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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.
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Numbers and players I associate with them....
#11 - Isiah Thomas
#13 - Dan Marino
#31 - Reggie Miller
#33 - Larry Bird
#34 - Sweetness
I know my husband could come up with a HUGE list like this, but those are just a few that come to mind for me.
The now teenager has always worn #15 for basketball, because her older cousin 'D' wore than number all the way through his basketball playing days. Now granted she may have to switch next year if her 8th grade team doesn't get new uniforms, because I don't think they had that number already, but since 3rd grade she's always stuck with #15.
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Am I a huge girl if I say that I don't understand at all why this is a big deal? I can't even remember the numbers I wore when I played soccer -- I wanna say . . . 43? And . . . 11? -- I know for a fact, though, that I gave one of my old jerseys to my sister when I grew out of it, and neither one of us thought a thing of her taking my number.
Maybe we're just, you know, girls and don't understand . . . this could be an issue of territory . . .
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Maybe we're just, you know, girls and don't understand . . . this could be an issue of territory . . .
Because there is no such thing as territorial girls? I don't know. Maybe it is. I guess we'll see how some of the other ladies on the Flist answer...
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I assume, BTW, that you will forever associate #99 with the Greatest Batman Villain ever, Mr. Wayne Gretzky.
Of course. :)
Because there is no such thing as territorial girls? I don't know.
I think men are generally more of a kneejerk on issues of territory. I mean, believe me, if I learned anything from playing competetive sports, it's that girls are just as competetive -- if not more competetive -- than guys. I reff'd, too, and girls play dirtier; guys'll hit each other, sure, but girls get mean.
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And that maybe girls are meaner while playing than they might be off the field, just because it's a 'freer' environement. But this is me talking out of my butt as opposed to anything based in real study or knowledge.
It was always explained to me by my older sister that she and her friends played clean and hard, and that it was only those girls on the other team who were mean and dirty...
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I did not know that.
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Since I'm such an cantankerous old person, I've always really disliked the practice of letting college football players wear any old number. I tend to think that because the positions are so rule-bound, and the reason you have numbers is to distinguish players, the numbers should be tied to the positions. (This is also because Cal has not one, not two, but three #11s. Huh? And one of them is only #11 because there are already two #1s.)
As to your question, I never played a competitive sport that involved pre-determined numbers, but my bib number was usually something like 135, because we always arrived late, and consequently registered late.
(Why are 6-9 banned in college bball?)
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I don't mind the looser numbering in college sports. As far as I can tell, the only position it really matters for is the Offensive Line - because of the illegal man downfield penalty. I like seeing backs and receivers and d-backs and corners with single digit numbers. And yeah, the multiple guys with the same number can get lame - but that's a byproduct of having 900 dudes on your roster.
As to the number banning - in international ball, they want every team to use the same numbers - so your twelve man team is always #4-15.
My guess is, they want the ref to be able signal player number with one hand when making a foul call. That's all I've got. It should also be noted that, until a few years ago - the numbers #1 and #2 were banned. It is, OTOH, funny to see a team that plays both a #0 and a #00 at the same time.
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As for the loose numbering, like I said, I'm a really old person about a lot of things in sports.
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Also, I agree on Kobe. Dumb.
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