The Art of Jersey Buying

Recently I read a fantastic article published by Sports Illustrated that discussed a challenge faced by fans of the Baltimore Orioles. The problem is something that isn’t very common in professional sports and isn’t something fans would notice until you come face to face with it. The problem? Buying a jersey.

Sports Illustrated’s article talks about the challenge that Oriole fans face when deciding to buy a jersey. You see, the Orioles aren’t very good at the sport of baseball in this moment and time. And as fans of the team, people in Baltimore struggle to choose which, if any, player’s jersey they are going to spend their hard earned dollars on. The challenge, unique to Baltimore fans is that there aren’t any good players on the team.

But while the challenge of simply not having any good players of which you can buy a jersey, I started to think about how fans of nearly every other professional sports team approach the art of jersey buying. I consider myself sort of a jersey expert. You see, I own roughly 50 jerseys (the key I’ve found is to buy them from China for $15 rather than spend upwards of $120). So as a jersey buying expert I’ve examined the many choices that fans face every time they make a trip to the team store.

The Star:

This is the most common jersey choice among fans of pro sports teams and for good reason. When you think of the New England Patriots you think of Tom Brady, of course. Brady has led the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles and will go down in history as the greatest QB in the history of the NFL. So it would make sense that most fans who make the trip to Gillette Stadium in the fall would be donning a #12 jersey. It’s a safe choice for fans who want to show their allegiance to their favorite team. No one is going to knock you for wearing it, no one will question why you made the choice to purchase it and most importantly, chances are you’ll be able to wear the jersey for a long time.

The Throwback:

This, of all the jersey options, is the safest bet for any fan. This is the jersey that follows in the footsteps of ‘The Star’ jersey option. Again, there’s a reason that when you attend a game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, you can still see John Stockton and Karl Malone jerseys left and right. These players have come to teams and etched their names in the record books and in the history of that particular franchise. Much like the ‘Star’ option, no one will question your choice to wear a throwback jersey of your team’s all-time-great player. But more so than a jersey of your team’s star player, a throwback jersey will NEVER go out of style. Jazz fans will be wearing Stockton or Malone jerseys till the end of time, Laker fans will be wearing Kobe Bryant jerseys at their funerals, and Knick fans can always count on their trusty Patrick Ewing jerseys, making the decision to purchase a throwback jersey well worth your dollars.

The Rookie:

Here we go from the least risky to perhaps the riskiest of your jersey choices. This is the dilemma that fans of rebuilding teams like the Orlando Magic or Sacramento Kings have faced for years. The draft period is a time of hope for any fanbase and with that hope comes the urge to be one of the first to grab the jersey of the future face of the franchise. Sometimes the gamble to purchase the jersey of your team’s latest draftee pays off, as it did for Jazz fans who decided to purchase Donovan Mitchell jerseys early in his rookie season. But sometimes the decision is an embarrassing one, as fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers learned shortly after buying Anthony Bennett jerseys.

The Role-Player:

If the ‘Star Player’ option is too mainstream for you, then you can always go for the jersey of a popular role-player on your favorite team. Go to a game in Boston and you’ll see Paul Pierce and Kyrie Irving jerseys galore, but if you look harder you’ll start to notice Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown jerseys sprinkled around the stadium. It’s not a jersey that will pay off long term for fans, those who own Avery Bradley Celtic jerseys can attest to that, but during the period where that particular player dons your team’s threads, the jersey will be a fun, slightly less mainstream way to support your squad.

The Anti-Star:

This is a decision that is made by own the most die-hard fans and only by those who are experienced jersey buyers. When buying the jersey of a role-player or your team’s recent draftee just doesn’t cut it anymore then you may be in danger of approaching the ‘Anti-Star’ territory. I talked about how purchasing the jersey of a role-player is the perfect way to go the less mainstream route, well purchasing the jersey of a bench warmer is taking that one (unnecessary) step further. Sure, the player whose name you drape across your back may not put up flashy numbers or even see the field of play, but buying the jersey of an ‘end of the bench’ guy is a unique way of supporting your team. And on the plus, it will most likely never go out of style. Even when the player is long gone the jersey will serve as a reminder of a unique time in your team’s history as well as your fandom. Sometimes the jersey can even serve as a sort of collector's item. At the very least, the jersey will be a hilarious memory a la my Utah Jazz Jeremy Evans custom jersey.

So whether you’re a casual fan just looking for something to wear to the occasional game or a die-hard fanatic, there are certain decisions you will come across during your fandom as you look to buy a jersey of your favorite team/player. Until then, however, you can thank your lucky stars that you’re not a Baltimore Orioles fan unless you are, in which case you have my condolences.