As an avid basketball watcher, I’ve come to be a big fan of the jerseys the players wear and the uniqueness of each one. Ever since I was little I’ve always had this fascination with jerseys. As my favorite sport shifted from baseball, to football, to basketball, so has my collection of jerseys. I currently own over forty different jerseys, no two are the same, however I have multiples of the same player on different teams. I used to just collect jerseys for my own personal enjoyment. I wouldn’t wear them a ton, except when I played basketball with my friends, but as I entered college I began to notice something rather strange about the culture of jerseys. I noticed that there is this unspoken competition (mainly among college frat Bros) to see who has the coolest jersey. Unfortunately, none of the jerseys I have seen during my time at college, music festivals, or any event where a jersey would be acceptable attire are very unique. This epidemic is something that my friends and I have noticed over the past few years.
(My friends are very similar to me in the sense that we all love basketball, we all love jerseys and we all try to build our own collection as we see fit. I hate to say it guys, but my collection is by far the best and most unique.)
Whenever I’m out and about, I notice guys tend to size each other up based on what jersey he is wearing. That’s all fine and dandy but the problem is, most guys my age judge jerseys the wrong way. There are a few major aspects to having the coolest and most unique jersey in the room. Lets pick three of my own personal jersey to be graded along the three major categories. Each category will be weighed on a scale from 1-5 (5 being the highest possible rating and 1 being the lowest. Therefore the highest score and the best jersey of all time would score a 15). I’ll attach images of my jerseys after I discuss the three categories.
- Rarity – This can be seen in a variety of different ways from the player whose jersey you are wearing, if it’s a retro one from a different decade, or simply how many times you’ve seen someone wear that jeresey. For example, if you’re out and about and you see someone wearing either the same player, same jersey but with a different player, or the exact same jersey, then it’s probably not very unique and therefore won’t win you the unofficial competition among all those who partake. However, if someone has to stop you and say something along the lines of “Whose jersey is that?” or “Where did you find that?” you’re a step in the right direction.
- Historical Significance – This is a very subjective category as each person may have a different understanding of what a historically significant player may be. However this is where looking at the other two categories will help determine the awesomeness of said jersey. For example, everyone knows Michael Jordan as the greatest player of all time making him a very historically significant player. Since he is so well-known and not very rare, this makes his jersey not so significant. If you have his jersey from the Dream Team then that’s a bit more historically relevant since it’s a more significant team in basketball history. For the jersey to score high in this category it should be so significant that it can start its own conversation. A lot of people hate Christian Laettner (for more information watch his documentary from 30 for 30 titled I Hate Christian Laettner) but his jersey is very significant since he has a bunch of memorable moments that make him hated thus giving his jersey a 4.5 on the scale.
- Aesthetic – Now there has been a recent trend with a lot of bright and neon colors across the sports world and I’m here to say IT DOESN’T LOOK GOOD. Neon colors don’t look good unless you’re going to an 80’s themed party and if you are going to that party, rock a jersey from a player from the 80’s! I don’t have a problem with retro jerseys that were originally made with neon colors like the throwback Atlanta Hawks jersey (I will break this jersey down later) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers creamcicle jerseys of the 70’s and 80’s. These jerseys may be neon and bright but their rarity level is what makes up for it. The current Seattle Seahawks neon green jerseys don’t work because they aren’t rare or historically significant, they’re just bad. Simplistic jerseys, good color scheme, great logos, and so many more factors will help a jersey score highly in this category.
Now that we have broken down the three categories, I will score three of my own personal jerseys and demonstrate their strengths and weaknesses.
- “Pistol” Pete Maravich, Atlanta Hawks, 1970’s, green jersey
- Rarity – 5/5 (I’ve owned this jersey for nearly 7 years now and I’ve been to my fair share of music festivals, events where a jersey would be socially acceptable, and I have yet to see another person wearing this specific jersey. I’ve seen the blue jersey with his name on it but never the green one.)
- Historically Significant – 3.5/5 (Pistol Pete was a revolutionary player for his time and often gets forgotten by the casual NBA fan which is what brings his score down a bit. However, he still ranks rather high since those who do know him will appreciate the jersey that much more)
- Aesthetic – 4.5/5 (The throwback numbers, colors, and trim are absolutely beautiful. The neon green may be a bit much for some people but it works really well with the color scheme.)
- Total – 13/15
- Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns, 1995-1996, purple jersey
- Rarity – 2.5/5 (This is a fairly common jersey, especially among the younger generation. May of us grew up watching him and for those who weren’t particularly fast or tall he was an idol. This jersey is scores so high aesthetically that it is bought very frequently)
- Historically Significant – 2.5/5 (Although Nash did win 2 MVP awards with the Suns during 2005-2007, this is not the jersey he wore during that time. This is the jersey he wore when he was first drafted, was a back up, and then ultimately traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Not very significant if you ask me)
- Aesthetic – 5/5 (This jersey has everything in a good-looking piece of clothing. The colors are bright yet muted enough to wear casually and still make a statement. The orange streaking sun/basketball across the chest adds a great highlight without taking away from the rest of the purple. The font is perfectly 1990’s with the black trim to give it a raised look.)
- Total – 10/15 (While this one scores perfectly under the Aesthetic category, the significance and the rarity of it are definitely lacking which brings its score down from what it could be)
- Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls, 2015-2016, red jersey
- Rarity – 1.5/5 (Being from Chicago, almost every Bulls fan has this jersey, it’s not very unique nor is it one that can spark a conversation outside of basketball.)
- Historically Significant – 0.5/5 (While Jimmy Butler is an amazing player, his work in Chicago was very short-lived, he’s not a for sure hall of fame player like some other current players, and he has yet to have an incredible performance that everyone remembers.)
- Aesthetic – 4/5 (The Bulls haven’t changed their jerseys since they first entered the league in the 1960’s and there’s no reason to. The red and black combination is classic as well as the arched font across the chest just have no reason to be messed with. It’s a classic which brings up its score a bit higher)
- Total – 6/15 (Jimmy is a great player, the Bulls are a great franchise but there a lot of missing factors that bring its score way down.)
So there you have it, a break down of what makes a jersey special and unique. I also hope you now have some insight as to the Not-So-Secret competition among all those who wear jerseys to a party.
Louie Kertgen's Blog 
