How to Decide Which Jersey To Wear In Support Of Your Team

Professional sports are an integral part of the identity of many cities. Who could imagine Cleveland without the Browns or Green Bay without the Packers? As a fan, you may want to show your support for your team by buying and wearing a team jersey, but how do you decide which one? What if the player gets traded? Or worse, arrested? You don't want to be wearing his name and number after that. Follow these steps to make sure you never regret the decision to buy and wear your team's colors.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Decide whether or not you want your own official team jersey. Most NFL, MLB, and NHL teams give you the option of ordering a custom-made piece with (almost) any name and jersey number; I suggest your own name and number "1". That way, you don't have to feel badly about spending hundreds of dollars on it because you can pass it down to your kids.
2. Go down the list of your team's players who are in the Sports Hall of Fame and decide if you'd like to wear any of their jerseys. Is there one player that you rooted especially hard for as a kid? Is his jersey available? If so, order it. You can't go wrong with a Hall of Famer.
3. If there isn't a player in the sport's Hall of Fame available, check out the individual team's Hall of Fame (or Ring of Honor, etc.). Wearing the jersey of one of your team's all-time greats is a can't-miss idea.
4. If you can't find a player who fits the bill in the sport's or the team's Halls of Fame, look to your team's past championship rosters (if they have any). Was there a player you loved on a team that brought your city a championship? Wearing his jersey is a tribute to him and that team.
5. If you're still not happy with your choices, look for a lifer: a current player who has spent his entire career on your team. If you've got no lifers, your last option is a player nearing retirement who's a sure-fire Hall of Famer. If none of these options work for you, then you didn't really want a jersey in the first place.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't ever buy a team's "alternate" jersey, only "home" or "away."
• Don't ever buy a "throwback" jersey unless it's a retired player's.