhaps because in the words of NBA'er Nick Anderson #45 may have been Michael Jordan but he wasn't #23.
So for those on the flist who have played organized sports - tell me tales of your jersey numbers. What numbers did you wear, what are your favorite numbers, and why? Who are some iconic players that you always associate with certain numbers. A la MJ and #23. Who else thinks Kobe switching is just dumb.