Rules for the Jerseys
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by user Barkingclam
The other day, when I was at a local sports store that's going out of business, I spied a throwback Börje Salming jersey. Immediately I thought to myself that it was not only a great buy ($40, down from over $100) but that it was tasteful - Salming was one of the best players to ever play defense for the Maple Leafs.
"But was I right?" I wondered later on, when I hung the jersey up next to my "Slap Shot Replica Practice-style Jersey" (that only has a passing resembleance to anything that a player would ever wear). Is it acceptable to wear a throwback to a player that even casual fans of the team may not know about?
I think it's time that everybody laid down some ground rules on this before somebody gets hurt.
For example, it's a bad idea to wear a jersey with your own name on it, as is wearing one with a player who is now hated by his former team (I call this the "T.O. Clause").
And throwbacks - who defines them? Is it a throwback when you have a jersey for a since-traded player? Or if you just have an old jersey? Or is it only a throwback if a team actually wears it on the court, ice, field or whatever? Or if the player was noteworthy somehow? Does this mean that having a Doug Flutie San Deigo Chargers jersey is a throwback, or do we have to wait another five years?
Or what about replicas? Do you have to go all out and spend on an authentic jersey - or is getting one for close to half the price okay? Or those half white, half other-team-colour jerseys that were big sellers not too long ago? Or having a jersey for a player who isn't actually on the team yet (like having a JJ Reddick Boston Celtics jersey)? The list goes on and on.
Frankly, I think we need to set some ground rules here before someone decides that wearing his "Throwback" (actually bought in '86) Roger Clemens Boston Red Sox jersey to Fenway Park is a good idea.
Date
Fri 06/23/06, 7:32 pm EST
