Children have the fantastic opportunity to participate in an activity that builds teamwork, self-esteem, skill sets, and confidence. Sports. Hockey, softball, football, basketball…sports helps bring people, especially young children, together. That starts with the jersey.
It’s a conforming factor of all team sports: That colored pull-over with the team logo emblazoned on its shoulder and a number on its back. Unity and individuality. The player and the team. A part of–a larger pride and purpose. Working towards a common goal.
That jersey represents something larger than any individual player. It’s the statement of a team, the wins and losses, the identity, the practices, everything that has been put into work towards that goal of competing and competing well. It’s prideful to have a jersey, perhaps even especially with those mud stains and rips.
That symbiosis translates to the professional levels, where children are able to watch their favorite stars perform. Baseball, hockey, football, basketball, softball…all these sports are a showcase for individual talent and professional togetherness. Uniforms become the symbol of adoration of a player, and of a team.
It translates to one of the most storied sports in the world: American Baseball. It is:
- Popular. Around 23.4 million people watch the World Series on TV.
- Steeped in tradition. The Boston Americans won the first World Series in 1903.
- Profitable. The MLB generated $9 billion in revenue in 2016. The team average was $301 million.
- Prolific. Once only an American sport, now over 100 countries are part of the International Baseball Federation.
Team logos become emblazoned on everything from hats to coffee mugs. Everyone knows the most popular logos: The ‘NY’ of the New York Yankees and the pair of ‘Red Sox’ of the Boston Red Sox. Then, it seems, everyone can take part of this sharing of identity–MLB, team fans, and sports fans generally.
Team jerseys then have become popular, as representations of teams and of the players on a team. A Yankees jersey with Derek Jeter or Red Sox jersey with Curt Schilling. A Houston Astros jersey with Roger Clemmons or an Arizona Diamondbacks jersey with Randy Johnson. Of course, there are options for teams: the home jersey, the away jersey, the alternate jersey.
One jersey that has risen in popularity is the custom jersey. Custom jerseys can take your favorite team’s colors, the logo emblazoned on the shoulder, and put your words on the back. They can be your name, a “Number 1 Fan”, or perhaps a clever saying. For instance:
- A custom Marlins jersey could read, “Biggest Fish”
- A custom Marlins jersey could read, “Reel ‘Em In”
- Again, with the custom Marlins jersey, “Number 1 Fish”
Your imagination holds the key to your custom jersey.
A jersey has the power of a unifying symbol while promoting individuality. It can unite a crowd at a game in Cleveland, or spark outrage when a player leaves. Immortalized are players: Wayne Gretzsky’s 99 or Ray Bourque’s 87 or Peter Forberg’s 21. They become treasured, childhood to adulthood.