But, I'm Part of the Team Too !

During my routine on Sudays, I have to go over and check the Ottawa Sun columns and find out what's newsworthy and exactly how to think about them. As the couple of times already, I again find myself using a quote or two from one of my favorite columnists, Erin Nicks.

She weighed in on the "NBA dress code" this week and took the opportunity to give tips to fans on how to support their favorite team. But my favorite newspaper columnist-turned-Joan Rivers wannabe would have you all believe her version to the do's and don'ts of sports fashion.

Never tuck in a hockey sweater, wear a No. 69 on a softball jersey or customize any piece with a personal nickname. You'll look like you should be wearing a helmet for all the wrong reasons.

I think I dodged the critical bullet there, but I wonder what she would say to people who put their own names on the jerseys (as seen above). Yes, I actually have my own name on my jersey. Honestly, I have my name and number on mostly all of my jerseys. That way they all match.

My theory is that my jerseys will always stay current. Or I'm the only one comfortable being oblivious that everyone sees I'm an incredible tool. I think it's fair enough after all the time, energy and support that I've given the Penguins over the years that I've been just like a member of the team. All my life, I felt like I wanted to feel like I belong to something. This jersey collection helps me achieve that.

One year, I got this one guy to approach me and ask just who was the name on my jersey. I embarrassingly told him the truth that it was my own name. Replicas go for $60 and authentic go for over $100. You see, especially in an era that has many players moving from team to team, an investment can go down the tubes pretty quickly.

How many of you are walking around with a Lalime #40 Senators jersey? Or more recently, how many of the fans in Phoenix, AZ went out and bought a Hull #9 jersey only to have him retire from the roster. There are an awful lot of people walking around with a Kovalev #27 jersey here in Pittsburgh. I wonder if they've had to explain, "Oh, he doesn't play for them anymore."

"Ca$hin" jerseys were amusing for about a nanosecond.

I wonder if Ms. Nicks was lucky enough to get a "R. Mexico" Atlanta Falcons #7 jersey.

Erin Nicks doesn't go further in depth to her article (most likely because of word count) about some of the other sports fashion tragedies that plague fans. I wonder if she would agree with me on this: If you're too overweight, maybe it should go on the wall.

While, I was at my summer job recently, I do wish I had a camera to save the image of a customer who had the classic New York Islander "Gordon's Fisherman" jersey on. Even if it was a little ahead of it's time, the "fisherman" logo will go down in history as a grand mistake. What was even uglier about witnessing this particular sports fashion victim was that the jersey looked like it belonged to his little brother. The burly jock fit snugly into a mens medium.

Is it a fashion feau-pax to wear your own name on the jersey? Probably not, in my view. I would recommend that the fans purchase a jersey with no markings if you want to get the most wear for your money.

[Via: Ottawa Sun]