The "New Jersey" Dilemma

Making the Right Fit: How to Select the Perfect Jersey

For most professional sports fans, selecting the perfect jersey to represent an undying faith in both player and franchise is way more than just a "big deal."

You can spend 100 bucks on your favorite players jersey and by the following week. “your player” can break their neck, or even worse: get shuffled to a different franchise by means of a trade – out your life forever.

As a fan, you obviously want to pick a popular jersey, but not so much that everyone walking around town has the same one as you (i.e. Tom Brady).

You want to pick a player who looks like they will be a big part of the team for years to come.

Someone with stability.

The Reason Why?

Michael Vick’s Authentic NFL Jersey in 2004? Sold out.

Michael Vick’s Authentic NFL Jersey in 2010? Chew toy.

Use the following player categories (3) when selecting a jersey:

"The Up-and-Comer"

This jersey represents the youngest player(s) on your team that has the most potential.

While "The Up-and-Comer" is one of the most popular jersey’s to wear.  From a fans perspective, it should always be considered as a gamble.  For every Kevin Durant or Chris Johnson, there are countless players who fall well short of their lofty expectations.

A few years ago, I invested in a young RB on the New England Patriots: Laurence Maroney.  Four years and four fumbles from the goal line later, Maroney has fallen so deep on the New England Patriots depth chart, 63 year-old Fred Taylor is getting his carries. Of course, it’s not just Maroney.

At this very moment, there are kids in Portland using their Greg Oden jerseys to clean up last nights beer spills.  Hell, those kids have probably worn the jersey more often than Oden has.

"The Established Superstar"

Don’t feel like wasting your money on a prospect?

Try "The Established Superstar."

This jersey represents the perennial all-star; the icon in your favorite teams’ city. He (or She – I know there are tons of L.A. Sparks fans who can’t wait to break their Candice Parker jerseys out once she returns from maternity leave) has been there for as long as you can remember, and there is nothing that can change that, right?

Wrong.

That’s what 12-year old Timmy, born and raised in the suburbs of Philly, thought when he dropped six weeks’ worth of allowance on a Donovan McNabb jersey a mere three days before he was shipped off to Washington D.C. to join the Redskins. How about the players who are still on your team, but it’s gotten to a point where it’s almost embarrassing to wear their jersey.

I’m looking at you David Ortiz and Ben Roethlisberger.

READ: "Big Ben Jersey Sales Drop Dramatically"

"The Retired Hero"

Buying your first jersey?

"The Retired Hero" is your safest bet.

This jersey represents a player who had a stellar career and therefore, will always have a special place in the history books of your favorite team.  This is the player your parents and/or Grandparents  cheered for. This jersey doesn’t represent the current line-up, but by choosing to wear "The Retired Hero," you can sleep soundly knowing that their Hall of Fame career can never be tarnished, Right?

Wrong.

 

Lets go ahead and cut Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens some slack. I mean, even Teddy Ballgame’s jersey declined in popularity after his death in 2002.

His son had his head cut off and cryogenically frozen.

Type "Ted Williams," in a Google search bar.  After "Ted Williams stats," the results jump to "Ted Williams Head" and "Ted Williams Frozen." I don’t care if he was the last batter to hit .400.

Who wants to rock that freak-shows jersey now?

Purchasing a new jersey is just like your first round pick in fantasy football.

You can spend hours, even days, thinking and researching about who to select.  Get lucky?  Snatch Adrian Peterson. My advice? ALWAYS take caution when you’re in the process of  selecting a new jersey, because you just might end up with the ’09 version of LaDainian Tomlinson.

I’m just sayin’