On Christmas Day 1994, at age 11 years old, one gift would forever influence my fashion choices for the next two and a half decades. I received as a gift from my parents a Minnesota Timberwolves Donyell Marshall jersey. (Being from Connecticut, Marshall, a former UConn player, was a big deal.) Beginning at 11 and continuing currently 27 years later, the sports jersey is my ultimate fashion icon. Although many may consider this a fashion faux pas, let’s dig deep into my collection as a buyer’s guide to sports jerseys.
My jersey collection through sixth and seventh grade primarily consisted of basketball jerseys. Although I had some such as a Damon Stoudemire Toronto Raptors, a Bryant Reeves Vancouver Grizzlies, a Dennis Rodman San Antonio Spurs, or a Jerry Stackhouse Philadelphia 76ers jersey that I paid full price for, many in my collection were discounted. At the Hanes outlet in Mystic, Connecticut, (Hanes being the parent company of Champion, who designed the jerseys) there were remainder jerseys for half off. Instead of paying the then-exorbitant price of $40, these cost only $20. I could actually afford $20!
Outlet Basketball Jerseys
Purchases made here comprise many of my more unusual jerseys such as a Danny Ferry Cleveland Cavaliers, Shawn Bradley 76ers, Danny Manning Atlanta Hawks, and Scott Burrell Charlotte Hornets. These were jerseys of players who were either traded or who were not superstars by any means. I thought they were very cool since when everyone else was wearing Shaquille O’Neal or Larry Johnson, I was wearing a Nate McMillan Seattle Supersonics jersey.
At this age I did own three football jerseys: Dan Marino, Drew Bledsoe, and Emmett Smith; three baseball: Mo Vaughan, Shawn Green, and Barry Bonds; and two hockey: Patrick Roy and a Vancouver Canucks jersey, but basketball was my primary “jam.” As sports gave way to music as my main interest, the jersey collection stayed packed away in my drawers. Although a few were given away to Goodwill, most remained intact.
Resurrection of the Sports Jersey
During my freshman year of college, in a half-ironic way, the basketball jerseys reappeared as my roommate and I turned our dorm room into a gymnasium of sorts, hanging these from the “rafters.” I wore random ones around the dorm, such as a Denver Nuggets Dikembe Mutombo. Discovering a throwback Washington Bullets Wes Unseld in a very small size was my only new purchase during these years, wearing it in an ironic hipster fashion.
After college, I once again became a bigger fan of sports, many thanks to the world of fantasy sports. Going to a few Red Sox games each year, I would buy a t-shirt at every game. I had some holdover baseball t-shirts from my childhood too, including a Tim Wakefield Red Sox, an Andy Van Slyke Pittsburgh Pirates, and a Jay Buhner Seattle Mariners shirt. Given my small frame, I could still fit into all of these. At the Red Sox games, I would seek out the most unusual Sox players. Instead of David Ortiz or Dustin Pedroia, my collection included such non-stars as Nick Green, J.T. Snow (who played for about a month with the team), Eric Gagne, Darnell McDonald, and Willy Mo Pena.
A Jersey-Shirt to go
Traveling through my twenties and thirties, I picked up a player t-shirt from each stadium I visited. Kenji Johjima from the Seattle Mariners, Nick Punto in Minnesota, Scott Podsednik in Chicago, Akinori Iwamura in Tampa Bay, Miguel Tejada in Baltimore, Jhonny Peralta in Cleveland, Brandon Inge in Detroit, Grant Balfour in Oakland, Denard Span in Washington, Alcides Escobar in Kansas City, Dante Bichette in Colorado, Ryan Howard and Antonio Bastardo in Philadelphia, Andrew McCutchen in Pittsburgh, AJ Burnett in Toronto and even this year, David Peralta in Arizona. Additionally, as the 80s and 90s became ripe for nostalgia, I couldn’t resist buying a Doc Gooden or Lenny Dykstra t-shirt.
Along comes football
In the years of 2007 and 2008, the Reebok company, which was headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts, close to my Boston area address, held an annual indoor tent sale in the town of Avon. They would occupy an unused store and shuttle their leftover wares. At the time, Reebok was the official manufacturer of the NFL. For literally twenty bucks, you could walk away with two jerseys. I went hog wild. I grabbed jerseys such as John Kitna Detroit Lions, Jay Cutler Denver Broncos, Dante Stallworth New England Patriots, Joe Jurevicius Cleveland Browns, Chris Gamble Carolina Panthers, and Jeff Garcia Tampa Bay Buccaneers, among many, many others. I’d give a twenty or two to a friend and they’d come back with random jerseys in hand.
Growing older, wiser
Not only was I growing older but the prices for my beloved sports jerseys were climbing as well. A nice, but not authentic basketball or baseball jersey would cost well over $100. Being a rational human being, I felt that this was not a feasible price tag for a nonessential item. As I shelled out money to buy my wife an engagement ring, I thought I too needed an engagement present. I had been eyeing an Alex English, Denver Nuggets basketball jersey with the rainbow skyline for some time now and had also been a big fan of the Houston Astros orange striped rainbow baseball jersey. Although costing together about $300 dollars, this was chump change compared to an engagement ring, so I treated myself.
This has led to carefully selecting pieces to add to my collection. I enjoy the throwback baseball jerseys the most since they have quite the versatility. Additions include a Tony Gwynn San Diego Padres, Andrew Dawson Montreal Expos, a Luis Gonzalez Arizona Diamondbacks, and a Keith Hernandez St. Louis Cardinals. One line of jersey that I especially enjoy is the throwback batting practice jersey from Mitchell and Ness. Perfect for special occasions such as weddings and bar mitzvahs, Wade Boggs Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Rickey Henderson Oakland Athletics, and Lenny Dykstra Philadelphia Phillies jerseys are practically formal wear.
The Hockey Sweatshirt
One alternative to the jersey that I have come to very much enjoy is the Lacer hoodie. Originally made by Old TIme Hockey until the brand was acquired by 47 Brand. My first number in this collection was a Joe Sakic Quebec Nordiques. Then showing hometown pride I purchased a Hartford Whalers and a Bobby Orr Boston Bruins sweatshirt. Each year, Santa brings me another. Highlights include an Anaheim Ducks, Teemu Selanne, a Winnipeg Jets, a Western Conference, Bret Hull, and Pittsburgh Penguin hoodies. These are quite practical too because they are actually really warm (especially the original Old Time Hockey versions). Speaking of practicality, basketball jerseys also have their place, the beach! Nothing looks flier than a “Big Country” Bryant Reeves jersey on the beach!
A few more from the collection to highlight for this buyer’s guide to sports jerseys:
For more sports collectibles, check out craft beer and baseball cards.
Fabulous pictures!
Thank you!