Please Stop Wearing Those Old Jerseys

I see you, Ben Gordon Bulls jersey wearing guy.  Oh look, it’s a Magic fan sporting a Rashard Lewis Orlando #9.  Um, buddy, he’s in Washington now. Really… really… is that Philly fan really wearing a Samuel Dalembert #1 76ers jersey?  That’s just wrong on so many levels.

There has to be some sort of Man-Law that prohibits grown men from wearing sports jerseys of former players. I’ll give you “Throwback Jerseys” of old school players, only if said throwback jersey is from a legendary type Hall Of Fame or multiple time all star type player. And, this is key, only if said historical player is retired.

And don’t give me that, ‘I bought the jersey, so I’m gonna wear it’ garbage.  If you can afford to buy a professional jersey, then you can afford to buy another one. I’m not saying stop wearing the jersey all together.  If the player’s name on the back of your jersey is no longer on that team you have options.

1)  Store it away until the player retires, then pull it out and presto! You have an authentic throwback jersey!  But please remember the above rules regarding throwbacks. Store away your Denver Nugget Carmelo Anthony jersey’s not your Kirk Hinrich Bulls one.

2)  Use the jersey when you are working out at the gym. If your not a workout kind of guy, wear it when putzing around the house doing your honey-do list. Not a chores kind of guy? Then it can be a nice night time shirt. If you sleep sans shirt, then just throw the damn thing in the trash or see #3.

3)  Donate the jersey to those less fortunate.

To recap…  I’ll use the Chicago Bulls as an example. Stop wearing the Hinrich’s, Gordon’s, and Ben Wallace’s.  Feel free to rock a #1 or a #13, or even a #5 (only a Boozer #5, not a Nocioni or Paxson #5), or a #9.  And remember, you can wear your Pippen #33 and Jordan #23 (I’ll even give you the occasional MJ #45).  But never, ever, wear a Jordan Wizard jersey.  Ever.